We’ve all seen job board ads. How do you know if it is worth your time?
Thanks to AI there are more and more fraudulent job postings…even on major job boards.
How do you know? Avoid wasting your time? Let’s start at the beginning.
7 Ad Features that tell you not to waste your time.
Company fails to identify itself by name and city/state of actual job.
Ad does not have physical location of job? Don’t waste your time.
Search/placement firms rarely identify their clients.
Rule of thumb: don’t waste your time.
Many are just building their files of candidates. Advertising jobs that are not current paid assignments. Professional search/placement firms reach out to candidates directly, not thru blind ads.Vague job title
Some employers use strange or confusing titles. These are usually entry level jobs that career seekers normally avoid. These employers hope candidates will respond to slightly different sounding jobs. Don’t be fooled.
Skip these ads.Ad does not have salary range.
Warning. These ads, likely pay less than candidates are currently making. Skip them.
Or ads that have salary range that appear high for skills required. Salary range sounds to good to be true? It probably is.No information about benefits.
Employers rarely outline benefits in employment ads. Or relocation expenses they cover.
Look for ads that at least mention benefits. Mention relocation in the ad. Don’t expect any details.Vague descriptions of job duties, responsibilities and required educational levels.
Ads that are designed to attract as many candidates as possible.
Skip these ads. They are not giving you enough information to know whether you want to apply or not. They may be legitimate ads and companies. But would you want to work for/with them?Generic reply addresses. Skip these.
Resumes are just going to AI to be screened. Employer objective to screen out as many candidates as possible. Instead of finding best candidate.Ads that are obviously AI generated.
Read enough job board ads and you will identify AI generated ads. They all look the same, follow same formatting. Stress same things.
Summary: Your time is valuable. Only apply to ads that tell you enough to know you are qualified and interested in the job and company.
7 Tips to avoid scam/fraudulent/questionable employment ads
-Find the job on the employers web site. Other job boards. (Many employers run same ad several places.) Do they look like same job?
Call employer and ask for HR Department. Ask person who answers if they have the job opening you saw.
Check employers company profile on job board site. Does it appear to match employer described in ad.
Does employer actually have property/office where job is listed?
Do names and titles of person posting ad match web site “Contacts?”
Social media sites talk about employer or job?
Check LinkedIn to see if you have connections at company. Reach out to them about job.
Summary
AI is making it easy for disreputable players to post false information, including job postings. As always “reader be aware.
Job Boards are still valuable place to review and apply to jobs. Don’t assume what you see is valid, check it out. Job Boards can be scammed like any other web site. People rarely buy cars site unseen. Most want to kick the tires and take a test drive. Use same care in your career search.
Tom Ferree is the founder of Ferree & Associates and SecureEmploy, organizations focused on helping companies find exceptional talent and helping professionals advance their careers. Since founding Ferree & Associates in 1977, Tom has worked extensively with hospitality companies, executives, and rising leaders across the industry. Through SecureEmploy, he shares practical career strategies, leadership insights, and real-world advice to help professionals grow their careers and help organizations build stronger teams.
