Need a job no matter what? Check out these common scams that you need to be aware of. Some will seem like a harmless way to make some extra cash, but they’re not! Don’t fall prey to these sneaky job scams and find the right opportunity for you. An effectively distributed résumé will get an interview.
Here are six tips for avoiding certain types of work-from-home jobs:
1) Be wary of companies with quick turnover –
Their managers might be outsourcing their work overseas. It’s important to ask about how long the company has been in operation before agreeing to do any work from home for them.
2) Beware of companies that promise quick results –
They might have a really good chance at getting you hired as soon as you complete the work. They might not, and in that case, you’ll be stuck doing the work for them indefinitely without payment.
3) Beware of companies that don’t pay upfront –
This can be for several reasons such as having limited funds to pay upfront, waiting for payment from their overseas customers to come through before paying their employees or another problem with their business. Your contract might say in fine print that they will pay you after they’ve received the money from their overseas suppliers.
4) Beware of companies that promise FREE work –
They might be offering you work for free in order to sell you something over the phone or through email. There are many other scams as well, so read carefully before you agree to do any work for them.
5) Beware of companies that have a poor track record –
Their history with other employees might have been negative and they’ve been sued, they’ve been indicted or they were shut down by the government.
6) Avoid any job where the employer insists on “processing” your home –
It’s a great tactic because it can cause you to pay more money than needed when getting an employee agency that handles all the business types of your home. There are many work-from-home jobs out there, this article just touched on some of the main ones to watch out for. It’s important to be smart when looking for a job and understand what these common scams are.
7) Avoid any job that requires a cold call –
Some work-from-home jobs require you to make a certain amount of calls for each sale you’re expected to make. Most of the time, these are scams because if someone is interested in the product, they’ll come back to your website and look at it on their own. It’s important not to trust every job opportunity out there. You can find legitimate positions if you do your research and ask questions up front.
8) Avoid any job that doesn’t assess your actual skills –
A lot of times, when looking for work-from-home opportunities, people will advertise for writers or editors without asking what skills the applicant has. This can be a little insulting because it’s like they’re saying anyone will do.
9) Don’t do any work that requires you to give out your credit card information –
Other work-from-home scams include selling items on commission or recruiting distributors that require you to purchase inventory before you earn your commission. These are all more examples of how work-from-home scams are still common today. Before signing any contracts, make sure they outline what the expectations of the job are.
10) Check the company’s BBB accreditation –
If they have a good standing in their community, it could prove they’re a real business.
11) Ask lots of questions up front –
All reputable companies will answer any and all questions you have when you ask them.
12) Learn how to screen your employer –
If someone is emailing you out of the blue, be sure to check out their website and social media profile. On their website, if they’re listed as an official representative of the company then that’s a good sign! Their Facebook or Twitter accounts should be active.
Also, check out how active they are on their social media platforms so you can get a better idea of who they actually are.
13) Trust your instinct –
You’ll have to take the initiative to look for fraud. Don’t just sign up for every job opportunity out there and hope that something good happens. You can find legitimate work-from-home opportunities so long as you do the proper research.
14) Avoid any job that doesn’t ask how long you’ve been working –
Dozens of work-from-home scams always ask, “How long have you been looking for a job?” They often want to know this if they suspect you’ve been doing some sort of job search which is another form of fraud.
15) Don’t accept questionable employment unless you do extensive research –
A lot of people don’t do their research before running off to work for someone because they believe it’ll be a good opportunity. Even though everybody has that moment where they decide to try something new, it’s important not to jump into something too quickly.
