A recruiter has sparked widespread reactions online after sharing claims that some companies post hundreds of job openings that are never meant to be filled, allegedly using them instead to collect valuable data from job seekers.
The account, shared by Peter Girnus, describes the experience of a Head of Talent Acquisition who claimed that many of the job listings published by the company were not genuine hiring opportunities.
Hundreds of job listings, few actual hires
According to the story, the company posted 500 job openings within a year but hired only 34 people. The remaining 466 roles reportedly never existed, serving internal purposes rather than actual recruitment.
The recruiter wrote:
“Last year I posted 500 open positions for my company. We hired 34 people. The other 466 jobs were never real. I’m the Head of Talent Acquisition. That’s not what I acquire. What I acquire is data.”
Collecting data from applicants
The post further claimed that about 160,000 applicants submitted resumes, salary expectations, and career histories through these listings.
Rather than using the information to recruit, the company allegedly used the data to analyze market trends and compare salary benchmarks.
“160,000 applicants gave us their career history for free. We used it to benchmark compensation—not to raise salaries, but to confirm we were paying below market and could get away with it.”
The idea of a “talent pipeline”
The recruiter explained that companies often describe the practice as “building a talent pipeline.” However, he argued that the phrase can sometimes mask the reality that many positions may never be filled.
“We call it building a talent pipeline. A pipeline is something you build and never turn on.”
Automated systems reject most applicants
The post also described how the company’s applicant tracking system automatically rejected around 95% of applications based on specific keywords.
According to the recruiter, many applicants spend hours tailoring their resumes, but the system scans them briefly before sending an automated rejection.
“Some applicants spend hours customizing their resumes. The system reads them for six seconds and then sends a rejection email: ‘After careful consideration.’ There was no consideration.”
Job listings used to impress investors
The account also alleged that some job listings remained online for months or even years despite no intention of filling them.
One example mentioned was a “Director of Innovation” role that had reportedly been posted for two years, even though the company allegedly had no innovation department or budget for the position.
Posting large numbers of job openings, the recruiter claimed, could also create the impression that a company was expanding rapidly.
“Our stock went up 8% after we posted 200 jobs in one week. We didn’t hire anyone that week—or the week after.”
“We value data, not applications”
The recruiter concluded by reflecting on how the company viewed applicants primarily as data points rather than potential employees.
“We say we value every application. That’s not true. We value every data point.”
The claims have since sparked discussions online, with many job seekers expressing frustration over the hiring process and questioning how transparent some companies are when advertising job opportunities.
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