Avoiding Job Scams

A dishonest employer is one of the greatest fears of any job seeker. Unfortunately, nowadays the labor market is full of scammers whose main objective is to earn money in any way. A lot of managers enjoy by the vulnerable situation of the candidate, especially if he/she is searching for a job for quite a long time. In this article we will discuss the most common deception schemes in order to help you avoid dubious deals and not fall for the scam.

The scheme №1: Charge for Employment
One of the most common deception schemes, especially among recruitment agencies, is the demand for payment for the information that may help find a job. The company promises successful passing of the job interview, but does not give any guarantees that you will be offered for a post. Actually dishonest organizations do not cooperate with employers and provide a list of vacancies that are for free access on the Internet.

As a rule such agencies are very difficult to prosecute. In fact, the client paid money voluntarily and probably has no confirming documents. Often these companies do not exist for a long time as they cease their activity and disappear with the money of job seekers. Services of real recruitment agencies are to be paid only by the employer.

The scheme №2: Payment for Product Samples
The second common variant of deception: the company invites the candidate to pass the job interview and offer to purchase product samples. Employer explains that there is a necessity for such purchase because the candidate must be aware of company products. In other cases the further cooperation is impossible. The next step is quite predictable: the candidate receives a rejection to be employed and the organization refuses to return funds.

Remember that honest and serious organizations do not require money or other material rewards from job seekers and do not offer to pay expenses for any documents and services.

The scheme №3: Free of Charge Work
Jobseekers should guard that the vacancy of the company which offers a good position with high wages remains open for a long period of time. In fact, this practice has become very popular among scammers and dishonest employers. The scheme is quite simple: during the job interview or through e-mail the candidate receives an offer to perform 1-2 tasks that allegedly will help determine the level of preparation and professional qualities. Simple arithmetic shows that if the work is performed by at least 20-30 people a day, the company will have enough material and the level of expenditure will remain unchanged.

It is very difficult to declassify such scams because some of the posts (e.g. copywriters, journalists or editors) really require the performance of test tasks to check the skills of a candidate and the quality of work. However, we strongly recommend you to look for the information about a potential employer via the Internet and specialized websites.

The scheme №4: "Additional" Employees
Continuously open vacancy may also mean that the employer is looking for job seekers in order to create or expand the base of potential candidates in the case of dismissal of company employees. Many directors and managers practice this variant to simplify the task in the future and to reduce time for finding a suitable person. It is practically impossible to define such a scheme, especially in large firms.

In any case, do not be upset: an invaluable experience and acquired knowledge will help to behave more confidently on other job interviews.

The scheme №5: The Charge for Training Courses
A large number of fraud firms offer to pay for training courses and to buy educational materials before your formal employment.

Stay alert: practically in all cases good companies carry out education and additional courses only at their own expense.

Moreover, managers are interested that the employees get more knowledge and skills as most of them are convinced that the professional and qualified specialist is the key to the future success of the organization.

Scheme №6: Free Probationary Period
Free of charge labor is a very old type of fraud that is widely used by the employers. The essence of the scheme relies in the fact that after the successful passage of the job interview the employee is offered to undergo probationary period to become familiar with future duties (usually 1-2 months). Depending on the results the manager will decide the final decision on the employment. The main nuance - the time and efforts spent are not paid by the employer.

Needless to say, that after the completion of the probationary period the person is rejected to be employed. The main reason is that the candidate allegedly fails to meet the requirements of the post.

If you have received such an offer and have any doubts, it is worth knowing that any work must be paid in accordance with the Nigerian Labor Act. It is better to sign the employment contract before the performance of duties. Unpaid probationary period is the illegal activity and are to be reported to the appropriate law enforcement authorities.