Online Employment Tips

It is not surprising then that given the number of job seekers who have turned to the internet to find employment, that many unscrupulous, dubious so called online employment agencies have sprung up on the internet as well.

Here are some tips to bear in mind if you are looking for employment on the net:

• Watch out for "phony ads" and "bait-and-switch" ploys. This involves the prospective candidate responding to an advertising which describes an attractive position. The position doesn't exist however.

• When candidate inquiries about the position, he is told that the position is already filled or the candidate is overqualified for the position. The candidate is then shown a less attractive position.

• Be aware of job descriptions that are vague and general that are trying to attract as many applicants as possible. While the specific position may have been filled by the time you respond, the agency may try to get you to accept another position that is completely different from what you had in mind.

• If you see a vague ad, call to find out the exact description of the position before you have indicated what your skills are.

• Don't be blinded by promises of a great position and generous pay if details of the position are not forthcoming.

• Be on guard for ads that promise high earnings. This might be a job involving commissions instead of a weekly salary.

• Is the advertisement repeated over a long period of time Usually ads are run for one or two weeks at most. If the same ad continues to appear for a longer period of time, then the position might not exist. The agency might simply trying to increase responses to its site to entice the applicant to take a different position or to sell the applicant resume or job counseling services.

• Call the agency and try to get as much information as you can over the phone before seeing them in person. The agency might want you to sign a service agreement under which you pay them to assist you in finding a job. If you meet the agency in person, do not sign unless you fully understand what you are signing. If the agency makes oral representations that are contradictory with what is stated in contract, don't sign unless the contract is changed to reflect the oral representations. Oral representations are hard to prove in face of written agreements.

• Be aware of agencies that are not offering a job but are trying to sell your services on how you can get a job such as resume writing or interviewing techniques. In such cases you pay them a fee and you don't get what you wanted which was a job that you applied for. The position probably never existed in the first place.

• Some agencies are offering services to market your career. You are told that most jobs are not advertised and that there is a hidden employment market that only they are aware of. In most cases you must pay them a fee to access this hidden market. This money is usually lost and no job is ever found or offered.

• Never give your credit card or other personal information, such as any banking information or social security number over the phone or the net in response to any advertisement. None of that information should be required by any reputable employment agency.