“The Job Market Is Lying to You” — Why Executives Need a Plan Beyond Corporate Hiring

Hire Yourself Podcast with Pete Gilfillan

Ghost job postings are everywhere. Companies look like they are hiring, but behind the scenes, they are freezing budgets, restructuring, or quietly cutting roles. In this reuploaded episode, Pete Gilfillan breaks down why senior-level executives face one of the most deceptive job markets in decades and what it means for anyone relying on corporate stability.

Executives in their forties, fifties, and sixties are being laid off at record levels, only to discover that many of the job postings they are applying for were never meant to be filled. Pete explains the hidden dynamics behind ghost jobs and why ownership offers clarity, control, and real opportunity at a time when corporate security is collapsing.

What You Will Learn in This Episode

1. Why companies post jobs that are not real

Some companies publish jobs simply to look stable, healthy, or growing. Pete explains how job postings can be used to project strength even when a company is laying people off or freezing hiring.

2. How ghost jobs drain time and create false hope

Executives apply, wait, follow up, and hear nothing. Pete breaks down how this delays your next step, burns severance time, and creates the illusion of opportunity that does not actually exist.

3. How AI and restructuring are shrinking white collar roles

AI, automation, and corporate reorganizations are eliminating entire layers of management. Pete highlights how this is accelerating age discrimination and making it harder to move laterally or upward.

4. Why executives no longer control their own future

Ghost jobs make the market look full of possibility, but Pete shows why the real executive job market is shrinking. When you work for a company, you do not control hiring freezes, layoffs, or corporate direction.

5. Why ownership provides clarity instead of illusion

Franchise ownership gives executives something corporate life cannot provide: control. Pete explains how business ownership provides predictable demand, a proven playbook, long term stability, and the ability to build wealth instead of waiting for another corporate role.

Key Takeaways

• Many job postings are never intended to be filled
• It can take six to twelve months for executives to land another role
• AI and restructuring are removing layers of management
• Ghost jobs create the illusion of opportunity that is not there
• Ownership offers control, stability, and the path to building wealth

“When you work for someone else, they control your future. When you own a business, you take that control back.” - Pete Gilfillan

CONNECT WITH PETE GILFILLAN:
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petegilfillan/
🌐 Website: https://www.hireyourself.com/

CONNECT WITH HIRE YOURSELF PODCAST:
🎧 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hire-yourself-podcast/id1472038217
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7eTKOLjuUWbf7BRtGtp6dP?si=eb2f7b38bd884804
▶️ YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@hireyourself7642
📅 Meet with Pete: https://go.hireyourself.com/gilfillan?utm_source=LinkedIn&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=IR