Avoiding Online Job Search Scams and
Mistakes
Job Search Scams
During a tight economy,
job-seekers may be less cautious when applying for jobs online, and online
scammers would like to capitalize on this opportunity. Below is a table detailing some common online
job scams and less-than-ethical practices that you should be aware of:
|
Red Flag |
Scam |
Solution |
|
Fake Job Opening E-mail: You receive an e-mail by an “employer” who claims
to have found your resume on a job search site and has a job opportunity that
you might be interested in. Or the
e-mail promises that you can make lots of money doing a ridiculously easy
task. Often the “from” address is a
web-based e-mail (e.g., yahoo, gmail, or hotmail) that anyone can get, rather
than a company e-mail. Or else the “From”
address is forged. Sometimes the e-mail contains a well-known company’s logo
(which is very easy to steal). Here are 9
red flags that are often characteristic of these e-mails. |
If you follow up on this
e-mail, eventually the other party may ask for confidential information from
you (e.g., social security number, birth date, home address, driver’s license
number, marital status, birth certificate, mom’s maiden name, credit card numbers,
bank account number, scan of passport, credit report, etc.). This is so that they can either steal your identity
or sell your information to spammers. |
Never give out private
information like social security number, birth date, home address, driver’s
license number, marital status, birth certificate, mom’s maiden name, credit
card numbers, bank account number, scan of passport, or your credit report before you are hired, or at the very least, says Microsoft.com: “If a prospective recruiter or employer requests a
background check, agree to do so only after you have met with them at their
company location during regular work hours.” Read more about
international job scams here: http://www.rileyguide.com/internatscam.html. |
|
Fake Merchandise E-mail: Foreign (often Eastern European) company sends an e-mail
saying they want to pay you to sell items on eBay and wire the money to them,
and they say they’ll ship the merchandise to the customer. |
They never send the
merchandise after accepting the customer’s payment, so now you’re on the hook
for the merchandise. They may also
steal your identity. And if you’ve
collected money for unsent merchandise, now you’re implicated in a crime. |
Avoid these e-mails! |
|
Fake Job Assistance: Ads or e-mails for job search assistant services:
supposedly these are people who know where the jobs are and will help you
find one. |
Many aren’t legitimate. They’ll eventually ask for confidential
info. so they can steal your identity or sell your information to spammers. |
Again, the bottom line,
says Microsoft.com: “Never
provide any non-work related personal information such as your social
security number, credit card number, date of birth, home address, and marital
status online, through e-mail, over the phone, in a fax, or on your resume.” |
|
Fake Job Listings: Job search sites that aren’t legitimate; jobs on
legitimate job search sites that aren’t real.
They may even put the Better Business Bureau seal on their site to try
and look more legitimate. |
These are often people who
want mine your resume for data to sell to spammers or to steal your identity. |
Learn to check domain names here
and here, Google the
organization for information about what people are saying about it, go to the
actual Better Business Bureau’s site to research the organization, and stick to sites
reviewed in this class if you’re unsure. Job-Hunt.org says: “Frankly, I wouldn't trust the jobs posted on
any Website 100%, with the exception of USAJOBS.gov, and then I'd be sure
that I was viewing a page of USAJOBS.gov by checking the URL in my browser.” See http://www.rileyguide.com/realjob.html for more. Here is
another article about choosing which job posting sites to use. |
|
Fake Resume Services: They claim to have the inside track on jobs that
aren’t listed on job sites and they’ll send your resume around, for a fee. |
Paying someone to violate
your privacy and give up control of your personal information with no
opportunity to customize to the employer?
No. |
See http://www.job-hunt.org/jobsearchusing.shtml about best resume options on job sites. |
For
more information about online job scams and how to recognize and avoid them,
read the following:
http://career-advice.monster.com/job-search/Getting-Started/Tips-for-Avoiding-Scams/article.aspx
http://www.bbb.org/us/article/539
http://www.bbb.org/us/article/5392
http://www.ic3.gov/crimeschemes.aspx#item-7
http://www.job-hunt.org/article_dangerous_assumptions.shtml
http://www.job-hunt.org/choosing.shtml
http://www.job-hunt.org/findingjobs/findingjobs_job_sites.shtml
http://www.job-hunt.org/guides/using-craigslist-to-find-a-job.pdf
http://www.job-hunt.org/jobsearchusing.shtml
http://www.job-hunt.org/onlinejobsearchguide/article_scam-proof.shtml
http://www.job-hunt.org/onlinejobsearchguide/9-scam-characteristics.shtml
http://www.job-hunt.org/onlinejobsearchguide/article_about_domain_names.shtml
http://www.job-hunt.org/onlinejobsearchguide/article-phish-proof.shtml
http://www.job-hunt.org/onlinejobsearchguide/job-search-scams.shtml
http://www.job-hunt.org/privacy.shtml
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/fraud/phishing/interests.aspx
http://www.rileyguide.com/realjob.html
http://www.rileyguide.com/scams.html
http://www.rileyguide.com/internatscam.html
http://consumerist.com/2009/02/dont-fall-for-the-job-hunting-credit-report-scam.html
http://www.gradtogreat.com/tips_advice/article-jobboard_scams.php
http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/jobscams.html
http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/jobscamtipspayforwarding.html
http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/jobscamreportpt1.html
Job Search
Mistakes
Even job seekers who don’t
fall prey to scams may make other mistakes that can jeopardize their job
prospects. The most common are summarized
below:
|
Mistake |
POSSIBLE Result |
Tips |
|
Putting confidential
personal information on your resume. |
Current employer, identity
thieves, or spammers finding your resume online. Job-Hunt.org says: “In most cases, firing you for job hunting is
perfectly legal in the |
Click here for tips about how to
create a cyber-safe resume, which
include removing standard contact information (home and business addresses
and phone numbers and business e-mail) and replacing it with only a cell
phone number and non-company e-mail address, and removing current employer
name and job title and replacing them with generic descriptions. |
|
Resume “blasting:” posting your
resume indiscriminately to job search web sites. |
You are less likely to get
a job when your resume is not tailored to the position, using relevant keywords and sentences.
(“Keywords are search engine-friendly phrases (e.g. “sales manager,”
“accountant,” “senior engineer” or other common terms) that employers might
be looking for using a computerized query.”) |
See http://www.job-hunt.org/jobsearchusing.shtml about best resume options on job sites. Opt to use a job application form if the
site offers one so that you can customize your information to the position
for which you’re applying. |
|
Giving your resume to a bad
recruiter. |
They could shop your resume
to the wrong employers or ruin your chances of getting job with that employer
because the employer has to pay recruiters commission. Recruiters can sometimes dangle fake jobs on
job posting sites just to get your resume. |
Stick with good
recruiters: see RiteSite.com. Often executive level positions are handled
through recruiters. |
|
Your e-mail (and any
attached resume) doesn’t make it past your
prospective employer’s spam filter on the other end. |
This means your job
application isn’t reaching the prospective employer and you may never know it
unless you follow up. |
See this link about getting your e-mail/resume past spam filters. Also, take the opportunity to follow up on
each resume you send by calling the employer directly (this is also another
way to get access to people who might have power to give you the job). Another option for getting
past spam filters is to copy and paste a .txt version your resume into the body of an e-mail message instead of attaching it to an e-mail. Here is a
link that explains how to save your resume in .txt format and then clean up
the formatting. Save this .txt copy in
addition to your Word copy so that you also can paste your resume into text
boxes on job sites. |
|
You post your main e-mail
address in your resume or on job application sites. |
You get spam. |
Designate an e-mail address
to use for this purpose so that your “real” (personal) e-mail inbox doesn’t
get clogged with spam (this works for online shopping too). |
|
Spelling and grammatical
errors in written correspondence. |
Employer thinks you’re a
spammer, uneducated, or too lazy to use a spell-check. |
Do a spelling and grammar
check on everything you send out, and have another person check it too, to
make sure you sound clear, organized, courteous, and professional. |
|
Using current company’s
resources to look for a new job. |
Your employer finds out and
fires you. |
You should NEVER use your
current company e-mail in job searches, nor should you use your company’s
Internet connection to job hunt! These
actions are traceable and your employer might find out! |
|
Not following up after
sending e-mail or resume. |
|
CareerBuilder.com says: “When job hunting online, it's critical that
you follow up with prospective employers after applying for a position. More
than a few résumés have gotten lost in cyberspace. If you've submitted your
application and haven't heard back from the company, make a call or send an
e-mail to verify that the résumé was received and to reassert your interest
in the position. Don't worry; you're not going to annoy the employer.
Eighty-two percent of executives polled by our company said job seekers
should contact hiring managers within two weeks of submitting application
materials.” |
For more information about
how to avoid mistakes in your online job search, consult the following:
http://jobstar.org/hidden/index.php
http://www.digitaltrends.com/guides/job-hunting-tips-strategies-for-finding-a-job-online
http://www.digitaltrends.com/guides/three-things-every-job-seeker-should-know/
http://www.job-hunt.org/article_antispam.shtml
http://www.job-hunt.org/choosing.shtml
http://www.job-hunt.org/findingjobs/findingjobs_job_sites.shtml
http://www.job-hunt.org/hiddenjobmarket.shtml
http://www.job-hunt.org/jobsearchstandingout.shtml