HOW TO AVOID JOB SCAM

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Have
you ever had a feeling that a job description or company sounds just too good
to be true – so good in fact, that it might even be a scam? True many of us do come
across adverts – maybe online or in the print media – that displays monthly
earnings that is beyond what is usually offered by such job sectors.  In
this difficult economic climate there are some disreputable “companies” that
try to take advantage of unsuspecting job seekers. These companies are often
after your money or personal information that will give them access to your
identity or your contacts.

Sometimes,
when you apply to a job, it’s difficult to determine whether it’s a scam, or
not. Rather than giving up your job search, focus on educating yourself on how to spot
fraudulent jobs.

Read
on…

How
can you determine if a job is real or a scam?

1.   
Research
the company and the position
– Your first stop should be Google (or another search engine of your choice.)
Search for the company’s website and see what other results come up. Evaluate
whether their website is professional and is consistent with the company’s
stated mission/purpose. Identify contact information for the company on their
website and any other pertinent information.

2.  Check the
company’s references – Ask the company for a list of
employees and/or customers you can speak with. You can also use the major
social networks to find people currently working at the company. For example,
you can use LinkedIn to see the profiles of current or past employees working
at the company. Once you find some employees on a social network, reach out to
them to see if they would be willing to speak to you about the company and
their experiences with the company. If you reach out to former employees you
might get a less biased perspective since they no longer are directly associated
with the company.

3.    Protect
your personal information – The
people running a job scam can be after your personal information to carry out
identity theft. Information such as your name, address, and telephone number
are a standard part of all job applications. However, your bank account
information are not.  If a job application or website requests your bank
information up front, your “scam radar” should be on high alert.  Of
course, there are legitimate companies that will ask for more personal
information during the job application process.  But if you are unsure, or
are uncomfortable, you should question the hiring manager or the HR department
about their policies for protecting applicants’ privacy.  When it comes to
your personal information, it pays to be extra cautious.

  4. Distinguish
job phishing from legitimate postings
– Job phishing scams are focused on accessing your personal data or money, they are
often posted on multiple websites. However, legitimate companies can also post
on multiple sites.  If you do come across copies of the same job on
multiple sites, follow the steps above to help identify the real jobs and avoid
the scams.

If
you ever feel that a company is asking you for inappropriate information, trust
your instincts and proceed with caution.  A second opinion from a friend
or someone you trust never hurts.

In
this economy, and in this day and age, trust your instincts.  Protect
yourself.

We’d
love to hear how you protect yourself from scams.  Please share your
answers to the questions below and help other job seekers protect themselves:

•  How do YOU tell if a company is
  a scam? What steps do you take?


•  What did you do once you decided
  that a job was a scam?

This
article was originally posted on the Ivy Exec Blog.