Author: Lavie Margolin, Career Coach
Receive an offer that seemed to good to be true? Perhaps you do not remember applying to the job but are offered an interesting business development, sales or marketing opportunity? Did the company promise you incentives and returns that make you think “hmmm…..”. You can save time and heartache by typing in the company name plus the word “scam” into a google search. If there is funny business going on at the company, you are likely to find information on it quickly. Doing extensive research will help to keep you out of a bad situation. There are many predators online looking to take advantage of job seekers. Remember, if it smells, it stinks.
Picture this. You apply for many jobs online and finally get a response. You get all excited, dress up in your finest interview suit, wake up bright and early and go down for the interview. Shortly after being called into the room, you are told that you are not qualified for the job and will need more credentials, education, industry certifications and/or training. Fair enough but it happens, right? The interviewer informs you that they can help you. It happens that the very same company that called you down for an interview based on your qualifications and experience also has a training school. For the cost of only three thousand dollars (two hundred of which is due by 9am tomorrow!), they can train you for the job market. When googling the company name, I found scores of others that it happened to as well. They went down for a job interview only to be solicited to sign up for the training school. Disappointing, huh? Watch out for scammers who are trying to play off a difficult job market by roping you in for an interview and trying to sell you something you did not know you needed (or wanted).
When internet job search became a key tool for job seekers in the late nineties/early twenty first century, different types of money making gimmicks came with it. One of those was resume distribution services. A company will offer to distribute your resume to “thousands” of potential employers, thereby increasing your chances of getting a job. Many well meaning job seeking got roped in by the unrealistic come-ons and signed up without much to show for it. I had not heard of these services being on the radar of job seekers again until recently. Given the state of the economy, job seekers are willing to try any and all methods and this sounds as appealing as any other. Here is why it does not work: think of going to a football game in a stadium. Take a stack of one thousand resumes and throw them up in the air. They will swirl around; land at some peoples feet and very likely in the cheese dip of others. Will they get your resume? Yes. Will it be effective, no! Why? Because you are throwing garbage into the air!
For a job search to truly be effective, every means of communication has to be targeted directly to your audience. Instead of having someone distribute your resume without regard and filling up spam boxes coast to coast, find several companies for which to apply directly that may be a match for your skills. Target your message to directly appeal to the people in those companies. Follow up effectively. You are more likely to find better results and a fatter wallet too.
About the Author: Lavie Margolin is a New York-based Career Coach and the author of Lion Cub Job Search: Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers. To learn more, go to Lavie’s website, Lion Cub Job Search:www.Lioncubjobsearch.com