From my experience this is one of the ways it might work. Recruiting (company's internal function, which is part of HR) is tasked with soliciting profiles to s

From my experience this is one of the ways it might work. Recruiting (company's internal function, which is part of HR) is tasked with soliciting profiles to see what's available on the market. There's no real position but the recruiter(s) invent one according to what the business told them they would eventually need. There's no hiring manager behind it (as there's no position to be be filled). Recruiter either periodically meets with the business group that requested the research or prepares a report on the results (number of resumes that came in, salary requirements, etc) and presents to the business group that requested it. So there's a reason these resumes are being solicited, it's just the reason is not to hire somebody. Sometimes it is done to justify business decision (ie to move to a different technology, or to expand to a new geographical area). Sometimes the business group _might_ be willing to open a new req if "the right candidate" comes up, but it's not guaranteed. It also allows HR and recruiting to justify their presence (they are busy despite the fact that the company might not be hiring at all currently). So there's reasons why these positions are posted and virtually none to prevent the company from doing that.