There are a few reasons why a job may still be posted after you have accepted the offer:
The hiring process isn’t fully complete
Often the hiring process involves multiple stages before it is considered finalized. Posting a job opening initiates the hiring process, followed by steps like screening resumes, conducting interviews, making an offer, negotiating terms, and completing background checks. Even after a candidate accepts the offer, there may be additional steps the employer needs to take on their end before your hiring is 100% official. As a result, they may keep the job ad up until all contingencies are cleared.
Some common reasons a contingent offer may be made include:
- Waiting on background check results
- Pending approval from senior management
- Needing to complete final budget approvals
- Wanting other candidates to go through the interview process
- Planning to promote another internal employee into the role
The employer won’t take down the job posting until your hire is completely finalized, even if you’ve verbally accepted the offer. This allows them to keep their options open in case anything falls through on your end or theirs.
They are looking for additional candidates
Some employers will continue looking for candidates even after making an offer. There are a few reasons they may do this:
- They are looking to fill multiple openings for the same role. Posting jobs online is an easy way to attract candidates. Even if they’ve filled one opening, they may need more applicants for additional openings.
- They are unsatisfied with the candidate pool so far and hope to attract stronger applicants by leaving the ad up longer.
- They are hoping to build up a pool of backup candidates in case their first choice falls through or declines the offer.
- The role is for a high turnover position where they anticipate frequent vacancies. Keeping the ad up allows them to continuously build their candidate pipeline.
In these cases, the employer is likely still actively looking at new applicants and setting up interviews. You may have been the first choice, but they want to keep reviewing resumes just in case.
It’s a standard practice for the company
Some organizations simply leave job postings open until the position is filled and the new hire starts. They may not bother taking down the ad in between making an offer and the person’s first day. It’s just not a priority for them to remove postings constantly when their needs frequently change. Leaving ads up ongoingly allows them to attract candidates on a rolling basis.
Additionally, some companies rely on automated hiring software that reposts job listings at regular intervals. The technology may continue posting the opening without anyone manually removing it after an offer is accepted. It takes low priority for someone on their recruiting team to go in the system and cancel the automated reposting.
They want passive candidates to apply
Employers often get the best applicants through passive candidates – people not actively job searching but open to new opportunities. Even if the company has already hired for a specific role, they may want to leave the job posted to get resumes from high quality passive candidates for the future.
These applicants often find jobs through postings rather than actively reaching out to a company. Keeping the listing up allows the employer to collect applications to build up a talent pool passively. If another opening comes up down the road, they already have resumes from qualified candidates.
They’re using your offer to attract other candidates
Unfortunately, some recruiters practice questionable tactics when it comes to job postings. One technique is to leave a job posted after making an offer to try enticing other applicants. They may tell candidates that there is competition for the role to create a false sense of urgency.
The idea is that by saying “we’ve already made an offer to another candidate but we haven’t taken down the listing yet,” they motivate anxious applicants to accept right away. No one wants to miss out on an opportunity.
While this tactic can help with recruiting, it’s ethically dubious. Reputable employers shouldn’t mislead candidates just to gain leverage in negotiations.
They’re waiting on your written acceptance
Sometimes an employer will keep a listing up until they have an accepted written offer from you. Even if you’ve verbally accepted, they may be waiting on formal signed paperwork before considering the position truly filled.
It’s not uncommon for job seekers to change their mind after a verbal acceptance, or try to use other offers as leverage for negotiation. By leaving the ad up, the employer keeps their options open in case you don’t follow through with final written acceptance.
Be sure to promptly sign and return your offer letter if you want the employer to take down the posting.
What should you do if the job is still posted?
First, avoid jumping to conclusions or taking it as a sign the company doesn’t actually want to hire you. There are many valid reasons companies keep listings up. However, you should tactfully discuss it with your contact there to ease any concerns.
Some things you can do include:
- Asking your HR contact or hiring manager about it – this gives them a chance to explain the reasoning and reassure you.
- Clarifying if there are any other contingencies before your hiring is finalized.
- Turning in any necessary paperwork right away like background check forms or your signed offer letter.
- Following up if you haven’t heard back from them by your scheduled start date.
As long as you maintain open communication, a job posting on its own is no reason for alarm. Focus on completing any steps they need from you and trust that they will take it down once you are fully onboarded. If you ever feel strung along or have doubts, don’t hesitate to politely ask questions to protect yourself.
Should you keep looking at other jobs?
Once you accept an offer, you should pause your job search and focus on starting the new position. Continuing to look around or go through with other interviews wastes the time of your new employer and the companies interviewing you.
However, it’s smart to wait until all contingencies are cleared before fully shutting down your search in case anything falls through. Here are some guidelines on balancing offer acceptance with an ongoing search:
- Once you verbally accept, stop applying to new roles.
- Cancel any upcoming interviews for positions you’re no longer interested in.
- Let companies you’re in discussions with know you’ve received another offer but are waiting on final clearance before giving up other opportunities.
- Continue interviewing only for jobs you would seriously consider over the current offer.
- After your background check clears and you have a set start date, shut down your job search fully.
- Until your first day, keep networking open for future roles in case the offer falls through unexpectedly.
With this balanced approach, you can protect yourself without burning bridges. Remember, until you are fully onboarded the company still has a posting up attracting new candidates. As long as you maintain professionalism, you’re entitled to also keep your options open.
Table summarizing key reasons a job may still be posted:
Reason | Explanation |
---|---|
Hiring process isn’t complete | Contingent offer pending background check, management approval, etc. |
Looking for additional candidates | Have multiple openings to fill or want backup options |
Standard practice | Don’t prioritize taking down listings between offer and start date |
Attracting passive candidates | Building talent pool even without current opening |
Leveraging other offers | Questionable tactic to create false urgency with candidates |
Waiting on written acceptance | Ensuring you follow through before removing posting |
Conclusion
Seeing a job posting up after you’ve received an offer can be concerning, but is rarely a reason to panic on its own. Most often, it simply means the hiring process isn’t fully complete. However, it is reasonable to ask your contact about the status of the role to ease your mind.
Be sure to complete any steps they need from you quickly, like paperwork and background checks. Also, balance keeping your options open until the offer is finalized with shutting down your job search once you have a set start date. With good communication and professionalism on your part, a posting on its own is no cause for worry.