How to Avoid Job Scams

We witness the rise of internet recruitment and we sometimes wonder whether a job advertisement is real or fake. Job scammers post fake jobs to attract job seekers and they are very hard to spot.

There are some aspects that can predict a job scam:

• The offered salary is significantly higher than the average on the market. Job scammers try to get resumes by all means, by exaggerating reality as one of their preferred tools to lure desperate people looking for a job.
• You'll be hired immediately. Recruiting means a series of interviews and potential employers always want to know who they are hiring. Job seekers are evaluated and tested in a variety of ways because not everybody is a good fit. So, it’s almost impossible to hire someone on the spot, without knowing anything about him/her.
• The job requirements are vague or childish. Job scammers want to reach a large audience and therefore their e-mails or messages are sometimes ridiculous (e.g. you need access to the Internet, you should know your mother tongue well, etc.). A real job description contains all the technologies you need to know, the years of experience required and the qualifications.
• Job scammers usually refuse to send a full job description. This should be a big warning sign as the fake recruiter tries to convince you of a job that has no description. They will try to postpone the sending moment, promising that you will be well integrated into the team and that the workplace training is sufficient.
• The emails are not professional. The contact information is missing or the sender has a common Yahoo or Gmail address. It's easy to search online for the real companies and find out what the real email addresses look like. You should also look out for grammar and spelling mistakes, because real recruiters have reviewed their texts hundreds of times, making these errors impossible.
•  There is no information about the company online. If your company is not on the Internet, it does not exist. I'm not just talking about a website, because many small businesses don't have one, but they're still registered with the tax and trade authorities where you can find information about their status.
• Be aware when you are asked for confidential information. A job scammer would be interested in finding out your bank account or will be happy to help you open a new one. They are also interested in other personal information such as date of birth or identity card number.

I hope my tips will help you stay away from employment scams and job scammers.