There are certain safety measures that you should take when looking for a job online. Although the Internet has given us a lot of new opportunities, it also has given us a lot of scammers. Therefore, it is crucial for a job-seeker to exercise caution and common sense. Here are the tips that you should follow.
Online Job Search Tips: Taking Safety Measures
In case when a job ad looks too good to be true, or you have a gut feeling that something is not right, better refuse applying to this position or proceed with great attentiveness. Don’t ever get involved in money scams that send you a fake check and require from you further actions in a bank (like wire transfers).
Before you apply to the position that you’re interested in, research the company by reviewing its website and social media accounts. Also make a google search including company name followed by words like “scam”, “fraud”, “reviews” etc.
Something’s Wrong if:
- You receive a “job” without an interview
- Job ad and correspondence with employer includes misspellings and grammatical errors
- Employer wants you to be his or her assistant and tells you that they’re traveling internationally
- You are asked to give your PayPal, bank or credit card account numbers or to send a wire transfer payment
- You are asked to provide your personal data (like Social Security Number) before you are even considered as a candidate for the job
- You are asked to send a photo copy of your documents in order to "verify” your identity
- You are offered high fees for the usage of your bank account
- You are asked to transfer money via Western Union, e-Bay or PayPal
- Employer promises you a lot of money for little amount of work
- Job ad focuses on the amount of money that you can receive rather than on job responsibilities
- Prospective job requires upfront fees
Other Helpful Tips:
- Administrative Assistants, Bookkeepers and Mystery Shoppers with high remuneration are usually scam offers
- See if the URL in the job ad follows to the internet domain of the firm that listed it. For instance, if the URL has a link http://superjob.com (example), but when you click on it, you are redirected to another URL, it may be a scam.
- In case you use services like GauchoLink, study their privacy policies very carefully.
Follow these Internet safety tips and you online job hunting will be secure!
