Is this LinkedIn listing real? What LinkedIn shows you — and what it hides
83.3%
of ghost-job signal weight is verifiable on LinkedIn before you apply
(rank 2 of 10 boards; the average is 76.2%)
The metadata signals on LinkedIn
| Signal | Visible? | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| No salary range listed | partial | Salary shows only when the employer adds it or local law forces it; many listings carry no range. |
| Implausibly wide salary range | partial | Assessable only on the subset of listings where the employer publishes a range. |
| Posting older than 30 days | yes | Shows relative posting age ('3 weeks ago') on every listing. |
| Reposted again and again | partial | Labels some listings 'Reposted' but never shows how many times or the original date. |
Always checkable: the text signals
These 7 flags live in the description text itself, so they're detectable on any board — paste the listing into the checker and they're scored instantly: Vague or stacked job title, Boilerplate, buzzword-heavy description, No named hiring manager or contact, 'Always hiring' / talent-pipeline language, Urgent hiring, zero specifics, No concrete details anywhere, Hidden or masked employer.
The LinkedIn-specific move
Pro tip: Hover the posting age and look for the 'Reposted' tag — it is the closest any major board gets to admitting a repost cycle.
Check a listing now: the free checker tests this flag (and the other ten) against any pasted listing — with the matched evidence. No signup.
Other board guides
- Is this USAJOBS listing real? (93.9% coverage)
- Is this Dice listing real? (83.3% coverage)
- Is this Wellfound (AngelList Talent) listing real? (80.7% coverage)