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Con artists have kept pace with modern job-hunting trends, judging by how well they have teleported job scams once perpetrated only through printed classified ads into cyberspace. There are several online rip-offs you need to be wary of. Here are some of the most common:

Phony jobs
Modus operandi: Scammers create fake but convincing job ads that they post either on legitimate job boards or on bogus websites that mimic genuine company or job sites.

Personal invitations
Modus operandi: The crook sends an e-mail claiming to have seen your personal web pages or online resume, notes how your skills match the job requirements, and invites you to fill up an online job application.

ID checks Modus operandi: The con artist will say he needs to scan your driver’s license, passport of other means of identification to verify your identity. Or he claims to need your bank account or credit card number to run a credit check before continuing with the job application process.

Such scams, and numerous variations and versions of these, all want to fool unsuspecting and inexperienced job seekers into sending money to the perpetrators or into giving up personal information that can be used for identity theft.

To avoid being hoodwinked, remember these tips:

• Be leery of spams offering assistance in getting you a job.
• Don’t pay money upfront to anyone promising to find work for you.
• Do your own research or call up the authorities if you have doubts. (In the Philippines, call up the government's Department of Labor and Employment hotline (02) 527-8000)
• Never reveal personal data online unless you have verified the job site or company’s reputation and record, are using a secure mode for transmitting data and have read its privacy policy.
• Do not provide your bank account number so payments can be directly deposited to your account.
• Do not forward or transfer money to an employer.
• Establish a dedicated web-based e-mail account for all non-personal communication.
• Enter website addresses into your browser instead of clicking links when checking out job sources. This is to avoid being a victim of "pharming" (in which users are redirected from rightful websites to spurious replicas to steal personal details).
• Watch out for spelling errors, e-mail addresses that do not bear the company's name, and other inconsistencies.

Without a doubt, many of you would have had your first experience with creating your own online resume and sending out applications to companies using the Internet. But, how many of you really understand what happens once your finger swiftly hits that SUBMIT button? Never fear, Helpline is here! I am about to give you the whole song and dance.

Let's Begin With The Online Resume
Internet Recruitment has to do with transferring the recruitment process onto the Internet. Job Seekers create their resume/CV on the recruitment web site, Employers advertise their jobs on the site, Job Seekers see a job(s) that they want to apply for and they send their application through the Internet to the Employer. Pretty simple, right?

Into The Employer's Account
What next? Your resume is sent out to the Employer and it makes a beeline straight for the Employer's resume database. So, it's a little like having your mail sent to a designated PO Box address. Each job has its own resume database according to a unique account ID. After the deadline expires, the employers will check in on their database and start revving their "screening" engines.

Click, Click : Screening Begins
Now, here's the interesting bit. With the speed and range of the Internet, Employers can now reach further to a wider pool of job applicants surfing the Web World. So, your resume is now competing with that of hundreds of other hopeful candidates looking for that one job. The joy of Internet Recruitment to the Employer is that they are now able use computer software programs to screen your applications faster with a click of a button.

For example, if they want to see only resumes of applicants with 2 years' marketing experience with a Bachelors Degree and HTML skills, they click the criteria boxes and presto! They now have 20 names suitably shortlisted out of the 240 applicants who applied.

This explains why, sometimes, candidates find that their resume has not even been viewed by the employer. No need to throw a fit of disappointment and confusion, though. Just understand this.

<Don't Go Blind, Focus Your Applications!
Hence, I cannot stress this enough, ALWAYS focus your applications carefully against the requirements of the job. If you don't have the minimum requirements, waste neither your time nor that of the employer by sending out a "blind" resume. Chances are, it won't get looked at in the first place, so save yourself the frustration and disappointment.

I know, the process of job hunting can sometimes feel like you're fighting against the world without winning any battles. But, by understanding how Internet Recruitment works, you can make your own online efforts packed with enough punches to get the results you want! In parting, I just wanted to get a few words of advice in, Know your Resume, Know your Skills and Know what you are applying for. Unless you are clear on who you are, what you want to do and if you have what it takes to do it, you're not understanding and focusing yourself enough. Give yourself the best chance you can and do it right the first time! Onward ho!