Decoding Repeated Job Postings: Why Companies Keep Advertising the Same Roles

The common frustration of seeing the same job postings appear repeatedly, especially on platforms like Hacker News' "Who's Hiring" threads, sparked a lively discussion. The original poster, an Engineering Manager candidate, questioned why roles remained unfilled for months despite numerous applications. The ensuing conversation unveiled a spectrum of reasons, ranging from legitimate hiring strategies to more dubious practices.

The Case for Careful, Continuous Hiring

Several hiring managers and those with experience on the hiring side emphasized that reposting is often a sign of a rigorous and patient approach. Key arguments include:

High Standards and Selectivity: Companies, particularly in tech, often have a very high bar. As one commenter, samcheng, who has hired many engineers from HN, stated, "We reject the vast majority of candidates." The goal is to find the right fit, not just a fit.
The High Cost of a Bad Hire: Multiple participants (jdlshore, theamk) stressed that a mediocre or poor hire can be a net negative. Such hires can consume significant management and team time, introduce errors, lower morale, and ultimately cost more than an empty seat. Thus, patience is seen as a virtue to avoid these pitfalls.
Continuous Need for Talent: Some companies (ElCapitanMarkla) repost ads because they are always looking for strong talent in certain roles and may have multiple openings or an ongoing need to build out teams.
Large Applicant Pools & Filtering: The sheer volume of applications, especially from broad platforms, means many candidates might not be suitable. nickpsecurity noted that layoffs have increased the talent pool, allowing companies to be pickier, while also making recruiting harder due to irrelevant or even AI-generated applications.

"Unicorn Hunting" and Unrealistic Expectations

A significant portion of the discussion centered on the phenomenon of "unicorn hunting" – companies seeking candidates with an improbable combination of skills, extensive experience in nascent fields, often for less-than-competitive compensation.

ahi pointed out postings for roles like "5 years experience in AI pipeline engineering" for low contract rates, noting that individuals with such (potentially anachronistic) experience are unlikely to take such offers. This is sometimes exacerbated by leadership (e.g., a CTO with limited relevant experience) setting unrealistic hiring bars.
moralestapia shared an anecdote of being interviewed by an inexperienced individual for a highly senior role, leading to a misinformed rejection, highlighting how flawed internal processes can perpetuate vacancies.
mixmastamyk suggested the tech industry's belief in a "fixed mindset" (that skills are innate rather than learnable) combined with risk aversion and the proliferation of tech stacks contributes to a reluctance to hire anyone who isn't a perfect, immediate match.

Questionable Motives: Ghost Jobs and Visibility

Skepticism about the genuineness of all repeated job postings was a recurring theme. Commenters proposed several ulterior motives:

Projecting Growth/Improving Public Image: s1mplicissimus and stevekemp raised the possibility of "ghost jobs" – positions that aren't actively being filled but are posted to make a company appear to be growing and successful, especially for publicly traded companies or those seeking investment.
Free Advertising: owebmaster noted that job postings, especially on popular threads, serve as free advertising and visibility for the company.
Resume Collection/Data Mining: ipaddr suggested some repeated posts might be for collecting resumes, potentially to upsell services or build a database for future, less defined needs.
tslocum even called for legislation to address long-standing, seemingly unfilled positions, indicating the perceived severity of this issue.

Flawed Hiring Processes

Beyond deliberate strategies or questionable motives, deficiencies in the hiring process itself were cited:

Interviewer Inexperience: As seen in moralestapia's story, interviewers lacking the expertise to evaluate candidates for senior or specialized roles can lead to good candidates being overlooked.
HR vs. Tech Interviewer Issues: gedy blamed non-technical HR recruiters for filtering based on superficial criteria, while ozim countered that technical interviewers can sometimes be more problematic, focusing on niche knowledge or trying to "prove candidates are stupid."
Platform Mismatch: thwaway, a hiring manager for roles requiring non-software skills (maths, physics), found few qualified applicants from HN, suggesting the platform may not always be the best source for every type of role, leading to reposts.

The Candidate Experience

The discussion also touched upon the impact on job seekers:

Candidates like prmph experience ghosting even after direct contact.
The perception of an extremely high bar, as voiced by hermannj314 regarding the HN talent pool, can be intimidating, even for experienced professionals.

Conclusion: A Multifaceted Issue

Ultimately, the phenomenon of repeated job postings is not due to a single cause. It's a complex interplay of diligent hiring practices, unrealistic employer expectations, strategic (and sometimes deceptive) corporate behavior, inefficiencies in recruitment, and the dynamics of the current job market. For job seekers, this means maintaining resilience, critically evaluating persistent job openings, and understanding that a rejection or a reposted job isn't always a simple reflection of their abilities or the availability of a genuine opportunity.