Blind Job Advert definition
Blind job ads are job adverts, for the purposes of recruitment, that do not include information that identifies who posted the advert. Companies may have many reasons for not attaching their name, such as not making it public that they have a senior job to fill and are therefore ‘rudderless.’
Other companies may want to increase the mystery and intrigue around the job appointment to increase exposure and ramp up the number of applicants. Blind job ads may be accompanied with unorthodox methods of sifting candidates e.g. a maths problem that prospective candidates need to solve in order to be directed to the online application page.
One well-known blind ad in the UK was posted by security service MI5 and posed the question ‘Godot isn’t coming.’ It also asked if applicants had an interest in current affairs, had common sense and an ability to write. Former MI5 officer David Shayler, subsequently prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act 1989, saw the advert and applied – he initially believed the job was media-related.
In some territories the posting of blind adverts is illegal although it may only be illegal for certain types of advertisements, e.g. estate agents advertising properties.
