Okay, you’ve found a job posting that you could possibly apply for. What are you doing now? This is where your research work will begin to work. It is important to know or at least have a good idea that the job advertisement is legitimate before proceeding to the application stage.
The first thing to do is carefully read the job advertisement a couple of times. Does it look legit when reading the ad alone? Are there things that really don’t sound good to you? For example, maybe the job posting is for an accounting position. If the ad says you don’t need experience and that you will make $ 1,000 a week, throw it out. Is a gotcha.
A legitimate ad will contain almost the same as a regular position on the site. Compare it to a position job posting on the site if necessary. If they get close, you can move on to the next step. Some positions, such as customer service or data entry, may not require a lot of experience, but specialized positions, such as accounting, do.
Who does the company hire for the position? Is it a company you’ve heard of before? If so, you can move on. If not, you will need to research the company to see if it is legitimate. Here are some ways you can do this:
o Visit telecommuting or work-from-home forums and look up the company name to see if they have been talked about before. Don’t be afraid to join the forum and ask if necessary.
o Use your search engines and type in the name of the company and add the word scam next to it. See what comes up.
o Visit the company’s website, if you have one. Does the site look professional or does it scream -Work From Home claims and give you photos of sports cars and mansions?
o Visit the Better Business Bureau website and enter the business name. If the business is listed on your site, find out what kind of track record it has.
When you’ve been through that part, how do you feel about the job? Are you satisfied with what you have found or do you still have doubts? If you still have questions, you can always try to contact the company and ask them more questions. Legitimate companies will generally be happy to answer you, but it could take a few days.
If you think the job posting is okay, you can go ahead and apply. Do not give them your social security number or financial account information until you feel safe to do so. Stay alert throughout the application process for surprises, such as asking for money for training materials.
The job search process might take up a good chunk of your time, but it could save you from an unfortunate situation. Take your time doing your homework, because most legitimate jobs take a few days to a few weeks before making a decision on who to hire.