job fishing Archives - The Voice of Job Seekers

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How To Detect Job Scams And Ways To Avoid Them by Mark Anthony Dyson

Job scams are nothing new, but scammers are craftier in using technology and finding new ways to lure victims. My good friend Jack Kelly and I will lay out the basics of what they are, how to identify a scam or scammer, and what you can do. While there is much more than what we cover in these few minutes, I understand there’s much work.

They are finding new ways to use unsuspecting LinkedIn professionals who are legit and active users to recruit victims into applying to their companies, collect their email addresses and other private data, and sometimes steal money and identity from them.

These scams are happening on every platform and on many job boards.

We want to increase awareness and offer solutions if you are approached (or someone you know) by a scammer. Please join us for this short but informative discussion.

Watch the show:

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

Job Search Stories I’m Watching by Mark Anthony Dyson

Whether you would want to emulate or avoid strategies in these job search and career stories, they’re worth tracking and watching developments as they happen. I’ve written about some recently, and others I am watching from different sources. There are no promises of how I’ll keep up with these angles, but they’re exciting, and you should know about them.

#JobFishing

If you’re not familiar with the term “job fished” or “job fishing,” it is “catfished” but with jobs. Scammers will portray well-known brands to lure victims away from employment and solicit money from them or give private data from them. Many victims have left legitimate jobs to onboard these seemingly actual companies, see scams coming and stop pursuing them immediately.

A viral Tik-Tok video showed how a job seeker applied to a well-known name company, but it wasn’t the actual company. The site, run by scammers, tried to legitimatize the company by staging a LinkedIn page with employee pictures (not existing employees). The victim in the video initially saw signs the fake company wasn’t real, but it wasn’t until she received an invoice for work computers the scammers promised to reimburse her.

I’ve learned over the years that when the job market is overwhelmed with confusion and uncertainty, it exploits opportunities to scam vulnerable people. Last month, I wrote an article for Lensa about scammers using advertisements masquerading as actual companies to lead them to fake jobs and how to avoid them. I expect scams will trend upwards to play on the uncertainty of rising gas prices, hiring freezes, and widely implemented wage freezes. Just as easy as creating scams today, excluding false companies is, too.

I’ve advocated for years to research companies deeply, ask questions to and about the company and its employees, and if there is doubt, walk away. Scammers pretending to be employers have one goal to either get your money or private data.

Overemployment

I talked with Alex Levit three years ago about how Artificial Intelligence (AI) will affect business. In our discussion, we discussed how contract workers would forge forward with multiple contract full-time jobs. She said, “And yes, many will find it difficult to balance new business development with existing work and other obligations.” There are YouTube videos with people sharing how they managed to have two or more full-time jobs simultaneously.

To be clear, we’re not talking about two jobs to survive. Overemployed workers are tech or six-figure workers (many are tech) who make more than $250,000f yearly.

If you check #overemployment today, there are less than 100 videos exclusive sharing how they managed it. I like one of them because he’s transparent about his experience, thought process, and lifestyle while working two tech development jobs. While he was able to manage both jobs (each at 100K+ salary), he told us one of his employers caught him but didn’t make a big deal out of it.

Three things I learned about over employment after watching several videos:

Make sure you don’t intermingle computer and software usage between companies.
My suggestion (not mentioned in the video) is to obtain two IP addresses dedicated to each company. There will likely be a little pricey. It would make things a little easier for required uploads.
Some companies have a “moonlighting” clause. More companies will be more conscious in the future. Make sure you understand each company’s policies before engaging them.

Want to know more about the “over employment” movement? Go here.

Normalizing the boomerang employees

I wrote an article recently about boomerang employees and their successful move back to employers they left. While many quit during the height of “The Great Resignation” last year, some companies rehired them. Most companies move on from those leaving in the past, especially when it’s tough.

It’s also a reminder to employees to have options as they leave companies, and the best way to remain employed is to keep former employers close as an additional option for your job search. Please read the article. Let me know if these trends are recognized and resonate with you.