As graduation season approaches, I’d like to wish all the upcoming graduates heartfelt congratulations! It’s incredibly important to stay sharp to land the best jobs in the market. But what if I told you that nearly 40 percent of the jobs you see online are fake—especially on platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed? Let’s dive into the details and strategize to protect ourselves from getting conned.
The main reason I’m writing this article because this issue stems from personal experiences that have affected me, my colleagues, and my friends. I feel it needs to be addressed to mitigate risks for future candidates. Many jobs we see on LinkedIn or other platforms are not real and aren’t intended to be filled in the first place. Most listings mislead candidates and are a huge waste of time for genuine candidates who are hoping to land a job in this economy.
Why do fake job listings exist?
- Some job listings exist to exploit students and working professionals by collecting resumes, phone numbers and other sensitive information, which is later used for scams and phishing calls.
- Ghost jobs are another prevalent problem, where a legitimate company posts jobs that don’t exist just to give the illusion of company growth to stakeholders and to build a talent pool to fill future jobs. This is extremely unfair for candidates who require immediate employment.
- Another issue most of us would’ve experienced on LinkedIn is getting InMail messages from fake recruiters to redirect us to pay for certifications, courses, etc. with promising false hopes of landing a job.
Major red flags to identify fake jobs
I have noticed some red flags while applying for jobs on LinkedIn:
- If the company has barely any followers or employees, no company logo, no information about employers at the firm, and no legit website.
- If you are getting immediate job offers after applying for the job, without conducting prior interviews.
- If a company with low followers, engagement, etc. is posting close to 20 plus jobs a day with minimum applicants, it is a risk, so try and avoid such job listings.
- Some job posts seem very real but most of the time they could be promoted jobs. Since the platform has a paid advertisement system, scammers use it to post fraudulent jobs. Make sure to research the company before applying.
How to verify if a job is legitimate:
- Always check the official company website! If the job listing isn’t showing up on the website, then there are high chances of it being fake.
- Unclear information, grammatical errors, very high compensation and urgent hiring with no experience required are all signals that the job isn’t legitimate.
- Look for employer reviews on platforms like Glassdoor and Reddit about the company.
- Most importantly, trust your instincts! If the job looks like it’s too good to be true, it mostly is. Always research and validate before proceeding.
Awareness of fake jobs is so crucial. I urge everyone to be cautious while using job sites and protect themselves from scammers and protect sensitive data. Remember that what you seek is seeking you, and your next job is right around the corner!
Sources
- https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/ghost-jobs-2c0dcd4e
- https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/08/scammers-impersonate-well-known-companies-recruit-fake-jobs-linkedin-and-other-job-platforms
- https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/oct/30/ghost-jobs-why-do-40-of-companies-advertise-positions-that-dont-exist
