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If there’s one job marketplace synonymous with beginner-friendly, that’s OnlineJobs.ph. The...
The virtual world has a lot to offer in terms of employment opportunities. But not all of them are safe or even real. That is why it’s essential to filter out online job scams and only pay attention to legitimate ones. Below, we outline how to make sure you’re applying to legit online jobs and tips on protecting yourself from scams.
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5 Ways to Land Legit Online Jobs
The rule of thumb when sorting out legit online jobs, whether part-time or full-time, is to understand that landing such positions does not make you earn a huge amount of income overnight. However, it can be your gateway to financial freedom as you gain more skills and learn more about your industry.
But before that, make sure you land legit and real work-from-home online jobs by following these tips.
1. Apply or look for jobs on legitimate recruitment platforms.
The safest way to land legitimate work-from-home jobs is to sign up on established recruitment platforms.
Unlike job ads on social media, job listings in these places are often screened, and employers must provide substantial information to ensure their legality to operate.
Although security varies among platforms, the enforced layer is much to be desired compared to other means of looking for online jobs, like receiving text messages, out-of-the-blue emails, and so on.
The following are some of the best websites to look for online jobs:
| 💡 Quick tip: Aside from recruitment sites and job marketplaces, you can also do freelance work wherein you offer your services instead of finding an employer. In this case, you’ll be scouting for clients and establishing your rate, scope of work, and hours. You can easily do this on Fiverr. |
2. Check information about the recruiter or hiring company online.
Once a hiring manager or recruiter contacts you, take time to learn about the person or the company. See their profile on the job marketplace, website, social media, etc. Try to gauge professionalism and reliability based on the type of details and information organization they have.
Another helpful way to learn about the recruiter is to check their LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is a dedicated platform for professional networking. Hence, legitimate organizations and recruiters ensure their profile matches their credibility.
3. Read reviews regarding the company.
If the hiring manager or organization who posted the online job ad already has an established entity and website, see reviews regarding their services, products, operations, and working conditions. It’s as simple as typing the company's name on Google search followed by the word review.
You can also rely on well-known review platforms like Trustpilot for websites and Glassdoor for employer reviews.
If the organization is a startup and is yet to launch or the hiring person is a third-party service provider, find out more details about the individual, especially during the interview process.
Some of the things you should consider include high staff turnover, lack of transparency, and plenty of poor reviews.
4. Watch out for red flags during the application process.
From the job ad to the final interview, be on guard for red flags that contradict the legitimacy of the online job offer in hand. For example, if the job post has no sufficient details and if no clarity about the role has been provided during the later stage of the recruitment process, that should be cause for doubt.
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Other red flags to look out for include:
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If you catch these red flags anytime during the hiring process, it’s best to withdraw your application before it’s too late. But be sure to do it politely and professionally.
Don’t ghost the hiring manager. Instead, send an email stating you're opting out of the recruitment pipeline.
5. Request a contract or a similar document upon hiring.
You are within your rights to ask for a contract of service or employment contract once you’re hired for the job. Legitimate companies offering online jobs know this and will provide the document themselves without you reminding them to do so.
A contract defines your role, outlines your tasks and responsibilities, and specifies your rate and other perks that come with the job. An organization or an individual who can’t produce such a document diminishes credibility.
How To Know if the Online Job Is a Scam
If I had a nickel for every time I dodge a bullet when it comes to these online job scams, I’d be as rich as these scammers aspire to be. But in all seriousness, online scams continue to evolve, and it can be challenging to identify one at the get-go, especially as they deliberately blind you with false promises.
Nevertheless, it’s crucial not to bite the worm on impulse (yes, it’s a fish reference). Take the time to digest the job post information and check for the following red flags.
1. It indicates a high salary for little work or zero experience.
When it’s too good to be true, it usually is. A job post offering tons of income for little effort is as unrealistic as a Marvel movie.
There’s no way you’d get paid P20,000 daily for a bunch of microtasks. If that’s what they’re offering, be highly suspicious because they may want something from you that fits their agenda while altogether jeopardizing your security.
You should also ask yourself how the company or team generates its income. That would give you more logical clarity on the scam they intend to carry out.
2. It includes unrealistic returns and keyword fluff suggesting quick money.
Job posts that scream scam typically have buzzwords that will psychologically manipulate you to give in to their false offer. Oftentimes, these words suggest an overnight increase in income or a shortcut to wealth without providing substantial details.
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Some examples of buzzwords for online job scams are:
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If you see these terms or something similar in a job ad or an email, be extra cautious. In fact, it’s wiser to ignore them completely and focus your energy on legitimate job opportunities in renowned recruitment sites.
3. It asks for your personal and financial information.
Recruiters who intend to scam may ask for information such as your birthdate, address, phone number, bank account, and other unnecessary details. Regardless of their reason, don’t provide anything, especially if you’re still in the hiring pipeline.
Birthday is critical as much sensitive data use this particular information for access, like when you unlock your credit card bills or mobile payment accounts, for example.
It’s an industry principle never to solicit this information unless you have a contractual agreement with your employer where such data is necessary for government purposes.
4. It shows poor job post copy with grammatical errors and questionable links.
As mentioned before, online job scams are evolving. But that’s not to say they’re not prone to erroneous job ads because they still are.
You can distinguish a sloppy job posting designed to scam by its lazy writing without regard for grammar or spelling. On the other hand, job posts from legit online recruiters ensure they provide a clear copy of the job description, requirements, and benefits.
In addition, watch out for the links they include in the post or message. You can easily tell if these links are unreliable if they don’t contain a proper domain name.
5. It requires a “small investment” fee.
Companies or teams looking to hire someone need not impose an investment fee if it truly offers a legit online job. But this is common with positions promising high commissions or detailed training.
You might also spot the “small investment” fee requirement in multi-level marketing invitations, with a promise of growing your money exponentially in no time.
6. You got hired immediately without proper screening.
It’s normal to be suspicious if you got the job without going through the usual screening process because it is indeed highly unusual. The hiring process in legitimate work-from-home jobs involves checking your resume, undergoing an interview, taking a trial test, and so on.
Fake online jobs tend to rush the process and skip these essential stages because they don’t go after skills. Instead, they may most likely milk you dry or push you to follow questionable steps in earning commissions. These include publishing a fraudulent product review or recruiting other people with the same strategy they used to reach you.
7. You’re asked to recruit more people to earn more.
While recruitment itself is a legitimate business within the employment circuit, it can be borderline unethical and, by extension, possibly illegal if you recruit someone through false pretense.
If your employer orders you to bring in more people so you can increase your commissions, it’s probably a scam. Even worse if you’ve invested money in it.
8. The recruiter contacted you through text or social media direct message (DM).
If someone reaches out to you with a job opportunity, it’s never not a good feeling, right? Recruiters may contact you via email or platforms like LinkedIn if they see you as a good fit for a certain position. That’s usually the case because these places are designed for professional networking.
Scammers find better opportunities by sending SMS or direct messages on Facebook or Instagram. This is because they usually connect with people randomly or based on the website or app’s algorithm.
| 💡 Quick tip: Multi-level marketers also use LinkedIn to find people they can sign on to their networking group. With that in mind, don’t hesitate to ask questions before agreeing to attend any webinar. They will tell you that you’d learn everything about the job during the webinar, but they’re simply setting you up for the pyramid scheme. |
9. It includes shady testimonials.
A clear hook that many online scammers use is adding testimonials from colleagues or people who have joined their group. Here, they always mention how much they earned (usually a ludicrous amount) and show images of cash bundles and assets like cars and houses.
Keep in mind that no legit online jobs from home post these ridiculous testimonials. Companies offering real work-at-home jobs will provide standard benefits or commission-based systems without promising over-the-top perks.
10. You found the job post as a social media ad with no substantial details.
Job ads can swarm in social media like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. You might see a few if you’ve been actively searching on Google for a part-time job, for example.
As a result, you may be prone to having occasional views of online job scams on your feed or inbox. These posts usually contain the bait, which is the unrealistic income or perks, followed by more buzzwords without substantial details.
Frequently Asked Questions
In a Nutshell
You can land legit online jobs if you know where to look and gauge the company hiring for the job. But a key element in this process is understanding that success and high income take work and the willingness to pay your dues. However, if you have an opposite mindset, you may be more prone to scams. So be sure to check your expectations when looking for work opportunities online.
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Charity has been writing and editing content for over a decade. She has written for multiple niches but thrives best in producing content for medical topics, digital marketing, and project management. She’s currently an editor for Fit Small Business. In her free time, she shares her knowledge of freelance writing with aspiring writers. |
