Finding your dream job can be a bit of a nightmare these days. In today’s climate finding a job at all can be difficult.

There is a lot of choice out there but there is equally a lot of competition.

Feeling rejected can be hard to take, so when you finally get a positive reply it can feel like hitting a gold mine.

Trade Me Jobs is a great place to find that perfect job for you, with thousands of job listings on the site at any one time, there is a good chance you’ll find the job that is right for you. However, it’s important to know when a job seems perfect, and when it is too good to be true.

There are some unsavoury individuals that will try to defraud you and we have noticed some job scam listings slip through briefly on the site.

Knowledge is power so we want you to know what to look out for and how to spot these scam listings, so you don’t fall victim.

Very superstitious

Ever found a job and it sounds like it’s the one for you, and yet something isn’t just sitting quite right?

Always trust your gut.

What should you do?

Apply for the job and hope for the best?

Stop right there. First things first, check it out.

Always do your research. Does the company you are applying for even exist?

Visit their website - do they have one? If they do have a website, ask yourself: does this look like a professional site?

Does the job description fit with how they describe the company in the listing?

Do they have clear contact details? If any of the above don’t fit, consider that a red flag.

Use online search tools, like Google, to find out more about the company.

You can also search for "company name” and then “scam" to see if you can find any information about reported scams.

Searching for this will often bring up websites warning you about scams that have already been reported or are more common.

All that glitters ain’t gold

More often than not, scam listings promise a lot. Avoid advertisements that guarantee you wealth or financial success.

Promises of getting rich or a high salary for part-time working hours should also raise concerns.

Will you be making money whilst you sleep?

Working from home but earning hundreds of dollars an hour?

Scam listings are often highly enticing and in today’s economic climate it can be easy to fall victim. The saying “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” couldn’t fit more than it does when it comes to job scams.

Our advice to you is never to feel like you’re not susceptible to being scammed. What you have to remember is that these scammers know what they are doing. This is what they do for a living and unfortunately, they know how to make prospective jobs appear more tempting.

Never ever

When it comes to applying for a new job, never pay money for anything. Legitimate companies will not ask you for money. No matter what reason they give you, hold onto your cash.

Don’t send in any of your personal details until you’ve done your research and never supply private documents, like passports, your driver’s licence or birth certificate online or via email.

Never fall for the trap of depositing cheques, withdrawing money or sending money overseas. These types of scams are to launder money out of New Zealand. For more information about this type of scam, check out our blog post, “Beware of fake job ads”.

If you find a listing on the site and think it could be a scam, let us know via the Community Watch function located at the bottom of each listing.

That way it’ll come to the attention of our Policing Team, who will check it out. Alternatively, send us an email with your concerns via your Trade Me membership.

So, next time you see a job listing, remember to:

Be wary
Do your research
Never hand over your personal documents online
Hold on to your money!
Not sure? Report it to Trade Me

Although it is a big scary world wide web out there, the majority of job ads are legit.

Beware of job scam listings