Yes, LinkedIn Jobs are generally legit. LinkedIn is a reputable platform used by companies worldwide for job postings. However, job seekers should exercise caution and research employers to avoid potential scams.
Key Takeaways
- LinkedIn has put in place measures to ensure that the jobs advertised are legitimate, but a few scammers post fake job offers.
- In a legitimate job application, you should not pay any money when applying.
- It would be best to be cautious when you come across jobs with an abnormally insane payment that doesn’t match the job description.
- In a legitimate job advert, there must be contact information given on the advert, and the company’s contact information should match the ones on their website and social media platforms.
- The first step to ascertain the legitimacy of a job listing on LinkedIn before applying is to search for the hiring company’s information online via the Google search engine.
Why are LinkedIn Jobs Legit & How Will You Detect a Scam?
LinkedIn jobs are typically legitimate, but it’s essential to remain cautious and employ these strategies to detect scams:
Reasons LinkedIn Jobs Are Legit:
- Reputable Platform: LinkedIn is a well-known and widely used professional networking platform. Most job listings come from reputable companies and organizations.
- Verified Employers: Employers often have verified profiles, adding authenticity to job postings.
- Paid Services: Many legitimate employers pay to promote their job listings on LinkedIn, reducing the likelihood of scams.
Detecting Scams on LinkedIn:
- Research the Company: Investigate the company’s LinkedIn profile, website, and online presence. Legitimate companies usually have a consistent online presence.
- Check for Red Flags:
- Unrealistic Job Offers: If a job listing promises high pay for minimal work, it’s likely a scam.
- Poor Grammar and Spelling: Scam job listings often have errors.
- No Contact Information: Legitimate employers provide clear contact information.
- Beware of Vague Descriptions: Scammers may use vague job descriptions to attract more applicants.
- Look for Verification: Check for a blue checkmark on the company’s LinkedIn profile, indicating it’s a verified company.
- Contact Information: A legitimate job listing should provide a company email or phone number. Be cautious if only a personal email address is provided.
- Be Wary of Unsolicited Messages: If someone contacts you out of the blue with a job offer, especially if it seems too good to be true, exercise caution.
- Use Your Instinct: Trust your gut feeling. If something feels off about a job listing or the communication with the employer, investigate further.
- Don’t Share Sensitive Information: Avoid sharing personal or financial information with potential employers until you’ve verified their legitimacy.
- Avoid Money Requests: Legitimate employers don’t ask job applicants for money as a condition of employment.
How to Detect LinkedIn Job Scams
LinkedIn has its share of scammers, like any other online platform. The first line of security when doing anything on an online platform such as LinkedIn starts with you. You must be able to see the red flag and keep off the lurking danger.
If you are job hunting on the LinkedIn platform, here are the tell-tale signs that a job listing is fraudulent:
1. The Hiring Company Has no Online Presence
The first step to ascertain the legitimacy of a job listing on LinkedIn before applying is to search for the hiring company’s information online via the Google search engine. Also, you can check whether the company has a social media presence or a functional website.
It must be questionable if the advertising company has no online traces. Any reputable or even startup company operating in the 21st century must have an online presence.
2. A Mismatch of the Contact Information
Clever scammers might pretend to be from a reputable company and provide a link to the company they are impersonating. The only difference is that they will give you contacts that don’t match the ones on the company’s official websites and social media platforms.
Sometimes, job scammers fail to give contact information to enable you to send your job application.
For instance, it sounds crazy when you find a job offer on LinkedIn, but instead of providing contact information, the advertiser asks those interested in the job to comment “interested” on the post.
Do you think an organization can scan the profiles of all who will comment to select a suitable candidate? No. Such job listings are scams, and you must stay away from them or become fodder to the scammers.
3. Huge Salary and Benefits
Let’s say you’ve just woken up and logged into your LinkedIn account, and the first thing you see is a job listing in your industry. The perks sound good since the salary and benefits exceed the standard rates by double. You’re about to hit the link provided and submit your application, but then you pose and ask yourself, are LinkedIn jobs legit?
Come on. LinkedIn jobs are legit, but this one is not! Do you remember the adage, “when the deal is too good, think twice?” Here the scammer is dangling money so that you don’t look at the job details. You might be infected by malware that will compromise your data if you click the link.
4. Money Request
Have you ever seen a LinkedIn job advert requesting money before processing your application? If you come across such job offers, run for your life. No reputable company will ask you to send any money for processing applications.
In a legit LinkedIn job advert, the only thing they should ask for is to submit your job application documents. As a thumb rule, you should not pay any fee to process your application if the job advert is legit.
5. Urgency in Hiring
If you find a job listing on LinkedIn, apply for it, and get accepted immediately, there are more questions than answers. Ideally, professional job recruiters plan early in the recruitment process as they must take time to go through all job applications submitted.
They also give more time for the application process, which helps them to attract more job applicants. In the case of an extensive recruitment process, it takes a little time to ensure that they have picked the best applicants. Therefore, nobody should tell you that you got the job immediately after submitting your application.
If you come across an advert on LinkedIn that says they are doing urgent mass recruitment and they give little time for the application process, my friend, don’t fall for it.
6. Type of Job Offered
There is no way a company that deals with transportation can hire doctors. If you came across an advert from a company announcing jobs irrelevant to what they do and specialize in, that LinkedIn job advert is fake.
The other thing to consider is if a U.S.A company does this recruitment, the advert should contain information such as, “to get this job, you either must be a U.S.A citizen or have a work visa.” Because this is the standard requirement for anybody who is not a citizen, if the post does not contain such information, it may be a scam.
7. Request for Personal Information
If you see a job listing on LinkedIn that requests your personal information, be wary of it. A genuine employer should not seek your details before hiring you. Yes, it’s a common practice for an employer to have your personal information, but this should not happen until you formally get the job offer.
Any potential employer asking for your bank information via a link sent through email, WhatsApp, or any direct communication is a scammer.
8. Incomplete Company Profile
Scrutinize the LinkedIn profile of the company that has advertised the job you wish to apply for. Authentic recruiters have complete profiles filled with activities over a long period. Suppose the advertiser hasn’t posted anything or commented for an extended period; it means that engagement is non-existent; thus, you should be suspicious of the advert.
What to do if you fell for a job scam
Falling for a job scam can be a stressful and frustrating experience, but it’s important to act quickly to minimize any potential damage. Here are the steps you should take if you think you’ve been the victim of a job scam on LinkedIn:
1. Stop all communication with the scammer immediately. Do not respond to any further emails, messages, or phone calls from the scammer. If you have provided any personal information to the scammer, such as your address, phone number, or Social Security number, you should immediately take steps to protect your identity.
2. Contact LinkedIn and report the scam. LinkedIn has a process for reporting fake job postings and scammers. You can report the scam by clicking on the three dots in the top right corner of the job posting and selecting “Report Job Posting.”
3. Contact your bank and credit card companies. If you have provided any financial information to the scammer, such as your credit card number or bank account information, you should contact your bank and credit card companies immediately to report the fraud. They can help you cancel your cards and issue new ones.
4. Monitor your credit reports. Scammers may use your personal information to open new accounts in your name. You should monitor your credit reports regularly for any unauthorized activity. You can get a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) once a year at AnnualCreditReport.com.
5. Consider filing a police report. If you have lost money or suffered other damages as a result of the scam, you should consider filing a police report. This will help to document the crime and may increase the chances of the scammer being caught.
6. Be cautious about future job offers. After falling for a scam, it’s natural to be more cautious about job offers. However, it’s important to remember that not all job offers are scams. If you are unsure about a job offer, you can do some research to verify the company’s legitimacy. You can also ask to speak to someone in the company’s human resources department.
Generally, it’s good to be cautious when applying for a job on LinkedIn or any other online platform. Do your research, trust your instincts, and be wary of job listings that seem too good to be true.
References
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/6-warning-signs-job-posting-fake-jt-o-donnell