What does “flagged” mean on Indeed?

If a job post is “flagged” on Indeed, this means that it’s either been reported by users or detected as potentially violating Indeed’s policies. This could happen for several reasons, such as misleading information, spam, inappropriate content or other Indeed guideline breaches.

Since Indeed aims to create the best possible experience for job seekers, we have specific standards for job posts to ensure they’re safe and relevant opportunities. Jobs that fail to meet these standards might be subject to review and may require additional information.

A job may also be removed from job seeker search results altogether if:

• It’s misleading
• It compromises the job seeker’s experience
• Indeed is not convinced it’s a real job

Please note: Indeed may reject or remove any job and may disable any company’s account, for any or no reason. It cannot give every reason why a job or a company may be removed and retains the right to remove any job, organic or sponsored, if it feels it is in its or its users’ interest.

If Indeed has flagged or removed your post, you may be notified in one of the following ways :

In-post notification: You may receive a message while posting the job that highlights the issue and provides you with steps to resolve it. For example: “It looks like this job post includes a request for applicants to be non-smokers, which violates our guidelines. Please edit your job; otherwise, it may not be posted on Indeed.”

Dashboard notification: You may see a notification on your Jobs page telling you that your job is flagged. You may be prompted to learn more or edit the job.

Email notification: Indeed may send you an email detailing how your post violated its policies and providing you with next steps.

How does a job get flagged on Indeed?

Jobs can be flagged on Indeed in two different ways, either by Indeed’s Trust & Safety team or by job seekers.

Indeed’s Trust & Safety team follows policies and procedures to detect and remove jobs that don’t meet Indeed’s posting requirements, while job seekers can report jobs they come across during their job search.

Why is my job posting flagged on Indeed?

Indeed enforces strict content guidelines for postings so that we can maintain a positive experience for job seekers, with the foundational goal to ensure that all job posts:

• Are transparent and accessible
• Provide clear and relevant information
• Respect candidate privacy
• Maintain a professional tone

If your job does not meet these standards, it may be flagged for review or removal. There are several possible reasons a post might not meet Indeed’s standards, and they’re often related to either the content or how the post was submitted or managed.

Your job post may be flagged on Indeed due to the content you post

Your job might be flagged due to its content, which can happen if you do not provide clear, accurate and truthful information in your post.

Here are a few examples of why a job may get flagged due to its content:

Low-quality job titles

Indeed may consider job titles that are vague, misleading, generic or lack clear and accurate details about the role to be low-quality.

Low-quality job description

Job descriptions that lack relevant details or clarity about the role may be considered low-quality. This includes descriptions that appear spammy or unprofessional (i.e., using excessive punctuation or informal/unprofessional language).

Job descriptions that appear to contain keyword stuffing may also cause your job post to be flagged.

Offensive content

Indeed is committed to ensuring job seeker safety, and any offensive content must not be included in any job postings.

Misleading jobs, including misleading direct sales roles

Job postings that provide misleading information can undermine job seeker trust. Additionally, Indeed may flag any job postings for direct sales or marketing positions that are misleading, vague or disguised as a different job opportunity.

Information mismatch/incomplete information

Job postings that have incomplete information or discrepancies with the employer’s website may violate Indeed’s information mismatch/incomplete information policy. This could include lacking details like salary, working conditions and/or required skills.

Non-inclusive content

Your job may be flagged if it includes language that violates Indeed’s inclusive hiring policy. For example, if your job description mentions certain native language requirements, such as “must be a native Arabic speaker” or “Native English speakers only,” it may be flagged.

Your Indeed job post may be flagged due to how you post the job

Your job post may also be flagged due to suspicious posting behaviors. This can include a variety of behaviors, such as posting identical or similar job ads multiple times or requiring applicants to apply to unapproved channels.

The list below outlines possible reasons why a job might be flagged based on how it was posted (though reasons may not be limited to those listed).

Fraudulent or risky behavior

Jobs may be flagged for risky or fraudulent behavior.

Job posted outside the true working location

Indeed requires that jobs be posted to their true working location. For example, a job based in San Francisco must typically be listed as such. Jobs posted outside of the actual working location may violate Indeed’s appropriate use of location policy.

Asking job seekers to apply through unapproved means

Jobs may be flagged if they require job seekers to apply through means other than the “Apply” button. This is also the case if it asks a job seeker to submit another application after they’ve already applied through one of Indeed’s approved methods.

Other reasons your post may be flagged due to how you’re posting it could include (but are not limited to):

• Posting duplicate or redundant jobs on Indeed.
• Posting single vacancies multiple times with different or expanded title variations.
• Posting identical or similar jobs from multiple accounts.

Your job post may require sponsorship

While it’s possible to post some jobs for free, your Indeed job may also be flagged because it must be sponsored.

Jobs may require sponsorship for several reasons, which may include (but are not limited to):

• Jobs posted with a confidential or generic company name
• Jobs that are commission-only
• Hard-to-fill jobs
• Jobs posted by a staffing agency, recruitment process outsourcer or other recruitment-based company
• Jobs that need to hire ASAP

Please note: Indeed may require a job ad to be sponsored for any or no reason at Indeed’s sole discretion. This may include (but isn’t limited to) to benefit job seekers, to verify the legitimacy of the ad or the employer, to prevent abuse of the free-to-post system or to improve the site.

Your job may have been flagged due to business model incompatibilities

Your job may also be flagged and permanently removed due to business model incompatibilities with Indeed policies. This includes unpaid roles and non-approved business models (like a multi-level marketing company e.g., MLM or pyramid scheme).

Your job post may have been flagged or reported by a job seeker

Job seekers can report suspicious, offensive or misleading job postings to Indeed, which may result in Trust & Safety reviewing the job for policy compliance. Job seekers may flag job posts for the following reasons listed below (although those reasons may not be limited to this list):

The job is offensive or discriminatory

Jobs that appear to discriminate based on gender, age, race, religion, disability or any other characteristic may be reported. Additionally, job seekers may report jobs that have inappropriate or explicit content.

The job appears fake

Some information in your post indicates that this job does not really exist. This includes scams impersonating a real company.

The post has inaccuracies

There is an inaccuracy in the job title, description, salary, location or similar detail. Often these types of issues will require some information be updated in the job description.

The job is an advertisement

This is not a job post for an employment opportunity. This post is advertising services, promoting a company or app, or is a job seeker advertising their resume.

If the issue noted by the job seeker doesn’t meet one of the above reasons, the job seeker can simply choose “Other” when reporting the job and include their reasons in a detailed description.

Tips to create a high-quality job post on Indeed to help avoid getting flagged

While it may be frustrating when your job gets flagged, especially if you’re unsure why, consider using some of the following tips to help you create high-quality job posts and decrease your chances of getting flagged in the future.

Answer as many of Indeed’s prompts as you can

To help you create a complete and accurate job posting, fill in as many of Indeed’s prompts as you can. This can help reduce your chances of being flagged for an issue like incomplete information.

Include a high-quality job title

Use a job title that accurately describes the role without extra fluff, unnecessary symbols or clickbait. Avoid using misleading or overly promotional titles and save information about the company for the job description.

Write a high-quality job description

Keep your job description straightforward and clear by explaining what the role involves and what you expect from the new hire. Be honest and transparent, and don’t forget to highlight the benefits your company offers.

Be inclusive

Write inclusive job descriptions that welcome candidates from all backgrounds by keeping your language simple and avoiding biased requirements or gendered words. For instance, consider “We’re looking for a qualified server” rather than “We need a waitress.”

Other tips

By using these tips, you’re well on your way to crafting a job post that may be less likely to be flagged. Before finalizing your post, consider keeping these other considerations in mind:

• Only advertise high-quality opportunities. This means a job with consistent income and no job seeker fees.
• If your role is commission-based, break down the commission pay structure clearly within the job description. Low-quality sales roles may attempt to hide the pay structure or mislead candidates.
• Don’t repost the same job multiple times. Duplicate listings can be flagged as spam. If you need to refresh a listing, consider updating it instead of reposting it.

By following these tips, you may increase your chances of creating high-quality listings that attract the right candidates and decrease your chances of getting flagged.

Resolve flagged jobs quickly and keep your hiring goals on track

If your Indeed job post was flagged, it may be due to content or posting practices that fall outside of Indeed’s policies. These policies are in place to protect job seekers and maintain a platform they can trust, which in turn can help you attract the right candidates for your organization.

If your job post was flagged, click the link under the job in your employer dashboard to learn more about why and potential next steps.

For future posts, consider the tips provided in this article to craft compelling job posts that both follow Indeed’s policies and help you connect with quality candidates.