Finding a job in today’s competitive market is hard enough without having to worry about which roles may not actually be real. Fortunately, there’s usually a few tell-tale signs to help you sort out the real ones from the fakes. Here’s how.
#1 Beware unsolicited email job ads
Any job advertisement that simply lobs in your email out of the blue from an unknown source is likely a Trojan horse. But surely there’s no harm in sending out a copy of your resume just in case, is there? Sadly — potential virus delivery systems aside — fake job ads are often designed to get as much detail from you as they can: for example your birth date, bank account numbers, driver’s license or passport information, credit card details – everything they need to steal your identity and your money. Even basic resumes are usually loaded with personal information that can be used against you.
#2 There’s no position description
All real jobs will contain a position description, or will at least be able to supply one on demand. Anything less may be a red flag.
#3 They ask you to pay money
The idea is to get a job that earns you money, not make you spend it. Scammers rely on unemployed people being so desperate for work that they don’t ask too many questions. The exception to this rule is, of course, paying for a specific mandatory qualification. Verify for yourself, however, that the qualification is recognised, accredited and transferable.
#4 They ask for a credit report
Remember scammers are clever and often subtle. So if you’re told the company is interested in you, and all you need to do is undergo a credit check that requires you to hand over extremely personal information like credit card details, avoid at all costs!
#5 If it looks too good to be true…
… it almost always is. Earn big bucks from home scams are particularly prevalent and always sound great, right until they ask you to pay for, well, everything. Usually even more details. The vagueness of the job description should give the game away for those who aren’t lulled into a false sense of security by the thought of easy cash and lots of it.
#6 The recruitment company isn’t registered
Legitimate, and reputable companies that post real job advertisements should always be registered – so do your research. Those that aren’t are usually fly-by-nighters out to cash in on unwary respondents.
#7 The posts are anonymous
These are usually recruiter fact, and data finding missions designed to scope out who’s in the market for roles in particular niches, rather than real job postings.
#8 If it sounds fishy – it is
Common giveaways include poor grammar and spelling, inappropriate industry terminology, online government listings (government agencies usually recruit via their own sites), poorly pixelated images, website urls that don’t match, and a free email address like Yahoo, Google, or Hotmail — especially if it has an unprofessional, or overly formal, username.
Don’t forget:
- Ask for a position description
- Scammers want your identity
- Get-rich schemes are too good to be true
- Beware of unsolicited email job ads
This article originally appeared on The Naked CEO.
Comments
4 responses to “8 Ways To Spot Fake Job Ads”
Nope. A significant amount of LinkedIn and Seek job ads don’t have a recruiter named, simply because they dont want to be contacted accept through whatever submission tool they have. It sucks, and it means you can’t call them to sell yourself, but it’s a fact of life on these job boards, and if this is the only sign you’re using, you will be avoiding a lot of opportyunities at major organisations that are too lazy to have a recruiter named. Not always, and not for every line of work.
Yeah, unless you’re going for a job that takes security and debt risk very seriously (potentially something like law enforcement, security, or intelligence work, this one is a massive red flag.
Even in such a role the request for a report should come when you were about to be offered the job, not in the ad itself. A lot of places don’t even expect a police check to be done until after you’ve started.
Credit check yes, Police check is actually sneaking earlier into some roles.
Hell, Qantas now do pre-recorded videos before you even get screened. Which has the potential to waste a lot of time.
I must admit I was once fooled by an online job. They didn’t want money or anything but the job posting was very vague. At the interview it was immediately obvious that there was no job. No idea what they did with my CV.