How to Spot Fake Job Listings During the Recession

False job advertisements are the last thing we need right now. Canvasing, cold calling, street promoting, work at homes, and security positions are just a few of the devil's evil tricks in the career section of your newspaper or online job website.

I'm sure everyone has had this experience at least once in their life -- You find a job listing online or in a paper, you know you qualify for it, it looks good, so you applied to it. A day or two later, you get called in for an interview. It wasn't until halfway through the interview that you found out the hidden agenda which could involve anything from cold calling, selling products, working off of commission, and so forth.

So you kindly reject the offer and leave the interview, disappointed, discouraged, and just flat out upset that there's companies out there who are willing to deceive so many unemployed people out there. I know how you feel, because I'm looking for a second job right now and I've been going through the same thing. Let this be a guide for you to follow while job hunting.

Not Revealing Compensation
The job posting will either not reveal how much they will pay you or they will give you a 'pay range'. The former is sometimes normal as some legit employers prefer to discuss compensation during the interview. However, the latter is a huge red flag. If a job listing states that they will compensate you between $12-$20 per hour, for example, that usually means the position in question involves some type of selling. Why else would your hourly rate 'range'? Think about it.

Vague Job Description
The first tip and this one go hand in hand sometimes. Vague compensation is one thing, but then there's ads that describe the position as 'customer service' without describing your responsibilities and/or without providing a little info about the employer.

Use of the Word 'Opportunity'
An opportunity and a job are two completely different things, not to be confused with 'employment opportunity'. Jobs are legit employers who will pay you a salary, be it hourly or monthly, for the work required. An opportunity has no employer, it usually falls somewhere along the lines of Amway/Quixtar, Prime America, etc. A company that will pay you, as a sub-contractor of sorts or as an independent business owner, based on the amount of work or products you sell. Jobs pay by the hour, opportunities pay by how many products you sell.

Avoid 'Online Work'
Don't get me wrong, there's legit online paying sites like myLot, Associated Content, Scour, etc. But you will never, ever find those sites listed in a career section as a 'job offer'. No, what you find in job listings are online job scams, the type you would find in your junk e-mail.

Examine the Job Poster's E-mail Address
Fake employers usually have a Yahoo, Gmail, or Hotmail e-mail account. Please note that the reply address won't always be visible, it's up to the poster's descretion to list it.

Avoid 'Shipping', 'Receiving', 'Accounts Payable'
They usually involve working for someone in a different country who will ask for your demographic information so that they could send you packages and money to send to their 'clients'. Yeah, sure.

Avoid 'Sales' and 'Outbound Calling'
These are no-brainers right here. Anyone in their right mind who wants a steady and secure income will not let it depend on how many successful calls they made or how many products they sold. Many of these positions pay commission only and even if they do offer an hourly rate in addition, why would you want the stress anyway?

'Bartender Positions Available!', 'Security Positions Open!'
This is a very good one. Get this, the company posting this job listing is not an employer but a 'paid school' of sorts to prepare you for employment. This is common for bartender and security guard job postings. Basically, they call you in for an interview immediately and reveal that there is a fee to help you find a job if you have all your licenses and requirements. If you don't, guess what? You have to pay for all of that in addition. Now, sometimes, these 'paid schools' do in fact have connections and will place you with a company right away but still, paying $200 for job placement is a ridiculous idea in the first place.

Fake job listings are disgusting and riveting, it's sad that nothing has been done about them (Hello, Obama). These people should be arrested when they get away with 'unemployment murder'. There's nothing we can do about it, but following the tips listed above will surely help you in making better decisions during your search. Don't become a victim and happy job hunting.