“We do fashion design in the private-label market for female fashions throughout the U.S. and Europe. We are currently looking for three new entry level people in the Public Relations field to promote our company both in house and at trade shows, conventions, TV … We start our PR people in the $55,000 range and provide complete benefits, educational reimbursements. Free fashions are made for you to wear and keep and show buyers that may come in, so that we provide consistency in our public persona … Let us know the best time to be in touch and when you could potentially get together and what the best number for contact is. Also, if you have a photo (need not be professional) that you could send of yourself - that would be super.”
Most of us are aware of the online job scams that promise you will make $1,000 a week working from home. All you do is send in $25 for the training manual or invest $150 in equipment. These jobs that sound too good to be true almost always are. They are known as payment-forwarding or payment-transfer scams and are easy to spot.
Some jobs postings are more insidious, like the one above. My niece, Miranda, a recent college graduate searching for a job, responded to this ad with some disturbing results.
As a marketing major and someone interested in fashion, the first paragraph of this ad naturally caught Miranda’s attention. The second paragraph catapulted her into action. What college grad wouldn’t want an entry-level job at $55,000 a year with benefits and a designer wardrobe? The last portion of the ad should have raised a red flag, but considering the industry of fashion, submitting a photo didn’t seem too outlandish — until the screening interview.
Within an hour of submitting her resume and photo online, my niece, who is very attractive, received a phone call from the company president. Miranda was informed that she had been selected from a field of 200 candidates for an interview. After an hour-and-a-half phone conversation, an in-person meeting was scheduled.
As Miranda played back the conversation to her parents, some things didn’t add up. The company did not have a Web site accessible to the public. The president’s e-mail address was from a hosting site that offered free e-mail accounts. The phone number came from a cell phone that could not be accessed. The address of the meeting location, although near legitimate office buildings, could not be located on Mapquest.
By now Miranda had lost some enthusiasm for the interview. In fact, she was beginning to grow fearful. The “president” had her photo, knew where she worked as a waitress, and had her e-mail and cell phone information. Fortunately, she used her parent’s home address rather than her own. Comments such as, “Just give your car to the valet,” and “Appearance is important so you may turn a little pink the way we look at you,” took on a whole new meaning. In the end, Miranda sent a message declining the interview and notified Craigslist about the ad.
The story does have a happy ending in that Miranda interviewed with three prestigious companies and subsequently accepted an entry-level offer that is in line with the market.
An observer may wonder how people can so be easily duped by job scams. But even the most veteran job hunter is vulnerable after having dozens of resumes ignored or rejected by companies that seemed “a sure thing.” After a few months of humbling oneself in a job search, it is easy to read job ads with a less-than-critical eye and be convinced the promises are legitimate.
The following tips to avoiding or identifying job scams come from a combination of information provided by Microsoft, The Privacy Rights Clearing House and the FBI.
Terry Pile is president of Career Advisors, which offers career counseling, outplacement and relocation career service to individuals and small businesses. She specializes in helping people find satisfying employment. She can be contacted at terryp@careeradvisorsonline.com.
