As we all know, looking for a job can be a time consuming affair and as we all know time is a pretty precious commodity. That’s why it’s really important to devote your energies into applying for jobs that are actually worth it. We’re not suggesting that you only apply for jobs with huge salaries and amazing remuneration packages – we do however mean that you ought to apply only for legitimate and genuine jobs. Whilst that of course may seem to be common sense, the reality is that many online job boards are filled with jobs which are actually just scams. Spotting the scams just takes a little effort and in the end it’s certainly worth it. Our basic tips on avoiding job scams should hopefully help.

Google is your friend!

Don’t simply assume that the job advertisement you are seeing is for a legitimate company. Always do a little research on Google before ever submitting your CV or completing an application. Check out the company details on their website. Is the address which they have listed an actual address? Are they listed on any online business directories? Can you see the business on Google Maps? If the answer to some of these questions is no, then perhaps you ought to do a little further digging around before you proceed with any job application.

Never Pay Them

Genuine companies do not expect candidates to pay for the privilege of applying for a job with them. If the job ad states that you ought to submit a fee together with your application, alarm bells should ring. Scammers can be quite clever and claim for example that the fee is an essential administrative charge to process an application or to cover background or security checks on prospective candidates. Never assume that it is a legitimate fee.

Be Sceptical

Even the most savvy candidates can fall victim to scams which seemingly advertise the ultimate dream job. These jobs might claim to offer amazing starting salaries or fantastic perks and benefits. The likelihood is that if it all seems a little too good to be true, it most probably is. Proceed with any application with caution. Do some research on sites like Indeed or Glassdoor or on internet forums. Advice forums in particular are often the ideal place to find out if a job or company is a scam as previous victims may tend to seek advice or post about their own experiences in a bid to help others. Hold off on applying until you’ve established as many facts as you can. Being sceptical until it’s proven otherwise can pay off in the long run.

Contracts matter

If you are offered a job, an employer should always be in a position to fully clarify details of the job with you. You should ideally receive a written contract or offer of employment and should never really proceed until you have received something formally. If they seem to be evasive about your contract, the terms and conditions and indeed any paperwork which you know you ought to be completing, you should be a little concerned. If you are offered a job verbally, you could perhaps ask for confirmation in writing – via email or letter. It’s particularly important to do this if you are still currently in a job. After all, you would not wish to hand in your notice to your present employer only to find out at the 11th hour that the job you were planning to start was not actually real. If you do receive a contract or letter of offer and feel it’s a tad on the shoddy side and something just does not add up, do some more online digging around before you sign anything.

Ultimately, you should never proceed with a job application until you have identified that it is a legitimate job with a legitimate company.

Our basic tips on avoiding job scams should hopefully help you do just that.

You might also like to take a look at some of these recent posts;

Our top tips for using online job boards

Job seeking mistakes that you should try to avoid