Recruiter posts job without description, blames applicants for applying without 'intention'. Outraged netizens clap back

In a moment that might be filed under “you had one job,” a New York-based recruiter recently admitted on LinkedIn that she accidentally posted a job opening without the actual job description—no responsibilities, no requirements, not even an overview. What she did include, however, was a stern take on the real problem: candidates applying to jobs “without intention.”

The job, posted for a few hours, still attracted 128 applicants. The recruiter only realized the description was missing after a colleague flagged the mistake. “I’d pasted the JD into the wrong field, so it wasn’t visible,” she explained. What followed was a commentary not just on her gaffe—but also on the larger job application behavior she believes is flawed.

Apply First, Read Later?
While acknowledging her mistake, the recruiter redirected the conversation to candidate behavior: “Candidates are applying to anything and everything, and then wondering why it feels like a black hole,” she wrote, urging applicants to prioritize quality over quantity.

That didn’t sit well with many.

One sharp LinkedIn user questioned the irony: “So… you’re asking candidates to be intentional and careful while you weren’t intentional or careful posting it?”

The recruiter defended her stance, emphasizing that this wasn’t about “blaming people for trying.” Still, she reiterated: “Roles with the same name can look completely different depending on the team, level, and expectations.”

She later clarified that she reviewed all 128 applications and found that nearly 60% had no relevant experience. Only a “handful” were contacted.

Internet Reacts: “Recruiter Fumbles, Blames the Players”
The post eventually made its way to Reddit’s popular forum r/LinkedInLunatics, where the tone was far less forgiving. With the caption, “Posts a job with no details by mistake. Calls out applicants for applying. Gives herself grace but shames job seekers. Brilliant.”, it ignited a roasting fest.

One Redditor wrote: “Imagine proudly posting that you f**ked up a basic task and using it to sh*t on desperate applicants.” Another pointed out the elephant in the room: “Employers created a system full of ghost jobs, AI filters, and hoops—candidates are just playing by those rules.”

The irony wasn’t lost on anyone. A top comment noted: “She’s even getting called out for it on LinkedIn. That’s when you know it’s bad.”

While the recruiter’s post may have intended to offer a reality check to job seekers, it ended up reflecting something larger: a deep-seated frustration with today’s broken hiring systems.

In a time when job posts vanish overnight, applicant tracking systems ghost qualified candidates, and economic precarity forces people to apply to dozens of roles daily, the idea of “intentional applying” sounds idealistic—if not outright tone-deaf.

At the heart of the outrage was one truth: most people don’t apply to jobs they aren’t qualified for because they want to—they do it because they have to. And when the system misfires from the top, maybe job seekers aren’t the only ones who need a reality check.