It requires money

The only money you should part with during the job hunting process is money to cover your transport costs to go to an interview or making calls to find out more about the vacancy. If you are required to pay for a criminal clearance check, training, writing tests or even securing a spot, it’s a scam.

The devil is in the details

Take your time to read through the job description. If there are spelling errors and the company name is spelt incorrectly, it’s a scam. It is small details that can give you a sign if something is not legitimate such as inconsistencies in the email address or spelling of the company name. Anything that is sent from a Gmail account is a red flag. Most companies usually send out an email that has the company name at the end of the email address. For example, MiWayLife will always send out an email as JohnDoe@miwaylife.co.za.

You have to give your personal information

Most scams require that you give them your personal information such as your I.D, Driver’s license, or bank statements before the interview process has kicked off. The general process is that you go for the interview and once you have been selected for the position then the company will require your personal information.

No digital footprint

Always remember to research the company that has called you in for an interview. It is a good way to separate scammers from legitimate recruitment agencies. If there is no digital presence of the business, even when you search it on google maps, it is probably a scam. However, scammers have become smart when it comes to establishing fake sites too.

Therefore, check if all the information on the site matches. If it’s sketchy then it is probably fake. A legitimate site always has a secured web address. This is shown on the top left side in the form of a locked padlock icon.

A promise to get rich quick

If the pay looks good and the hours are unbelievable, then it's probably a scam. Any job posting offering an exorbitant salary compared to the general postings in that industry are usually a scam. If they are offering you a deal where you can get rich over a short time or need you to recruit more people to make your money, it could be a scam.

Vague job description

If you are not quite sure what the job entails after reading the job description and when you dig further into the company background you leave confused more than ever, this is a bad sign. When there is no contact information, but they offer a digital portal for you to submit your information you are most likely looking at a scam.

An address to a place that doesn’t exist

Always check the address before you go to a place. If you can get reviews of the company online do so to avoid finding yourself in a dangerous situation. Always remember to research before you go, never give money for any job and always look for any inconsistencies in spelling and grammar.