The Hiring Process Has Changed - Ethics Shouldn't: Executive Search Ethics In An Era Of Ghost Jobs And Recruitment Scams
It is exciting to write the first Blog of our 31st year! As I thought about topics, I decided to go with an area we often write about and are well known for – Ethics in Search. I chose this topic at this time because of two recent occurrences . . . . . a candidate experience and the press about Recruitment Scams. I think I could label this topic using the term ‘current events’.
Please note – I looked back on our previous Blogs. The situations I am addressing today are, sadly, recurring themes. We still need reminders/we still need to be vigilant.
We Will Never Reach Out Unless The Search Is Valid!
No one knows exactly how many online job postings are fake or never intended to be filled. However, recent studies estimate that roughly one out of every five online job postings may be a 'ghost job,' while nearly half of job seekers report encountering fraudulent job postings or recruiting scams during the search for their next position/career role. (NOTE – something else to watch for . . . . . [from an article on Friday, August 7th in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal] . . . . . “in 2025, a Gartner survey found 6% of job candidates had posed as someone else or had someone else pose as them during an interview. Gartner stressed that, in the coming years, up to 25% of job applicants could be fake.”)
The Hiring Process Now Requires Due Diligence From Both Employers And Candidates
We will always identify who we are when we reach out to you. We provide e-mails and phone numbers. If we reach out and you are intrigued, please check us out. There are many approaches you can take to ensure you are pursuing something very legitimate – and something that could be an incredible opportunity for you:
- ‘Google’ us!
- E-mail us.
- Call us.
We Only Reach Out When We Are Actively Engaged In An Executive Search
On August 5th and 6th (2026), the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal ran the following article:
- Ghost jobs are on the rise. Here's why hiring managers are embracing them.
I read this article with great interest. It referenced a study that found that 90% of hiring managers said companies are intentionally posting jobs they don’t plan to fill immediately. (This was a survey of 1,500 hiring managers.) While I was incensed by this fact by itself, I kept reading . . . . . I wanted to know why. Here is what the article stated:
- 47% of hiring managers said they use the (fake) postings to build a pipeline of candidates for future roles.
- 34% said they do so because it signals growth or stability to investors, clients or competitors.
- 31% said they have to post externally before they can move an internal person into the role (the article referenced common internal HR policies).
We, again, would be happy to engage in a dialogue if you simply want to verify the integrity of the opening.
This Works In Both Directions – We Do Our Due Diligence
Everyone seems to reference Applicant Tracking Systems/Candidate Databases at some point in a search discussion. We are a 6-person boutique firm, yet we have a very comprehensive system that helps us in our work. It captures our activities; it uploads candidate e-mails. It maintains records for a long time.
We recently encountered a candidate for a leadership role. We had his resume from 10 years ago; he of course sent us an updated version for our review/consideration. A simple comparison of the two resumes raised a concern – his titles had changed. A job from two decades had gone from a Manager title to a Vice President title. We asked for a clarification – the discussion didn’t go well.
Our Promise – We Will Tell You The Truth And Never Ask For Payment
We have seen this wording used by some well-known organizations:
- Stay Alert: Avoid Recruitment Scams Across industries, cybercriminals are posing as company recruiters using fake job postings and employment offers to trick people into providing personal information or payment. Be alert and never provide personal/financial information or payment to anyone claiming to offer a job opportunity. During the recruiting process, ‘XYZ-company’ will never:
- Ask you for payment to process documents, purchase equipment, or for any other reason.
- Request your banking or credit card information.
- Send you a check to purchase your own equipment.
You will never see a request for payment like this from us or any reputable firm. If you do, please let us know. It would be because we were compromised in some manner.
Recruiting Is A Partnership
When an external Executive Search Firm is retained, there is a three-way partnership that starts and grows. The search firm, the hiring employer and each candidate work together.
Search firms are selected after a vetting process. Candidates are pursued after significant research. We ask that in this day-and-age, you partner with us as well. Partnering includes checking us out.
We will happily answer your call and questions.