Have you ever applied for the perfect job, only to realize it never really existed?
What if the job market isn’t just competitive—but haunted? Across job boards and career sites, ghost jobs linger—positions that were never meant to be filled or were quietly abandoned by companies. But job seekers aren’t the only ones being deceived. Fake candidate profiles are also flooding the market, leaving recruiters chasing applicants who don’t exist.
These digital phantoms—jobs and candidates alike—waste time, drain energy, and blur the line between reality and illusion. Are you applying for a job that was never real? Or are recruiters screening candidates who don’t even exist?
In this episode of Recruiting is No Joke, host Joel Lalgee sits down with Stephen McGrath, Product Experience Manager at Poetry, to uncover the truth about ghost jobs and their impact on candidates. With over 15 years in recruitment—spanning agency, RPO, and in-house roles—Stephen shares deep industry insights, breaking down the role of RPO and ATS systems, the rise of AI in hiring, and the growing disconnect between companies and job seekers.
Joel and Stephen also tackle the recruitment industry’s biggest challenges—including layoffs, technology shifts, and the often misunderstood role of recruiters. They explore how humor, authenticity, and video content can reshape recruiters’ reputations while bridging the gap between candidates and employers. From harsh candidate feedback to the realities of modern hiring, this episode dives deep into the evolving world of recruitment—offering transparency, empathy, and a fresh perspective on the future of hiring.
In this episode:
(00:00:03) – Introduction to the episode
(00:01:06) – Guest introduction: Stephen McGrath
(00:02:04) – Understanding RPO
(00:03:34) – Role of ATS
(00:03:37) – Overview of Canada ID
(00:04:39) – Introduction to ghost jobs
(00:05:56) – Candidate experience issues
(00:07:22) – Overview of Poetry
(00:08:58) – AI in recruitment
(00:09:50) – Evaluating AI tools
(00:12:32) – Challenges in recruitment processes
(00:17:54) – Trends in contract work
(00:19:23) – Recruitment technology insights
(00:20:08) – Job market dynamics
(00:20:48) – Layoff patterns
(00:21:48) – Transparency in business
(00:23:01) – Employee loyalty and stability
(00:24:03) – Cultural misrepresentation
(00:25:32) – Recruiter challenges
(00:27:39) – Caring in recruitment
(00:29:02) – Career guidance initiatives
(00:29:56) – The recruiter's care
(00:30:50) – Recruiters' bad rap
(00:31:27) – Hurtful comments
(00:31:52) – Disgruntled candidate reads
(00:32:37) – Changing the narrative
(00:33:21) – Authenticity in recruitment
(00:34:44) – Video content focus
(00:36:37) – Humor in recruitment
(00:37:54) – Connecting with candidates
(00:40:07) – Final thoughts and advice
About Stephen McGrath
Stephen McGrath is a seasoned recruitment professional and technology innovator based in Glasgow, Scotland. With over 15 years of experience in the industry, he has worked across agency, RPO, and in-house recruitment before transitioning into recruitment technology. Stephen played a key role in building Canada ID, which was later acquired by Isomers. Now, as the product experience manager at Poetry, he focuses on gathering feedback and refining technology to enhance the recruitment process. Passionate about improving recruiter efficiency, Stephen continues to bridge the gap between recruitment and cutting-edge technology.
Stephen McGrath Social Media
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Website
About Joel Lalgee
Joel Lalgee is an internationally known recruitment leader and coach who has helped thousands of recruiters build their brands online. In 2015, Joel started recruiting for a small start-up agency in Milwaukee. He quickly found his passion for recruitment. In 2019, he discovered content marketing, publishing his first posts on Linkedin. Since then, he has grown to over 400k followers, and his content has been seen over 1 billion times. In 2023, he started a business spec