Online Job Postings: What are the Warning Signs?

It’s frustrating, but it’s true: Just because you find an online job description that sounds like it’s suited to your talents, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good job to apply for. Not all jobs are created equal, and sometimes the job posting itself offers some red flags—some subtle warning signs that the job in question is likely not going to be a good one.

Anonymous Job Postings

For example, you’ll see a lot of potentially appealing job postings on sites like Craigslist, but not all of them come with complete information. In particular, you’ll see job postings listed without the company name ever being mentioned!

This is a telltale sign that you’re looking at an online job scam. That’s not to say that all of these posts are illegitimate, but how are you to know? Without a company name offered, applicants cannot research the business to learn whether the job is real or whether the workplace is an enticing one.

Invitations to Stay-at-Home Parents

Another warning sign is a job posting that advertises specifically to stay-at-home parents—or to students. To be clear, there are many great jobs out there for parents and students. But job postings that specifically mention these targeted groups are sometimes not to be trusted.

Simply put, these jobs are going to be extremely low-paying, at best—and at worst, they’re going to turn out to be multi-level marketing gigs.

Odd Phrases or Unprofessional Language

Have you ever seen a job posting that says a “good sense of humor” is required? Unless it’s a position for a stand-up comedian, watch out. Jobs that require a good sense of humor are likely to have unprofessional work environments.

Likewise, “must enjoy a fast-paced environment” is a red flag. Surgeons have to deal with a fast-paced environment, of course, but surgical job postings don’t go to the trouble of specifying this. Jobs that do mention it are going to be demanding to the point of sadism.

The bottom line: Read job postings carefully, and pay attention to what’s really being said. To learn more, contact Grammar Chic, Inc. today at www.grammarchic.net or 803-831-7444.