Looking for a new job? You might see fake AI job posts. Here’s how to avoid the scams

As many return from their summer holiday and go back to work, perhaps inspired to find a new job, experts are warning against recruitment scams.  

Professional networking platform LinkedIn issued a new warning ahead of the autumn season, asking job seekers to be aware of fraudulent curriculum vitae (CV) writing services and fake job posts. 

These propositions often use artificial intelligence (AI) tools for free and often ask members to move the conversation off-platform, LinkedIn told Euronews Next in a statement. 

Most of these propositions for CV services come from people outside of someone’s LinkedIn network. 

“Job hunting can be a stressful time, which can leave people vulnerable, particularly recent graduates who are entering the job market for the first time,” said Oscar Rodriguez, vice-president of trust at LinkedIn. 

“Scammers prey on anxiety and inexperience, including offering services that can compromise personal data or cost money without delivering value”. 

The warning comes during an expected post-summer spike in hiring. According to LinkedIn, hiring in September jumps by 113 per cent in France compared to the rest of the year. 

The boon is also high in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, with 65 per cent and 44 per cent more hires in September than the rest of the year, respectively. 

Here is some advice to prospective job seekers for navigating the post-summer market to avoid paid scams and fake job advertisements.  

Clues in the job posting

Advice from job board Indeed said legitimate job postings are clear, with “detailed descriptions and specific qualifications,” but fake postings would have “vague requirements,” such as asking for applicants to be of legal age, have reading skills, or know how to type. 

Broad qualifications mean the job might not be genuine because “almost anyone,” could meet those requirements, Indeed said. 

Another thing to look out for is an unusually high salary. This could include an entry-level position that offers a $75,000 (€64,740) salary for 15 to 20 hours of work per week, Indeed said.  

A surprisingly high salary combined with too many working hours or location flexibility could be considered another red flag, signalling that a job posting is “too good to be true”. 

These job postings often lack contact information for the hiring manager or people at the relevant company, Indeed added.

Indeed suggests applying for job postings with more defined skills and experience requirements. Another option is to do in-depth research on the company’s website, email address, location, and staff members to verify that the offer is real. 

Conversations will stay on professional platforms

If a prospective job applicant hasn’t created a profile on the site, recruiters who contact the applicant by email or text claiming they found a resume online could be fake, Indeed added. 

Other red flags from these types of recruiters could be an immediate job offer, a blog post from Indeed reads. 

When being approached directly by a recruiter on LinkedIn, the company suggests taking stock of their profile at first to note whether they are verified or not. The verification badge means information about the person or the organisation has been confirmed. 

Take a look at someone’s activity as well, noting whether they have a profile picture, followers and what they are posting on their feed, LinkedIn suggests. 

The company said that genuine conversations will “typically stay within professional platforms,” and shouldn’t take place on messaging apps. 

Both sites say that if a recruiter asks for “unusual information” such as an insurance number, passport number or bank account details, it could be a scam looking to take personal information.