As most of us know, unemployment is not easy, it actually really sucks!!!  Having to go through tons of job adverts and applying to them like there is no tomorrow (“insert dented finger here”), and then receiving no feedback.  Always such a tough pill to swallow. What makes this process worse is when you unknowingly fall into the traps of a SCAM.

There are so many different types of recruitment scams out there, and if you had to be suspicious of everything nowadays, you would never send your CV anywhere.

There are some identifying points to look out for when you think you feel unsure:

• When unsure do the relevant research

Once you have seen an advert on social media and job portals, google the company that placed the advert – if it is a relevant organization there would be a registered website with company information (granted creating a website is easy but generally you can tell).  If the company has a website and you are still not convinced, do a search on Hello Peter and see if they have any information listed (whether it be complaints or compliments). Does the company have a physical address and how up to date are their contact details?  If the email address is a “Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail” or any other free address, you are entitled to be cautious. 

• Charging a fee

No recruitment agency should charge a candidate a fee (of any kind).  Some Recruitment Agencies are registered with a Professional Staffing Organization (which operates worldwide), and whose code of ethics states that they are not permitted to charge a candidate a recruitment fee in any way. If you are asked for a recruitment fee to either list your CV, or progress to a 2^nd stage interview, do what Forest Gump did and “run!!”

• Meeting with your consultant and the process

When you have been contacted by a Recruitment Consultant, the first thing they would like to do is invite you in to go through the screening process.  If, geographically, you are not able to attend a face to face interview, the consultant would generally do a telephonic or skype screening with you.  At this stage they would explain the process with you - no cloak and dagger games that scammers like to play!

We, as Recruiters, take tremendous pride in our work (too much sometimes if you ask me) and shortcuts are a no-no, so when you think that something is a scam, and you are being charged a fee for it, it’s most probably a scam.