Deceptions to be Wary of when looking for a Job
Most job seekers honestly want to work and are looking for sincere opportunities to prove themselves. Though Web 2.0 and the Internet should make the task easier, in reality, job seekers are finding themselves exposed to deceptions that actually stand to lose them thousands of dollars. This article seeks to warn about several dangers that should concern you when using the Internet as part of your job search strategy.
First, job seekers need to understand that the so called "job boards" that promise paid employment are absolutely full of business opportunities if not outright scams posing as "jobs". Perhaps the "safest" online job boards are the "paid" job boards at Craigslist, namely San Francisco and New York, though it's likely that the number of such paid boards will increase soon. At least the paid boards keep out the foreign spammers who line Craigslist with what seem like jobs but actually are just offers for you to purchase information about jobs that are often questionable at best. Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com in my experience, though costly, are no better - a variety of business opportunities proliferate on these boards. They do at least seem to serve business opportunity vendors with more money to spend on advertising! Once you've wasted your time pursuing some false "business opportunities as job" postings, you'll learn they can be quickly identified because the so called "job" is available "anywhere". Real jobs usually involve a location to report for work! Suffice it to say... real jobs for real employers don't require you to "pay to work".
(There are certain legitimate work at home opportunities for independent contractors that may charge nominal fees. But as a rule, you won't want to find them if you're looking for hourly or salaried work right? More on this in another article some time!)
But besides wasting time thanks to worthless business opportunities disguised as "jobs" there's a bigger danger these days - identity theft.
It seems like a good idea to be able to store your resume online and make it available to headhunters and employers. But if you leave too much information, an unscrupulous person could simply download your information and steal your identity. The resume you left online to make you money could end up costing you thousands of dollars!
Even if you're smart and don't leave too much personal information on a resume - you could still be victimized by leaving a resume. Scam artists aren't above culling your email address and sending you "phishing" email addresses "offering" you "employment" and directing you to a bogus website that gathers enough information to steal your identity!
A good way to avoid deceptions when looking for a job are to use the net to search locally or regionally. Then you can actually call or visit a location personally if you're the least bit suspicious - or perhaps especially if you're not.
The best way to avoid deceptions when seeking a job is to work by referrals. Even with the Internet, experts realize that most job openings are part of the "hidden job market" and will be filled by employers who seek referrals from existing employees - even if they subsequently "advertise" the position later. Referrals, even from casual acquaintances, can get your application seen favorably even before the position hits the press or the net.
