When you run a job board, you want to be sure that all of your postings have value for the job hunters who utilize your website. But it may shock you to realize that your job board has fake job ads and that is hurting your website’s reputation. The problem is that finding and dealing with fake job ads may not be as easy as it sounds.
Why Are Some Job Ads Fake?
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, some job ads are actually just used by corporate managers to satisfy the need for bringing in outside candidates for each available company position. Often times, managers have an internal candidate that they want to give the job to, but company policy demands that they advertise for an external candidate and go through the interview process. These job ads are not necessarily fake, but they are not going to lead to a job for the outside candidate.
According to the Recruiters Lounge, some fake job ads have more nefarious purposes. Some companies post job ads to collect names for their marketing mailing lists, while others use responses to job ads just to get an idea as to how much demand there would be for a particular position and how much salary candidates are expecting to get paid. In any case, these fake ads dilute your job board and can hurt your business.
Spotting Fake Job Ads
Sometimes spotting a fake job ad is extremely simple. Any job ad that promises a ludicrous salary or requests that applicants pay a fee just to have their application read is probably a fake. When you screen your ads, you can weed out these types of ads immediately.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, some fake job ads are just “fishing expeditions” by recruiting agencies looking to enhance their list of potential candidates for clients. If you see an ad that does not mention a specific company and prefers to do the initial screening interview online using a generic video conferencing service, then that is probably a recruiter who has no job to offer, but is very interested in what value the candidate could have down the line.
What Can You Do About Fake Ads?
The integrity of your job board is critical in attracting the candidates that your customers are looking for, so you should have some basic screening procedures in place to prevent fake ads. For example, eliminating ads that offer outrageous salaries or require an application fee is a good place to start.
However, it is extremely difficult to weed out all of the fake ads as some companies like to remain anonymous during a legitimate hunt for an employment candidate and most employers are not going to reveal that the ad they are placing is simply procedural and an internal candidate will be awarded the job. A vigilant job board can help to reduce the instances of fake ads, but it is helpful to remind job hunters that, while you have a screening process in place, your site is a resource and does not guarantee employment. In some cases, that is all you can do to protect your job hunters from fake job ads.