What to Look for in a Job Posting

1. The job was posted months ago, or the job is constantly reposted.
Often, there is a good reason: such as a company may simply have lots of similar positions to fill,or it may be looking to fill typically high-turnover positions (such as seasonal jobs). But if that’s not the case, this may be a sign that the company has put the position on hold or has a high turnover for reasons that might raise a “red flag”. And sometimes companies will collect resumes just for the sake of gathering information about current salary conditions. But it’s also true the employer might be waiting for the perfect match, so if you’re it, you’ll want to apply.

2. The post says, “Company confidential.”

There may be no cause for concern; however, a post like this makes it difficult to tailor your resume and to conduct the appropriate company research.

3. The post says, “Fax your resume to…”

This sign could be one of two things one is  that the company isn’t keeping up with the times. And/or, the company may just be testing your ability to follow instructions.

4. The post contains phrases like “must be extremely hardworking” and “must be able to handle extremely high stress.”

Since ability to work hard should be a given, so if a post says “extremely hardworking,” and if you decide to go into the application process you should be aware that your work-life balance will not be a priority at this company.

5. The post lists the salary as “up to $500K per year.”

This is another matter of simply being aware of what you’re signing up for. If a job post talks about the salary in terms of “up to,” then the job usually pays on commission. Just be sure to ask about base salary and average incomes when you talk to the hiring manager.
6. The post says the successful candidate will need to work for free or for less than minimum wage for a trial period.

Employment tests are often completely legal. For instance, if you’re applying for a job that requires writing web base articles, a company might ask you to write a sample of a web based article. Also, both paid trial periods and unpaid internships are common in some industries. But the US Department of Labor is clear that any productive labor must be paid under minimum-wage laws, For example running personal errands are not allowed under an internship.And that an internship cannot be a condition of employment at a company.

7. The job post asks you to submit sensitive information.
Being smart online means guarding information such as your Social Security and bank-account number until a job offer is in the works.