Digitization has been a godsend for numerous industries, simplifying formerly cumbersome job tasks and providing unprecedented access to people and data. Recruitment apps and job portals like LinkedIn make it easier and quicker for hiring managers, recruiters, and jobseekers to reach their goals. Still, no rose is without its thorns, so even though LinkedIn is one of the best and easiest ways to find and hire job candidates, it’s also a valuable tool for scammers who want to use fake job ads to steal people’s identities.
It’s no longer news that the nation is in the middle of a devastating economic downturn characterized, in part, by massive labor shortages. Under such conditions, a business can’t afford to lose out on qualified applicants due to ill-advised recruitment methods. Keep reading to learn how to achieve your recruitment goals and avoid looking like a scammer.
Maintain an Online Presence for Your Brand
In finding new employees, there are several options available. You can rely on your local networks and use job boards, or you can take advantage of social media platforms and other online resources. However, all these methods have one thing in common: They require you to maintain an online presence for your brand. Prospective job applicants should be able to research your company online easily. At the very least, keep a regularly updated website and an active LinkedIn page—these are the first sites jobseekers will check. It’s also worth monitoring your company’s search engine visibility; if an applicant must scroll through a list of similarly named organizations before finally arriving at your domain, you may appear to be a small fish in a large pond.
Ensure Your Job Listing Doesn’t Have Spelling or Grammar Errors
Good job listings are key to recruiting for your company. They’re the first thing potential candidates see, and they can either build or break trust in your brand. If nothing else, job posts with spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes give the impression that you need to care more or be more competent to create a professional and error-free job listing. Even worse, poor English is one of the trademark characteristics of scam job postings, so not only will you lose out on applicants who don’t take you seriously, but you also risk missing out on those who worry you aren’t even a legitimate business.
Don’t Request Unnecessary Personal Information
All you need from an applicant is a résumé, a cover letter, basic contact information, and some references; asking for headshots, ID numbers, or financial details screams “scam.” Scammers often use bogus job listings for identity theft, so cautious jobseekers—or those unfortunate enough to have been burned before—will dismiss your ad and look elsewhere. After making an offer, there is a time to ask for personal and financial information.
Avoid Soliciting Unpaid Work Samples
It’s a common—and sensible—recruiting practice to require jobseekers to include a portfolio link and previously completed work projects with their application materials. However, even if your company or client plans on assigning applicants a sample project, be sure to offer payment. It’s too common for some businesses to view these exercises as an opportunity to obtain free labor. If you’re reluctant to allocate additional funds to the hiring process but still want to verify that candidates can adhere to your specific standards, then take the middle approach: Ask applicants to complete a portion of a work assignment.
Be Open and Honest
Recruiters who don’t answer applicants’ questions in a timely manner or give vague or evasive answers risk looking like scammers. A jobseeker might want to know a little more about your company and the nature of the position before applying, such as salary range, advancement opportunities, and travel requirements. A scammer obviously can’t give accurate answers to these questions. Still, even legitimate companies or outside recruiters risk appearing disinterested or dishonest if they don’t deliver prompt and thorough replies. Moreover, these are precisely the kinds of questions you should want to hear from applicants—it means they’re genuinely interested in the role!
The key to recruiting on LinkedIn without looking like a scammer is to be honest, transparent, and compassionate—all while being professional. It’s easy to get the hang of these things, but it takes time and effort. A steady hiring pipeline of talented and motivated job applicants is one of the foundations of any business. Sometimes, the best way to keep that pipeline running isn’t to adopt revolutionary tactics but rather to avoid unnecessary missteps. Online spammers and scam artists are dangerous to our digitized society, so it’s paramount to learn how to mitigate that threat. The most important thing is to remember that there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to recruitment, so be sure to take your own company’s unique needs into account every step of the way.
Jenny Battershell is the director of marketing at Goodwin Recruiting, a full-service recruiting firm that specializes in insurance recruitment. Battershell spent 9 years as Goodwin’s director of sales and 4 more as the marketing and client relations manager before moving into her current role.
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