Work Worth Insights — by Katarina Rak

Tag: career

  • Fake Recruiters and Fake Job Postings on LinkedIn: A Growing Problem

    Fake Recruiters and Fake Job Postings on LinkedIn: A Growing Problem

    LinkedIn has become the primary job-search platform for professionals across industries. Recruiters, hiring managers, and candidates all meet there with one shared goal: finding the right match.
    Unfortunately, alongside real opportunities, fake recruiters and fake job postings are becoming increasingly common— and they are getting more sophisticated.

    I want to write about this topic not as an abstract problem, but from personal experience. In the past two weeks alone, I was contacted three times by fake recruiters on LinkedIn. And each interaction followed a familiar pattern.

    How Fake Recruiters Operate

    Fake recruiters rarely look “fake” at first glance. Their profiles are often polished, with professional photos, impressive job titles, and company names that sound credible — sometimes even identical to well-known firms.

    Typical red flags include:

    • Very generic outreach messages
      Messages like:
      “We reviewed your impressive profile and believe you’d be a perfect fit for an exciting opportunity.”
      No job title, no reference to your actual background, no personalization.
    • Urgency without process
      They push for quick replies, same-day calls, or immediate interest — often without a proper job description, interview steps, or hiring manager details.
    • Off-platform communication
      Very quickly, they try to move the conversation to WhatsApp, Telegram, or private email addresses that don’t match the company domain.
    • Vague or copied job descriptions
      When you ask for details, you receive a poorly written description that feels copied from multiple sources or doesn’t match the role they claim to be recruiting for.

    In my case, all three contacts showed several of these signs. Different profiles, same tactics.

    Fake Job Postings: A Different but Related Problem

    Not every fake job posting is a scam in the classic sense. Some are posted by:

    • Companies collecting CVs without an active opening
    • Recruitment agencies building talent pools
    • Organizations testing the market or benchmarking salaries
    • Or, in the worst cases, actors attempting data harvesting or fraud

    These postings can stay online for months, receive hundreds of applications, and yet no one is ever hired.

    For job seekers, this is emotionally exhausting. You invest time, energy, and hope — and receive silence.

    Why This Is So Dangerous for Job Seekers

    Fake recruiters don’t just waste time. They can:

    • Collect personal data (CVs, phone numbers, addresses)
    • Create false expectations during an already stressful job search
    • Exploit vulnerable candidates who are unemployed or under pressure
    • Damage trust in legitimate recruiters and companies

    In a job market that is already competitive and uncertain, especially in sectors like tech, pharma, and life sciences, this adds another unnecessary layer of stress.

    How to Protect Yourself on LinkedIn

    Based on experience, here are a few practical rules I now follow strictly:

    1. Check the recruiter’s profile history
      Look for real career progression, connections, and activity — not just a job title.
    2. Verify the company independently
      Does the role exist on the company’s official website?
    3. Be cautious with off-platform requests
      Legitimate recruiters don’t rush to WhatsApp before a proper introduction.
    4. Never share sensitive data early
      IDs, full addresses, or documents should never be shared at first contact.
    5. Trust your intuition
      If something feels rushed, vague, or inconsistent — it usually is.

    LinkedIn Needs to Do Better

    While responsibility also lies with users, LinkedIn must improve how it monitors recruiter activity and job postings. Reporting fake profiles helps, but prevention should not depend solely on candidates already under pressure.

    Final Thoughts

    Being contacted three times by fake recruiters in just two weeks was a wake-up call. This is no longer a rare occurrence — it’s becoming part of the modern job-search landscape.

    If you are actively looking for work, stay alert, stay critical, and remember:
    A legitimate opportunity will stand up to scrutiny.

    You deserve transparency, respect, and honesty — especially when it comes to your career.

  • The Best Online Platforms to Find a Job — and How to Use Them Strategically

    The Best Online Platforms to Find a Job — and How to Use Them Strategically

    The internet created the illusion that finding a job is mostly about visibility.
    Create a profile, upload a CV, apply broadly, wait.

    In reality, most online job platforms are not neutral marketplaces. They are filters, signal amplifiers, and risk-reduction tools for employers. Understanding how each platform works—and what it’s actually good for—can save time, energy, and frustration.

    Below are the most effective online platforms for job searching today, and how to use each one with intention.

    1. LinkedIn: The Market, Not Just a Job Board

    LinkedIn is not primarily a place where jobs are filled.
    It’s a place where recruiter confidence is built.

    Most hiring decisions start with pattern recognition: background, continuity, credibility. LinkedIn functions as a public signal of professional coherence.

    Use it for:

    • visibility to recruiters,
    • inbound opportunities,
    • career narrative control.

    Strategic tip:
    Your profile should explain why your career makes sense, not list everything you’ve done. Headline and “About” section matter more than job descriptions.

    2. Indeed: Volume and Speed

    Indeed aggregates postings from company websites and agencies, making it one of the largest databases available.

    It is effective for:

    • operational roles,
    • time-sensitive hiring,
    • local and regional positions.

    But volume cuts both ways.

    Use it for:

    • rapid applications,
    • roles where requirements are clear and standardized.

    Strategic tip:
    Apply early. Roles often close once a sufficient number of candidates enter the pipeline, regardless of posting duration.

    3. Company Career Pages: The Direct Channel

    Despite the effort involved, applying directly through company websites remains one of the highest-signal methods.

    Why? Because it:

    • reduces recruiter risk,
    • avoids third-party distortion,
    • and signals intentionality.

    Use it for:

    • roles you genuinely want,
    • companies you’ve researched,
    • long-term positioning.

    Strategic tip:
    Tailor the CV slightly—not creatively, but structurally—to match the role language.

    4. Specialized Job Platforms: Precision Over Reach

    Industry-specific platforms often outperform general boards when it comes to relevance and response rates.

    Examples include:

    • platforms for tech, life sciences, marketing, or remote work,
    • regional or language-specific job boards.

    Use them for:

    • niche expertise,
    • senior or technical roles,
    • better signal-to-noise ratio.

    Strategic tip:
    Fewer applications, higher quality. Precision beats volume here.

    5. Recruiters and Agencies: Risk Translators

    Recruiters are often misunderstood. They don’t work for candidates—they work to reduce hiring risk for employers.

    That doesn’t make them useless. It makes their incentives predictable.

    Use them for:

    • market insight,
    • feedback on positioning,
    • access to roles not publicly advertised.

    Strategic tip:
    Treat recruiters as market intermediaries, not career advisors. Clarity beats persuasion.

    What Not to Do

    • Don’t apply everywhere without strategy.
    • Don’t equate rejection with assessment.
    • Don’t expect platforms to compensate for unclear positioning.

    Online platforms don’t create opportunities.
    They amplify clarity—or expose its absence.

    The Real Advantage

    The most effective job seekers don’t use more platforms.
    They use fewer platforms more deliberately.

    They understand that job searching is not a numbers game—it’s a signaling exercise in a crowded market.

    Used correctly, online platforms become tools.
    Used passively, they become sources of frustration.

    The difference lies in strategy, not effort.