South Warren grad launches job board to fight ghost listings

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WNKY) – After applying for jobs that turned out to be nonexistent, recent University of Louisville and South Warren High School graduate Dylan Stanke decided to create his own solution.

Stanke, founder of Easyr, said frustration with fake or outdated online listings pushed him to build a job board focused on manually verified, local positions.

“I really struggled to find real and accurate jobs that I could actually apply to,” Stanke said. “That frustration is actually what brewed me really wanting to build this platform.”

His experience reflects a broader trend. Research suggests that about 18% to nearly one-third of job postings qualify as “ghost jobs”—roles that are no longer active, were never meant to be filled, or remain posted after being filled.

For job seekers, this often means wasted time.

“I can say I’ve tried to apply for six jobs, four of them were completely fake,” said James Woutila, a future Western Kentucky University student.

Others say the process feels misleading.

“It just seems like one of those things that just wanted to waste somebody’s time,” said Randall Brown, a WKU student.

Stanke said he experienced that frustration firsthand.

“I applied to Aldi a few times … just to find out that the job never existed,” he said.

In response, he launched Easyr, which he said verifies listings by contacting employers or checking official application systems before posting them.

“It is me calling the actual employer, emailing … or looking at the official place where you would apply,” Stanke said. “It’s basically a three-point check system.”

He said the platform has grown to thousands of users and expanded beyond Bowling Green into Louisville and Nashville, though he admitted it isn’t flawless.

“It’s not perfect, but I’m doing my best to make this as much as accurate as possible,” he said.

For some students, uncertainty still raises concerns.

“You’re just like, ‘Oh, I thought I was good for this job,’ but it wasn’t real,” said WKU student James Stevens. “So maybe it’s just false hope.”

Stanke said his goal is to make job searching more transparent, starting at the local level.

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