CAREER MONDAYS: 6 ways to tell the job of your dreams is a scam

Scammers have discovered a goldmine in desperate job seekers. Every so often some scandal or another hits the headlines with thousands of job seekers being conned of money for non-existent job opportunities.

How then can you tell a legitimate job opportunity from a scam?

1. Never part with your money

If the organisation asks you to pay so you can get the job, that is the first sign that the job is a scam.

NO ONE should ever ask you to pay so you can get a job. No legitimate company or recruiter will ask for money upfront. Not for anything!

I know of a friend who was told she needed to part with Sh10,000 to get a HR job at Treasury but she couldn’t afford it so showed up with Sh5,000 only for her to be left helpless at the Treasury building.

1. Research on the company

Do a thorough background check of the company. Nowadays everything is available on the internet. Get to know what the company deals with, who their clients are, where they are located, when they started the business etc.

The last thing you want to be is a scapegoat of some cartel that the government has been trying to track for the last couple of months.

1. Pay attention to email accounts

Legitimate job related emails would come from corporate email accounts e.g director@careerpoint.co.ke. A scam will send you an email using their personal address e.g careerpoint@hotmail.com

1. Offers to work from home

In almost every electric post in Kenya there’s a job ad poster telling you about how you’ll make a lot of money by working from home. If this appears in the job title, the chances are very high that it is a scam.

The chances of making money in your pajamas may sound enticing, and the idea of making a lot of money whilst being able to work from home is just too good to pass up for many gullible job seekers, and because of this, it is a favorite with scammers. Unsuspecting job seekers have been falling for this type of scam for years now.

1. Is the salary too good to be true? It probably is

In the same job ads I talked about at number 4 they always promise huge salaries that are way over what you would normally earn. Getting paid a high salary is not the norm for all job seekers.

Any legitimate employer will evaluate your skill set and experience, before deciding on what you are worth.

If the company offers you a salary that is completely out of your range, and experience, you are probably in the process of being scammed.

1. Be wary of offers without interviews

Always remember that reputable companies are not going to offer you a role without interviewing your first.

Flattering as it may seem that they were so impressed with your resume, that they have offered you a position without meeting you first, the reality is that you are probably being scammed if this happens.

Never, ever accept a job offer that has come through via email, when you have never had a telephonic or face-to-face interview.

By Faith Mutahi Career advice writer at Careerpoint Solutions To get A FREE CV Review Click Here