The Ghost Job Score: How to Stop Deep-Tailoring Listings That Will Never Hire

If it feels like the same jobs are being reposted forever, you are not imagining it.

Most advice tells you to "tailor more" or "apply more." That’s backwards when the listing is not an active hire. The real skill is deciding how much effort a job deserves before you invest your time.

I once lost multiple evenings to deep-tailored applications for roles that kept getting reposted, and the only fix was putting a hard gate in front of my tailoring time.

This post gives you a fast screen called the Ghost Job Score, plus an effort budget that protects your week and increases your odds of landing real interviews.

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The mechanism: the Ghost Job Score (GJS)

You are going to score a listing in 60–120 seconds. Not perfectly. Just well enough to decide what level of effort is rational.

Think of this as triage:

• Some listings deserve a full, high-signal application.
• Some deserve a fast pass.
• Some deserve nothing.

Step 1: Start at 6 points (neutral)

Assume "unknown," not "good" or "bad."

Step 2: Add points for "active hiring" signals

Add +1 each (max +4):

• The role exists on the company’s official careers site (same title, same location/team).
• There is a real team/function behind it (not just "fast-growing company" language).
• You can identify a recruiter, hiring manager, or a real employee in that org discussing hiring.
• The job post includes specifics that are hard to fake (clear scope, concrete stack/tools, measurable outcomes).

Step 3: Subtract points for "pipeline or performative posting" signals

Subtract -1 each (no minimum):

• The role has been reposted repeatedly (or the same description appears under multiple titles).
• The post is old or "always open" without a clear reason (evergreen language, vague intake).
• The description reads recycled: generic responsibilities, no real constraints, no real success metrics.
• The company shows obvious signs of "not actually expanding this team" (hiring freezes, constant reorg chatter, identical listings sitting open forever).

Step 4: Classify the listing

Use your final score to decide effort:

• 8+ points: Active hire

You should tailor properly. This is worth real time.

• 6–7 points: Unclear

Apply, but keep it fast. Do not write a bespoke masterpiece.

• 5 points or less: High ghost risk

Only apply if it costs you almost nothing, or if you have a direct in.

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The artifact: a copy/paste Ghost Job Screen

Paste this into a notes app. Use it before you tailor.

GHOST JOB SCORE (60–120 seconds)

Start at 6.

Add +1:

• [ ] Role is on official careers site
• [ ] Real team/function is obvious
• [ ] A real person is attached (recruiter/hiring manager/employee signal)
• [ ] Post has concrete scope and measurable outcomes

Subtract -1:

• [ ] Reposted repeatedly or title keeps changing with same description
• [ ] Looks evergreen with no clear reason
• [ ] Description is generic/recycled (no constraints, no success metrics)
• [ ] Company signals "not expanding this team" right now

Score: ____

Decision:

• 8+ = deep tailor
• 6–7 = fast tailor
• <=5 = low-effort only (or skip)

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The effort budget that makes this work

The mistake people make is treating every application like a high-stakes event.

Instead, tie effort to score:

If GJS is 8+

"Deep tailor" (25–40 minutes)

• Rewrite your summary for the role (2–3 lines)
• Reorder skills so the top 10 are role-matched
• Rewrite 3–5 bullets to mirror the job requirements truthfully
• Add one proof bullet that shows comparable scope (not just tools)

If GJS is 6–7

"Fast tailor" (8–12 minutes)

• Summary: 2 lines aligned to the role
• Skills: swap in 6–10 role-matched skills
• Bullets: adjust 1–2 bullets in your most relevant role

If GJS is 5 or less

"Low-effort only" (2–4 minutes)

• Apply only if you can do it quickly with an existing resume version
• Or skip and move on
• Exception: if you have a direct referral, the referral can override the score

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A script that forces clarity without sounding naive

If you can message a recruiter or hiring manager, send this before you invest real time:

Subject line (if email): Quick check before I tailor

Message:

"Hi [Name] — quick question before I invest time tailoring: is this role actively being filled right now, or is it more of a pipeline/evergreen posting? If it's active, what’s the hiring timeline and who is the hiring manager for this role?"

If they answer clearly, your score goes up.

If they dodge, your score goes down.

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The 7–14 day execution plan

Day 1:

• Create three resume versions:
• Deep-tailor template (your best structure)
• Fast-tailor template (lightweight, still aligned)
• Low-effort baseline (clean, ATS-safe)

Days 2–7:

• Set a weekly target (example: 25 applications)
• Before every application, run the Ghost Job Score
• Track only two numbers:
• How many 8+ listings did you find this week?
• How many interviews came from 8+ listings?

Days 8–14:

• Tighten your filter
• If 8+ listings are rare, shift time toward referrals and direct outreach
• If 8+ listings exist, increase deep-tailor volume and reduce low-effort noise
• Update your rules based on reality (not hope)
• If reposted listings never convert, stop feeding them time

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Where HyperApply fits (as a workflow accelerator)

Once a listing clears your Ghost Job Score (especially 6+), the bottleneck becomes tailoring speed without going generic.

HyperApply is designed for that exact step:

• You open a job listing you are already viewing.
• It generates a tailored CV draft from your base CV and the role requirements.
• You stay in control: review, edit, download, and submit manually.
• It does not auto-apply for you.

If you want a practical "tailor fast" routine: https://hyperapply.app/learn/how-to-tailor-your-resume-to-a-job-description

If you use LinkedIn Easy Apply, this checklist pairs well with the Ghost Job Score: https://hyperapply.app/blog/2025-12-24-linkedin-easy-apply-checklist

If you're applying to remote roles, run this scam check before you share anything sensitive: https://hyperapply.app/blog/remote-jobs-5-minute-scam-check

If you're careful about what happens to job text: https://hyperapply.app/faq/do-you-store-job-descriptions

If you want the plain-English reason the extension needs permissions: https://hyperapply.app/faq/why-does-the-extension-need-permissions

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Takeaway

You do not need more motivation. You need a gate.

Score the listing first.

Then spend your best time only on roles that behave like real hiring.

That single change prevents burnout and increases the percentage of your week spent on opportunities that can actually turn into an offer.