In Nigeria today, job seekers are not spared from non-existing job positions. Knowing how vulnerable and gullible they are, fraudsters seize the opportunity to bombard them with fake jobs. They are taking advantage of the rising unemployment rate to lure unsuspecting and desperate job seekers. Here is how job seekers can avoid falling victim to the so-called “job vacancy” of fraudsters (these are some of the red flags to watch out for):
1. The Company can’t be found online
In today’s digital world, we live and breathe on the internet. A job or company whose presence can’t be verified online (website, blog, social media) is a scam job. Job seekers should always do a quick Google search to know if jobs applying for are legitimate or not. Some scammers knowing that job seekers would seek their presence online, now go the extra length of creating a website and social media. However, if there is no concrete information there, it may be a fake job.
2. Getting messages from jobs you didn’t apply for
Maybe you received a text message or email for a job interview that left you wondering when you applied for the job, it is most definitely a scam job. A fake job or company will not reach out to you via their company e-mail, call, and then follow up with a text message scheduling you for an interview. Sending just an SMS is a major red flag. Jobs that schedule you for interviews at weird locations asking you to call them are usually fake.
3. Weird venues
Job seekers can know a fake job from their venues. Even though there are lots of virtual jobs interview, there are still a number of interviews that take place physically. Many stories have circulated on how job seekers knew the job was a fake one on arrival at the interview venue. Once you notice the interview is taking place in an unconventional environment or you are even taken to another venue entirely, then you should be worried. Some job seekers have been kidnapped and other terrible things have happened for ignoring the signs that the job venue is fake.
4. Unprofessional e-mail
Legitimate companies usually have their company domain email e.g info@pridemagazineng.com. If you get a message from a company using the general email ending in @gmail.com, that’s a sign that it is a fake job. When the content of the e-mail contains grammatical and spelling errors, those are other red flags.
5. They ask you to pay money
Run from any job that requires you to pay a certain sum of money before you are employed. They are scams. Some of these fraud recruiters may tell you to pay a certain amount of money as a registration or commitment fee before the job offer is completed. The only exceptions here are if you are working with a career recruiter and even, in this case, recruiters get their money only after you have been employed.
6. The offer is too good to be true
If you see a job posting where the pay does not align with the company’s brand or your experience, e.g. You should be wary of a small company that wants to pay you N500,000 as a graduate trainee. A lot of fake recruiters use this technique as bait to attract unsuspecting job seekers who are enticed by such offers.
7. You are employed instantly
A credible job takes time for employment. A job posting usually has a number of candidates who have applied. Each candidate would then go through a rigorous process of interview(s) before a job offer comes through. If you are being offered a job immediately, chances are the job is fake.