JUNE 24, 2023 – Modern job seekers are accustomed to sharing lots of information during their job search. Effective resumes have the job seeker’s contact information, LinkedIn profiles display candidates’ pictures, and most companies now even require account registration before applying for a position.
Job seekers can expect to share their phone number, email, location, and employment history dozens of times throughout their search. This exchange of information is necessary in a successful job search because recruiters, human resources professionals and companies need this information to find and reach out to potential employees.
But job seekers should also realize the risks associated with sharing this information – namely in the form of job search scams. Knowing the warning signs can help protect those actively searching for and applying to jobs.
“We want to increase our community’s awareness of job search scams,” says Daniel Serrano, a specialist with the Employment Readiness Program. “A lot of our clients are interested in working from home and we are seeing scams disguised as remote positions.”
All job seekers – even those not focused on finding remote or telework positions – should be on the lookout for potential scams. Job scams do not target any specific group of job seekers. Don’t assume that younger or first-time candidates are more susceptible. Job search scams mirror real announcements so closely that anyone is at risk.
“These scammers are getting clever,” says Serrano. “Even if you are an experienced professional or have been on the job hunt before, be careful.”
What can job seekers do to protect themselves?
First, they should pay attention to where they are applying for positions. Job search engines like Indeed may cut down on time spent finding openings but should be used with caution. The ACS ERP suggests that when seeing a job posting on a search engine, find the actual company online and apply for the position directly via the company website instead of through the search engine.
Some of the most common signs of a scam include:
- Asking for financial and/or personal information up front. This includes banking and account information, social security numbers or birth dates.
- Requesting a payment or transfer of money.
- Emails from the “employer” are from personal email services like Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail, instead of from an account associated with a company.
- Grammatical errors, misspellings, or vague information in the job announcement and correspondence from the company.
- Company is offering a position without conducting an interview.
- Being offered a high salary, hourly rate, and/or flexible schedule without having relevant experience.
- Being contacted about a position that was not applied for or one of higher qualifications than the job seeker has.
- Interactions with the “employer” that are not professional, or receiving questions that are personal in nature such as, “are you married?”.
Additionally, job seekers can protect themselves by using safer job search engines. Each state has a state employment agency and state job bank. These employment agencies review the companies and jobs posted to their job banks before allowing a company to share their positions. A list of state job banks can be found on the Career One Stop website at careeronestop.org.
Military spouses can safely search for employment using the Department of Defense’s Military Spouse Employment Partnership website at https://myseco.militaryonesource.mil/portal/msep.
If job seekers are interested in federal employment, they should search for and apply for positions on USAJobs.gov. Additionally, it is always acceptable to apply directly on the company website.
Always research the company in question. Seekers can utilize websites like Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and the Better Business Bureau to learn more about any legitimate company.
The ACS ERP is also available to help job seekers in the military community obtain desired employment.
Visit ERP on the 3rd Floor of the Soldier Support Center, or call 910-396-2390 / 910-396-1425 to request additional information, or to schedule individual counseling sessions and workshops.
Story by Melanie Tucker
Fort Liberty Army Community Service Employment Readiness Program Manager