Forum users are tracking fake job postings and discovering most LinkedIn ads aren't for real, immediate vacancies.
The r/DevelEire subreddit has become ground zero for exposing what users call 'phantom job postings' plaguing the Irish market, with a thread titled 'Is the Senior Dev market really that bad?' generating over 80 comments in less than 24 hours. Contributors are documenting patterns of job advertisements that remain posted for months without any hiring activity, roles that are reposted weekly with identical descriptions, and positions that generate hundreds of applications but no interviews. Multiple users reported applying to the same 'senior developer' role at various Dublin companies only to discover through networking that no such positions actually exist or have been filled internally.
The forum consensus has evolved around a shared theory that many job postings, particularly on LinkedIn, serve purposes other than immediate hiring including market research, salary benchmarking, CV database building, and creating the illusion of company growth for investors. One highly upvoted comment detailed how a recruiter friend confirmed that approximately 40% of tech job postings on major platforms are not for active, funded positions. Users are now sharing lists of companies they suspect of phantom posting, creating an informal blacklist of organizations to avoid.
The most viral advice thread focuses on what forum users call 'ghost-proof' application strategies, emphasizing direct contact with engineering managers and bypassing HR departments entirely. The top-rated comment advocates for identifying companies through GitHub commits, conference speakers, and technical blog posts rather than job boards, then reaching out through personal connections or cold LinkedIn messages. Several success stories involved candidates who secured interviews through this approach for companies that weren't even publicly hiring.
Forum members are organizing informal networking groups and sharing intelligence about which companies are genuinely hiring versus those running phantom campaigns. The community has created shared spreadsheets tracking application response rates by company, helping members focus their efforts on organizations with proven hiring activity. This collaborative approach represents a grassroots response to market opacity and information asymmetry.
The forum discussions indicate a permanent shift in how serious job seekers approach the Irish market, with relationship-building and intelligence-gathering becoming standard practices rather than optional tactics. The community's evolution from individual frustration to collective action suggests this approach may become the dominant job search methodology.