Job searching can be a rollercoaster of emotions, and one of the most frustrating moments is seeing a job posting disappear from a company’s website.
If a job posting is removed, don’t immediately assume the position has been filled. Since there are many reasons why the job may have been pulled down, you’ll want to be patient and wait a few days to see if it goes back up.
Let’s discuss why employers delete online job ads and how to guess whether the position has been filled or not.
What to Do After a Job Posting Is Removed
If you’ve only been looking on a job board, the company might still be hiring even though the ad campaign has ended. Check LinkedIn and the company’s employment page directly to see if the job posting is listed there, even when it’s no longer visible on other websites.
You can also contact the HR department directly to get more information about the job status.
9 Possible Reasons a Job Posting Was Taken Down
It’s easy to assume that the only reason a job posting has been removed is that the position has already been filled, but that’s not always the case.
1. The Position Is On Hold
Positions put on hold might be posted again if the internal situation is resolved or funding becomes available. Both of these are common, so there’s always a reason to hope that a posting you loved will reappear sometime in the future.
Keep an eye out for jobs to be reposted when the new quarter rolls around, as that’s often when funding changes kick in. For positions at a school or university, this new funding usually arrives at the beginning of each quarter or semester.
2. There Are too Many Applicants
According to Chris Kolmar from Zippia, it is not uncommon for job postings to receive 100-200 applicants within a few days. In that scenario, the HR department may remove it temporarily to evaluate the applications they have already received.
This surplus of applicants is more common in entry-level positions with few requirements.
In that case, the company will likely find the right candidate within the pool of submitted CVs. If they don’t find the right person, they’ll likely edit the job description or requirements before reposting it to get a better group of applicants to work with the second time around.
3. The Company’s Subscription to a Job Board Has Ended
Most job boards operate on a subscription model where employers have to pay for the privilege of posting their open positions. If a company’s subscription to that job board expires, the job board will remove any existing postings, even if that position is still available.
While job boards can be convenient for looking for opportunities at multiple companies quickly, you still rely on a third party for information about open positions. If the job board removes a posting, try checking the employment page on the company’s website directly.
4. There Aren’t Enough Applicants
Although it may seem counterintuitive, a job posting can also be taken down if not enough applications are submitted. This removal usually indicates something a bit off with the job posting that keeps people from submitting their applications.
People may not be applying because the salary range is too low, which can deter qualified candidates from applying.
An excellent example of this is a company that wants to hire someone with an advanced degree, such as a master’s degree, but only wants to pay minimum wage.
Vague or confusing job descriptions can also turn applicants away. A posting that doesn’t provide clear information about the role’s actual responsibilities and how the role fits in with the rest of the company may not be attractive to the type of candidate that the company is really looking for.
For example, it is not uncommon for companies to look for programmers with five years of experience in a programming language that has only existed for two.
5. The Job Description Did Not Match the Actual Job
Sometimes a company realizes that the job description does not match the actual job responsibilities. This realization may have come as the HR department started reviewing the applications and noticed the resumes didn’t have the education or skill level they were looking for.
When this happens, the company will typically remove the job posting to reevaluate the required responsibilities and description before reposting it. When it goes back up, read the new posting carefully to understand precisely what has changed.
6. The Position Is No Longer Required
Sometimes, a position is removed because the company has determined that the role is no longer required.
When this happens, it’s unlikely that the position will be reposted. Instead, keep an eye on the company’s other job postings to see if they edit them to include some of the responsibilities of the removed position. They may be shifting responsibilities both internally and within open job offerings.
7. The Job Posting Period Has Ended
When a job board posts a new listing, the posting typically has a start and end date. These are the dates the posting will go live on the website and when the job board will take it down. Some job boards allow companies to configure these dates, while others will set standard posting times for all posted jobs.
When this happens, the company must decide if they want to repost the job to look for more applicants. If they couldn’t find the right fit during the first open period, they might consider making changes to the job posting to see applicants that fit the position better.
The company may also change tactics and post the open position on a different job board or on its own website. They may also opt to work with a recruiter to try and find the right match without wasting more time.
8. The Job Posting Was a Scam and The Job Board took it Down
Unfortunately, some job postings are scams. They don’t represent a real opportunity, and the applications are used as phishing expeditions to discover personal information about the candidates. This information is then used to try and trick the applicants, often asking for money or gift cards.
Another tactic that scammers use is asking candidates to cash a check or transfer money. They’ll then send a check to repay those expenses, but the check will bounce. This trickery leaves the job applicant out of money with few options to get it back.
9. They’ve Identified an Internal Candidate
Employment laws in the United States usually require a company to post a job opening to the public, even if they already have an internal candidate they’re considering to fill the position. These regulations mean that the job posting will go up and look like a real opportunity, but the company may not even be reviewing the external applications they receive.
These postings with known internal candidates can be pretty frustrating as job applicants will waste time working on application materials that will never be considered. It’s also hard to tell if a company already has an internal candidate in mind, making it challenging to avoid pointlessly applying.
Conclusion
If a job posting is removed, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the position has been filled.
Job postings are also removed when there is a surplus or deficit of applicants, the position description has changed, or the position has been put on hold. Job postings can also be removed from a centralized job board if the employer’s subscription to that service has ended.