I received a message: CV vetted & approved|You are invited for an interview by HRA in our office; 98, palm avenue, Beside Methodist Church, Mushin,Lagos on 02/7/17

Don’t fall victim to these totally avoidable job scams. Here are some ways to identify false job postings and avoid them:



1. Wonky Language



This is a definite no no. Companies take extra take extra time to proofread their job postings. If you find grammatical or spelling errors in a jobs ad, it is most likely fake. Always verify any posting or call for interview you come across.







2. No online visibility



In this digital age, companies know that they have to have an online presence. In fact, no online presence means you’re not serious about getting your product/service to your target audience. When you get an call for interview email or see a job posting online, Google the company. If you find nothing about the company, don’t waste your time with it anymore. Some scammers could go the extra mile and create an online presence. Look out for companies who have suspicious domain names, have no contact address/phone number, have no real information about they what they do. In any case, to be extra sure, copy the job ad or website here







3. Non Branded Email



Branding is key with companies these days. If you have taken note, you would see that comapnies usually have their employee’s assigned to their company’s name. So, if a company is names WriteAssit, an employee’s email would be esthersmith@writeassist.com. If a job posting says you should send an email to an @gmail.com or @yahoo.com email, think twice and verify before applying.







4. WhatsApp Interview Notification



We get that the professional world is working hard towards making the job application process more friendly, but this is ain’t it. No real call for interview would be sent to you via WhatsApp. Companies would rather email, call, or send you a text message with enough details about their company including a website. If you are scheduled for a remote interview via Skype or phone call, that’s acceptable. Anyway, confirming would keep you safe.







5. Miracle jobs



These scammers know that people are desperate for employment. Unfortunately, they play on that and release mouth-watering offers that seem too good to be true. Be careful of job postings with extremely high salaries for jobs that usually have lesser pays. They also siphon email and phone numbers from the Internet and randomly send interview emails or text messages. If you did not apply for a job, you most likely won’t be “miraculously” called for a job interview.



6. They want money.



Think about it; they need you to pay them to pay you? It’s a big no. Don’t apply. Companies usually won’t require you to pay for an interview.



An advice for you is that you should not sign up on every job platform you see. A lot of time, your details get siphoned that way and you become a prey to scam job posting and call for interview. Also, trust your instincts. If you feel something is not right, do your research. Itarj.com (Is this a real job?) is a great tool that allows your to verify if a job posting is real or not. Use it now and share with friends and family! You would literally be saving lives.