Scams Target Millennial Job Searchers
The lure of an entry-level position that requires little experience can be attractive to new job seekers, and scammers are taking advantage of that weakness. Millennials, who have been especially hard hit by a rash of cons, have reported thousands of incidents in which they have applied for fake jobs and provided sensitive data to scammers while doing so.
These incidents are tied to online employment procedures. Because so much of the employment application process is digital—everything from applications to psychological tests to interviews are frequently administered online—vetting a potential employer can be difficult. To make things worse, the scammers are sophisticated. The Federal Trade Commission reports job seekers have been approached by phony hiring managers at companies that look legitimate online but that are entirely unreal. The trickery extends to hackers, who create fictional LinkedIn profiles to help them appear legitimate.
From the Wall Street Journal
Music Exec Offers Pitch-Perfect Job Advice
Mike O’Neill, CEO of music rights management company BMI, has advice for people starting their careers. His first tip is to treat everyone with respect. His second is to remember that a career is not a race. No one’s first job is being the CEO of a multinational music company, he notes.
O’Neill also advises job seekers to be assertive rather than aggressive. Being pushy can backfire, he says. In his own career, he has landed jobs he pushed his way into only to discover he was not ready to handle the position. Rather, he says, be open to opportunities that present themselves that may not be on your radar. He adds that some of the best jobs he’s had were ones he had never considered.
From The New York Times
Networking No-Nos
Networking has become an integral part of anyone’s career. However, experts warn that knowing what not to say is as important as knowing what to say. Maureen Harrington from Glassdoor offers advice about what not to do while making contacts for work.
Harrington advises not to:
- blurt. Instead, listen, observe, be aware, and be prepared. Ask questions rather than say something that can be misunderstood or that sounds inane.
- complain. Even if your current company is going bankrupt or your boss is unbearable, stifle your impulse to grouse.
- drop names. You may be justifiably proud that you went to Stanford, but there’s no need to squeeze your alma mater into the first sentence you utter.
- mention politics or religion. Unless the job you’re going after is in politics or religion, stay away from those topics.
- use clichés. Hackneyed sayings will elicit eye rolls. Lose clichés such as “think outside the box” and “push the envelope.”
From FastCompany
