5 Ways to Identify a Fake Job Offer

You could be standing by the roadside waiting for a cab. Then someone walks by and hands you a piece of paper with screaming headlines indicating a job offer. Sometimes, you could come across posters too offering jobs with fat salaries and other benefits. Unfortunately, some of these job offers are fake and have nothing to offer you. This post highlights 5 ways to identify a fake job offer.

You could also come across job offers online. These days, any and everything is online including job offers. Since it is online, it is difficult to determine if a job offer is genuine. This is because fraudsters have taken advantage of this meaning anything could go wrong. These days, not all things should be taken at face value. So before you apply for that job, make sure it's a genuine offer.

Below are 5 ways to identify a fake job offer:

1. Check if the job offer sounds too good to be true

As the saying goes, "if it's too good to be true, then it probably is". Any job offer that makes you pause and ask " for real?" is likely to be fake. Just know that. You should be able to recognise unrealistic offers. If you're not sure, ask someone who has more experience. There's no harm in asking for advice from a friend or two. Anything that sounds fishy probably is.

2. If you are required to pay a fee then it's most probably a fake job offer

Any job offer that requires you to send a token to some bank account is fake. Any logical person should know that. If fees need to be paid in order to secure jobs, then degrees and certificates are probably useless.

3. Check what the internet has to say about the company offering the job

These days when the internet has answers to virtually everything, I don't see why you shouldn't do this. Carry out research on the company offering the job. If you get virtually nothing on it or vague details about it, then the offer is fake. Make no mistake about it.

4. Check to see if the company offering the job offer is requesting confidential information

Any job you wish to apply for that requires you to provide confidential information is most likely fake. If little, or unreasonable explanations are given as to why you should provide such information, back out. Prevention is better than cure.

5. Check if the job offer gives a detailed job description

If the supposed job offer doesn't let you know what you'll be doing, then it's fake. It's totally unreasonable to offer someone a job without telling them what to do. So if after noticing such, you go ahead to still apply for the job, you might not like the results.

You might be desperate for a job. At such times, it feels like every job offer is worth trying. However, look before you leap. When you're job hunting, it can be easy to fall prey to a job scam. Avoid becoming a victim by using the tips above as a checklist to identify a fake job offer whenever you feel suspicious about a job offer.