Ghost Job Checker: How to Tell if a Job Posting Is Still Open
Paste any job link into our free ghost job checker to see if the posting is still open, when it was posted, and whether it shows signs of a ghost job.
Johnson ·
You find a job that fits. You tailor your resume, write a cover letter, and hit apply. Then nothing. Sometimes that silence has nothing to do with you: the job was already filled, put on hold, or never really open.
These are often called ghost jobs. They are frustrating because they look exactly like real openings. Our free ghost job checker helps you spot the dead ones before you spend an evening on them.
What is a ghost job?
A ghost job is a posting for a role that isn't actually being filled. Some common reasons:
The role was filled, but nobody took the listing down.
Hiring was paused, but the posting stayed online.
The company keeps a listing open to collect resumes for later.
Job boards keep showing copies of a posting after the employer removed the original.
When we rechecked postings for our own search engine, we were surprised by how many were already gone. You can read about it in We rechecked 1,522 job postings. 2 out of 3 were already dead.
How to use the ghost job checker
It takes about ten seconds and you don't need an account.
Step 1: Paste the job link
Open the job posting and copy its link. The checker works best with the employer's own careers page or the job board it uses, such as Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, Workday, or Workable. Paste the link and click Check job.
Step 2: Read the verdict
The checker opens the job page and looks for signs that the posting is closed. If it finds none, it tells you how old the posting is, using the date the employer published.
Here is what each verdict means:
Open and recent (green): no signs the job is closed, and it was posted in the last 30 days. A good time to apply.
Open, but over a month old (amber): still online, but older. Apply soon and follow up with the recruiter.
Open, but over two months old (amber): jobs advertised this long are more likely to be filled, on hold, or kept open to collect resumes. Apply if it fits, but confirm the role is active.
Live, but no posting date (amber): the page is up, but it doesn't say when the job was posted.
Step 3: Spot closed postings
When a job is closed, the checker tells you why. In this example, the posting's own closing date had already passed, even though the page was still online.
The checker looks for these signs that a job is gone:
The page returns an error, such as "not found".
The link redirects to a general careers page instead of the job.
The closing date published with the job has passed.
The page says the job is no longer accepting applications.
On job sites that only publish job details for open roles, the details are missing.
What about LinkedIn and Indeed links?
Sites like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor require you to sign in or block automated checks, so we can't reliably tell an open posting from a closed one. Instead of guessing, the checker tells you so.
The fix is simple: search for the same job on the company's own careers page and check that link instead. If you can't find it there, that is a warning sign in itself.
How to tell if a job posting is still active
A page that is still online isn't proof that the company is hiring. Use the checker as one signal, together with these:
Find it on the company's site. If the job is on a job board but not on the employer's careers page, it may have been removed.
Check how old it is. The longer a job has been advertised, the more likely it is filled or paused.
Watch for reposts. The same role posted again and again with a fresh date can mean the company is collecting resumes rather than hiring.
Look for specifics. Real openings usually name a team, a manager, a salary range, and clear duties.
Ask. A short message to the recruiter is the most reliable way to confirm a role is open. Our hiring manager finder helps you find who to message.
Frequently asked questions
Is the ghost job checker free?
Yes. It's free, has no limits on normal use, and doesn't need an account.
Can it prove a job is real?
No tool can. The checker can tell you when a posting is clearly closed and how old it is. It can't see inside a company's hiring plans, so treat an "open" result as a good sign, not a guarantee.
Why does an old posting not always mean a ghost job?
Some roles take months to fill, and some companies hire for the same role all year. An old posting is a reason to ask before you invest time, not a reason to skip it.
Skip dead listings altogether
JobBloom runs the same check on every job before showing it to you, so your search results only include postings that still look open. Try a search and spend your time on jobs you can actually get.