Job Scams Archives - Page 2 of 2 - The Voice of Job Seekers

This is your job search news – THE JOB SCAM EDITION –– with curated articles and resources providing tactics to avoid scams! I’ve read them, and you can feel free to comment on them in any form you’d like. Leave a message on the “send voicemail” button on your right. I’ll try to keep it short, fresh, and informative. If you have some news I need to know about, tweet me @MarkADyson!

There are a few references regarding job scams I hope to help you to avoid. The competition for jobs is on the rise since unemployment is a little more than four percent. Scams are also rising and more often than not, coming closer to making ads look more real than in the past.

How can older workers avoid scams

The most vulnerable workers to scams are older workers. A few years ago I had Bridget Weide Brooks on the show to talk about strategies older worker can use to avoid scams. You can listen to that episode here:

Advertised work-at-home-jobs are often used for bait

via GIPHY

When you see easy jobs for extraordinary pay, consider it a red flag for a scam. Particularly look out for the pay to play aspect where you’re asked to invest in a software, system, or training to participate. When something seem too simple, or exclusive then you should look for additional answers other than testimonies.

This article by Susan P. Joyce is detailed in what kind of scams you should avoid.

Identify job scams quickly

FlexJobs published an article Monday with more scams to avoid. Some of the questions they recommend asking yourself are:

Is the hiring company’s name listed in the job listing?
Do you need to pay to get the job, buy supplies, or invest in the company?
Does the job listing sound too good to be true?

Read the article in its entirety here for more questions to ask yourself. By the way, FlexJobs online membership is not a bad thing to invest to use. They carefully screen employers to ensure they are not scamming users. I used it for two years and not one incident of scamming occurred.

5 Work From Home Scams

Payscale published an article this week stating scams on the rise for those seeking remote positions. This is a useful guide to help you avoid five work from home scams.

If you haven’t already…

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Announcement:

Here is the podcast publishing schedule for the next few weeks:

March 13 – Short but meaningful episode
March 27 – NO EPISODE
April 10 – Spring season begins – new episodes

Articles will be published throughout the break.

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.

How to Identify Job Scams and Competent Career Professionals (PODCAST)

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Bridget Weide Brooks (@RWDigest) is the founder of Resume Writers’ Digest, a business that is an important resource for Resume writers. Bridget has spoken at several National Resume Writer Association conferences. She has been a résumé writer for many years and wrote her first résumé at 12 years old. She is a great resource in helping job seekers to identify job scams and hiring qualified career professionals that will offer value.
In our conversation, Bridget and I discussed the most common scams that target job seekers. Bridget said that the most common we hear about is the work from home job scams that the predator asks the victim for personal identifiable information such as social security number and bank account information.

Bridget also explains why mature job seekers are the most vulnerable and some of the steps that anyone should take when approached about an opportunity.

In addition, Bridget and I discuss common fraudulent opportunities (job scams) on the web that can happen anywhere such as Craigslist and other places where opportunities are posted. Bridget emphasizes the job seekers need to research every potential opportunity and listing and ask specific questions that will validate or invalidate any type of business transaction.

Since Bridget is an excellent resource to hundreds of resume writers, her experience in helping people identify legitimate and qualified career pros. She explains how many that charge less than $100 may be giving substantially limited value for his or her service and that “you get what you pay for…” Bridget is also very candid about some signs that a career pro may not be ready to give full valued service and that price is just one indicator of where and how to look for the best help.