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Hey Michele, Can you help me?

I have been asked so many questions about recruiting, hiring and searching for jobs that I decided to write about it - if there's a question you'd like to see featured in a blog post, email me directly Michele@careersbymichele.com
 

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WATCH OUT FOR SCAMMERS!

There are terrible scams going on that are terrorizing the unemployed and even the employed.  Terrorizing might sound harsh, but picture this:

You’re unemployed and you’ve applied to hundreds of jobs.  Your resume is on every job board you can possibly think of.  Your name, phone number and email address are now available to a lot of people.

If you’ve worked at most companies, you may have heard about phishing – people pretending to be from inside the company or from another reputable company, trying to get you to respond or click on a link, and some places I’ve worked have even done phishing exercises to test employees.

Now they are attacking the job seekers. A friend of mine who was looking for a job last year was getting so many of these and kept checking with me to see if they were real – none of them were.

People are already frustrated from their job searches. People are already spending hours applying and just want to get a job - this type of scam really gets to me because they are appealing to people who are vulnerable and potentially desperate.

Here's what happens.

You get a text or email:

They tell you they are from a well-known company – my example is from Rakuten – I’ve also gotten messages from TikTok, Amazon and Randstad. I’ve also received emails from people pretending to be from companies.

The last time this happened, it sounded somewhat legitimate, until they described the interview process:  I’m going to summarize it because it’s a bit long.    This was for a Leadership Coach role that I did not apply for but was sent an email about.

Interview Process and Submission Guidelines

The remote interview process is designed with precision to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all candidates. Please find the details below:

Red Flag #1 🚩

Interview Questions: Attached to this email, you will find a set of tailored interview questions. These have been curated to assess your leadership philosophy, coaching methodologies, and ability to foster growth and innovation.

(There was an attachment with in depth questions about Leadership coaching, but it also asked for my home address, which I thought was a bit suspect)

Red Flag #2 🚩

Interactive Training Program

In addition to the interview process, we have organized a comprehensive 2-day interactive training program for all prospective hires. This program is designed to provide a deeper understanding of the Leadership Coach role and its alignment with XXX, Inc.’s overarching objectives.

A 2 day training program for prospective hires before being hired?  I’ve been in this business a long time and I have never heard of such a thing.

Red Flag #3 🚩

Feedback and Communication

Email Correspondence Only: Due to the high volume of applicants, all communications will be conducted via email. We will not be facilitating phone calls during this stage to ensure a streamlined and equitable process for all candidates.

Rest assured, all necessary updates, instructions, and feedback will be conveyed formally and promptly through email.

No phone calls at all?  Really?  How are you interviewing people with no human interaction, for a leadership coach?

Red Flag #4 🚩

The email address – while it had the name of the company in it, it wasn’t just the company name, but it had a few other words attached to it as well.

And the final Red Flag 🚩

The person who signed, from the Talent Acquisition team of the “Company” was not on LinkedIn, which is very surprising for a recruiter/TA person.

I wrote back to this person and asked them to please send me their LinkedIn profile as I couldn’t find it and to confirm that they wanted me to attend a 2 day training without being hired –

Guess who never wrote me back?

The last thing I did was reach out to one of the recruiters that works at this company (found on LinkedIn immediately) to let her know that I received and sent a copy of the email.  A lot of companies are having their names used fraudulently.

So how do you know that it’s a scam?

First, check the sender – You can see in the text I’ve uploaded that it’s not a Rakuten phone number – Many big companies will have their phones set to show up as their company name and not from an outlook account.

If it’s an email, also check the sender – it should be the domain (@companyname.com) without any additional words – the person I received that email from had their firstname@companynamejobnode.com.

Second – Check the job on the company website - The Letterhead the screening questions that I received looked pretty legitimate, but not finding the person on LinkedIn and not finding the position on LinkedIn or the company website really gave me confirmation that this job was not the real deal.

Even while working at the last few companies – I was getting emails and texts from the CEO asking me to text him right away – I knew immediately it wasn’t him – these scams and phishing emails are everywhere.

And finally - the actual scam – you will get the job – everyone who falls for these gets the job, and you get hired.  And what do they need to hire you?

·      Your date of birth ✅

·      Your Social Security Number ✅

·      Your bank account information for direct deposit. ✅

·      Possibly another form of ID like a Driver’s License or passport ✅

THE PERFECT RECIPE FOR IDENTITY THEFT

So please be careful as you get these texts and emails with what sounds like a too good to be true job, or something that sound odd.  Check LinkedIn for the person.  Check the company website for the job.  If you can’t find either – block that number or email address asap. If you’re inclined, let the company know that you received it – they will appreciate it and, hey, you’ve made a new connection that could come in handy for the future.

 

 

IMG_4497

 

If you look at the sender of this text, it's obvious this is not a real account, let alone someone from Rakuten. Most Large companies have the ability to have their phone number come up with the name of the company.

Hey Michele

I got another rejection

I was rejected again,

 

This is the story we hear daily as career coaches, as recruiters, as friends.

You’ve been applying for jobs.  Diligently editing your resume for keywords for each application; reaching out to network with people at the company; creating relationships, getting through the interview process and then, someone else is chosen over you.

Or

You’ve been doing all the above and don’t even get to the interview process.  Maybe you get a “thank you for your application but we’ve chosen someone else” in a timely manner, maybe you get it 5 months later, or maybe you don’t get one at all.

These situations that are repeating themselves again and again in people’s lives…repetitive negative reinforcement, can wreak havoc with someone’s self-esteem.😳

Many job hunters experience frustration and depression after receiving many rejections (or no responses at all). This is more a reflection of the job market than it is of you. (www.thecareertoolkit.com January 16, 2024)

I’ve had people tell me they’ve been applying for hundreds of jobs for months, sometimes thousands. I believe them but that could also be part of the problem.

So first, let’s talk about the market.  It’s the worst.  I feel like I’ve been saying this for a while, but seriously, it’s 2025, and it’s worse than it was in 2022 and much worse than it was during the pandemic which really changed the way we looked at jobs, working and looking for work completely. 📰 📲 💻🚶🏼

Being unemployed is awful.  No matter what your situation, single and supporting yourself, supporting your family – not having a job can make life feel very scary.

Having a job you hate, that is negatively affecting your mental health, also awful – this is affecting every part of your life and your family, and the effect it’s having on your mental health can turn into harming your physical health.

These situations are usually when the job search becomes an immediate need and more stressful than just casually looking for a new opportunity.

What can we do when the rejections get to be too much?

1) Take a break.

A few days of not looking for a job is not going to hurt you, and if you are unemployed, have those alerts set up to find all the jobs while you’re taking a break so you can know things are working in the background while you’re clearing your head.

If you can, get outside.  A quick walk or even just sitting for a moment outside, fresh air and sunshine can make you feel better than you might believe 🌞

2) Practice Self Care.

You’re doing everything you can to find a new job.  Your eyes are probably burning from looking at screens.  Maybe your hands are cramping from typing or holding your phone and your shoulders are tight from being hunched over your computer.

Take a hot shower. 🚿 a hot bath if you prefer.🛁Use magnesium/capsaicin cream to soothe the pain in your neck and shoulders, and put some eye drops in to lubricate them.

3) Try to remember:

  • Every company is being inundated with hundreds more applicants than they used to.
  • And for every job there’s at least 25 people who think “I am absolutely perfect for this role”
  • And of those 25 people, maybe 5 of them are.
  • Those 5 people must sell themselves to the company, not just as themselves, but as how they will solve whatever problem that position is there for.
  • So, keep in mind that it’s not only about having the most experience, but also being able to
    • Show that experience in a well written resume and LinkedIn profile
    • Explain and discuss this experience, telling stories properly to hiring teams to show them that they are the best person for the job and better than the others
    • Furthermore, show that you’ve researched them, their mission and be able to speak to why you’d want to work there, other than needing a job.

 

4)        So, when you get that next call or email telling you that you didn’t get the job or the interview, try to reframe it and think

🔔, Well, that was not my job. (this is my favorite – it wasn’t your job – if it was, you would have gotten it)

🔔 They (the company) are missing out.

🔔 I'm going to keep going.

🔔 My job is out there.

Final thoughts

Imagine if you got every job you interviewed for?  How weird would that be – where would you be in your life right now?  Would you have taken the first offer you got, or would you turn jobs down to keep interviewing for other positions?

OR

Imagine if you got an interview for every job you applied for?  Not only would that be weird, but extremely overwhelming. 

 

Your job is coming.