As the number of people searching for jobs increases, unfortunately so does the number of scammers.

With scams on the rise, it’s important to be able to tell a fake job posting from a real one.

Why Do These Fake Postings Even Exist?

Before I tell you how to spot a fake job posting, I think it’s important to talk about why they exist in the first place. Typically, there are 5 types of people that will use these fake listings to their advantage:

• Companies That Like To Have Resumes On File. These hiring managers use these backup resumes in case a position becomes available in the future that they need to be filled ASAP.

• Employers That Are Testing The Waters & Gauging The Current Talent Pool. Sometimes they might also be using it to keep tabs on their current employees to see if they’re applying elsewhere.

• The Managers That Like Unfair Hiring Practices & Want To Take Advantage Of The System. Unfortunately, some employers will use these fake job postings to practice discrimination when choosing candidates and may also use it to practice unfair pay.

• The Spammers. These individuals will use the email address you provided on the job posting and turn around and sell it to other people or organizations.

• Identity Thieves. These criminals will use your information and identity for their personal gain.

The biggest takeaway is that no matter who is behind the fake job posting, their intention isn’t to help you which is why it’s important to know how to spot these fake postings.

Six Common Signs That Job Isn’t Real.

1. Contact can’t be found in a Google search
2. No company information
3. Grammatical errors & spelling mistakes
4. Money is involved immediately
5. Personal information is required immediately
6. Sounds too good to be true

While it’s true that not every job posting that does have one of the above is fake; one of these signs is nearly always right. If there is no employment brand to be found, then 99% of the time, there is no real job.

Scared That Posting Is Fake? Look For Employment Branding.

The moment you become suspicious of a company; Google them. If there is a lack of an employment brand or digital content that showcases what it’s like to work there; that is a telltale sign this company and job don’t exist.

You should be looking for validation and proof that this job exists, and this shouldn’t be something that is a struggle to uncover. If there is no trace, it’s best to move on and focus your job searching efforts elsewhere.