Oh how I love spam.  A fresh new e-mail account and yet it never ends.  I’ve slowly stopped receiving Nigerian e-mail scam messages but have noticed an increasing number of e-mails coming from “employers” OFFERING a job.  Who offers a job without ever speaking to someone?

It’s hard enough now to find stable employment.  Gone are the days where people can call themselves a life-long employee of one company — so it’s no wonder that these types of scams are popping up.  But what makes this a scam?  Ultimately, it seems pseudo-legitimate but I’ll point out a few areas that raise red flags.  The e-mail is shown in the photo of this post.

The job description is short.  Ultimately, most job descriptions, especially for a project manager position will include a little more than 3 sentences.  Also, notice the required skills…TWO!  Not really picky are they when it comes to dishing out $45K/annually?  There are some follow on skills that state the candidate should possess as well.  These are usually normal skills that a high school graduate would have.  A project management candidate should at least have some sort of MBA, BBA, or a PMI PMP certification in my eyes; or really some sort of degree that shows that they can manage a project.

Then there is the pay.  $45K/year comes out to ~$3,000/month which so far, we’re good at.  Then it states the salary will bump up to $5,000 after 90 days.  This i roughly a $24K increase over the course of a year.  The other flag is that it shows “US” after the money.

As we get to the end, it states that a “Free online application is available at”…and gives some website.  Of course you shouldn’t click the website but what’s really amazing is that the application is “FREE”.  Shouldn’t applying for a job be free anyway?  ”Sandy Walker” who is apparently the HR Manager with only info@staffingexpessinc.com asks you to e-mail her with any questions. So, either they are a very small company who doesn’t believe in handing out personal e-mail accounts, or you can bank on this being a scam.

So, for the unsuspecting, this could sound like a dream come true in these hard economic times but chances are, replying will be more trouble than it’s worth.  Deleting the e-mail is the best option.  Most of the time, if you receive the e-mail from Monster or CareerBuilder, they have cyber security addresses that you can forward the e-mail to so that they can validate it.  Unfortunately, this wasn’t routed through one of those sites.  However, I have enjoyed sending some of these e-mails to the respective security teams and they have confirmed that these are indeed scams.

For me, I simply performed a WhoIs check on the site.  The blatant red flag of the WhoIs search is that they utilize Domains by Proxy as their registrant.  Domains by Proxy offers domain privacy for domain owners by hiding the owners identity and allowing the privacy service to serve as their technical and administrative point of contact.  I use this for this site, just for the simple fact that I would rather not have my home address and telephone available simply to post this site. However, any legitimate company registers under their company name.

So there it is.  Be careful when job hunting and always stay alert!  Until next time…

I often times receive e-mails regarding a position because my resume is posted on sites such as Monster, Career Builder, etc. and more often than not, I find myself baffled after receiving an e-mail about a position that I have NO qualifications for.  These type of candidate e-mail are most bothersome as they are either from a recruiter who is in the dark about what a candidate is qualified for or the e-mail was sent via an application crawling resume databases and picking up keywords.  I’d like to think that this e-mail is from the latter.

Generally, I appreciate receiving an e-mail from a company recruiter that has seen my qualifications and made a determination that I could be a match for a position.  Even though I am content in my current position, it’s nice to know that you have progressed to the point where you are desirable.  Then, there is the recruiting firm (headhunters) that are trying to fill positions so that they can receive a cut from the contracting employer.  These are the more bothersome e-mails.  Most of the time, an employee at a recruiting firm types in a keyword such as “Lotus Notes” and shotguns an e-mail to all those who have either “Lotus” or “Notes” in their resume.  These tactics will get a recruiter blacklisted from me, as well as many other professionals.

This type of behavior not only fills up inboxes with useless e-mail, but it relays a message that the recruiter is seeking a shortcut by hoping someone replies that is somewhat qualified.  When I speak with a recruiter, I like to feel that my interests are being considered and not just the quick buck from the hiring company.

Below you can see the e-mail that I received, although edited to give you a better understanding of why this tactic could be a burden for both the recruiter and the candidate.  For the recruiter, you could become seen as a nuisance or not credible.  For the candidate, it will most likely be marked a “spam” and any potential collaboration between the recruiting company and the candidate would be lost.

“Kristopher,

I have an opportunity that may fit you or someone you know. Please review the below spec & if it is a match for your skills or someone you know forward a current resume for review. Please note that I have sent this out broadly (Yes, you did send this out broadly and it is evident) and before giving any more information or speaking to you on the phone, I need to see a resume to compare it to the job spec It will of course will not be forwarded without your permission.

Position: Customer Service Engineer Marine Products (If you took one moment to review my resume, it’s apparent that I have no background in Marine products other than serving in the Navy)

Location: Houston (Again, looking at my resume/profile on any job site shows I am NOT interested in relocating)

Compensation: Based on Experience

QUALIFICATIONS: 

. Engineering degree in Geomatics or equivalent discipline is required. (I’m not even sure what a degree in Geomatics is)
. Minimum of seven to ten years’ experience in geodetic GPS applications. 
. Familiarity with Hydrographic Surveying practices and associated equipment. 
. Understanding of basic electronic principles. 
. Competent in use of personal computers, networks and data communications. 
. Comfortable working in the marine environment. Previous sea time a plus. 
. Due to the on-call nature of this role, after hours support will be required 
. All applicants must undergo a background check including providing proof of U.S. citizenship, and will require a thorough security clearance process. (Well, I do have a clearance — this could be the keyword that chose ME!)
Skills/Aptitudes 
. Ability to adapt to a rapidly growing, dynamic environment. 
. Initiative and the ability to work independently. 
. Excellent communication skills, both written and verbally. 
. Team player, willing to be flexible in order to respond quickly to customer requirements. 
. Practices safe work habits.”

That’s right folks, Poffworld.com is live again and ready to network!  Check out the new site as it will be updated often.