ALT-2 How to Find Legitimate Jobs Online
Searching for legitimate jobs online can be a frustrating task for serious job seekers if you don't know where to search. It can even become a disappointing task for those career minded individuals who have spent countless hours sending out resumes or emailing responses to seemingly legitimate job posts just to receive email replies which are obvious scams, such as requesting a credit check for employment. Learning which job boards to avoid and how to decipher the difference between legitimate job opportunities and scam artists is crucial for your job search and to prevent wasting your time. Here are some important tips to consider while choosing which job boards to search, and which career ads to pinpoint as legitimate job offers.
What To Look For In A Job Search Engine
No Spam
If a job board has excess posting for job offers such as work from home jobs, jobs that promise you to make $500,000 in one week, and mystery shopper jobs, then chances are you have a greater chance of falling into a scam. These sites make it free to post, meaning anyone can post there. A good example of these sort of sites are Craigslist, Backpage, and Oodle.
Free To Post Job Boards Or Search Engines
Now, I'm okay with free to post engines in general, but it is really hard to find a legitimate job on these sites. Craigslist, for example, is great, but the problem is shuffling through all the spam to find out which is legitimate. Many of the listings are actually repeat listings with a different title. When a serious job seeker replies to the listing a return email will request a credit check, request that they sign up for another web site, or even offer a job that has nothing to do with the original description. The best way to avoid this waste of your time is to avoid the site and move on to a site that has a better track record.
Paid To Post Job Boards Or Search Engines
This simply means that the employer has to pay to advertise their job opening. These sites are more reliable because they make it harder for the spam to come through. Spam preventing web sites like these are better for those individuals who are serious about their job search. Examples of these sites are CareerBuilder, Monster and Simply Hired.
What To Look For In A Job Listing
Contact Information Or Company Name
If a job listing doesn't offer any information about how to contact the company, or doesn't even list the company name, then you should question why. If a company doesn't wish to give out information for potential employees to apply, then there is a possibility that they are not legitimate. This may not be so in all cases, but when a good company is searching for a serious candidate then most times they will leave a fax number, phone number, address or link to their web site so potential candidates can send a resume. In my experience, the job listings that neglect to leave any contact information turn out to be false or misleading.
Not A Duplicated Listing
If the post seems suspiciously similar to the previous ten posts before it then chances are they are all one and the same under a different title. This happens a lot when a person is hoping to lure in victems to scam. If the post seems suspicious then there is a reason your alarm bell may be going off, and if it seems too good to be true then run like the wind. Replying to these type of job listings will only fill your inbox with spam, and annoy you to no end.
The time spent searching for a new career can already be a challenging difficult time. You don't need the added frustration of having to filter through spam, illegitimate job offers, and possibly develop a lack of trust in job search engines. When conducting your search choose professional sites, and be wise. Don't assume that a job site is great just because it receives a high amount of traffic, or because it is popular. Choose wisely, and take heed that the employers who search for real professionals will be professionals themselves by posting on job sites which will make them pay for a better job listing. The reason legitimate companies pay for good job advertising is simple, it's because they want to draw in the best of the best, and these companies know that you get what you pay for.
