Beware The Employment Agencies (Portland, Eugene: sales, rental, credit card)

[Minervah]

In trying to escape from Voldemort Inc. from time to time I check various employment agencies online listing job openings in Portland. I suspected that some of them looked pretty phony. One listed a job for which I applied that I knew for a fact had already been filled. I see listings for Voldemort which I know do not exist.

Since the unemployment rate is so high in this state, many people may seek these agenices out. Especially in these times, job-seekers must really be ever vigilant. I am certain there are honest ones but just to be on the safe side, here are some tips from an article that appeared in Time Magazine.

Fake Jobs: Work-Search Scams on the Rise in Recession - TIME

People in this town have enough serious problems with unemployment; they certainly do not need to be fleeced by unscrupulous employment agencies taking advantage of their desperation.

[Élan vital]

Originally Posted by Minervah

In trying to escape from Voldemort Inc. from time to time I check various employment agencies online listing job openings in Portland. I suspected that some of them looked pretty phony. One listed a job for which I applied that I knew for a fact had already been filled. I see listings for Voldemort which I know do not exist.

Since the unemployment rate is so high in this state, many people may seek these agenices out. Especially in these times, job-seekers must really be ever vigilant. I am certain there are honest ones but just to be on the safe side, here are some tips from an article that appeared in Time Magazine.

Fake Jobs: Work-Search Scams on the Rise in Recession - TIME

People in this town have enough serious problems with unemployment; they certainly do not need to be fleeced by unscrupulous employment agencies taking advantage of their desperation.

thanks for the information.
I just don't understand why they feel the need to scam a job seeker. What's in it for them?

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by DreamWeavin

thanks for the information.
I just don't understand why they feel the need to scam a job seeker. What's in it for them?

Probably money. If they can get a hold of credit cards and social security numbers they can make themselves some bucks. According to the article some phony employers are running this scam as well.

When jobs are scarcer than hen's teeth and people are desperate, there will always be slime oozing out of the woodwork to take advantage of them.

[malachai23]

Originally Posted by Minervah

Probably money. If they can get a hold of credit cards and social security numbers they can make themselves some bucks. According to the article some phony employers are running this scam as well.

When jobs are scarcer than hen's teeth and people are desperate, there will always be slime oozing out of the woodwork to take advantage of them.

Yah, a lot of those "phony jobs" are actual just people selling "training materials", and teaching you how to sell training materials to train another, who sells training materials to train another, ... you get the picture. I actually know someone whose wife just fell for one of those. They are basically modern-day pyramid schemes.

Also - even be wary of the temp agencies' ads. Even the well-known ones. From past experience, those ads they post are RARELY the jobs that are actually available. I actually had an agent at a well-known Portland temp agency (which shall remain unnamed) once tell me that they post those "fake ads" because they can get more calls that way. People respond to the exciting sounding, higher paying jobs, then once the agency gets all your info and gets you processed in their system they offer you what they *really* have. It's classic bait and switch, in my opinion.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by DreamWeavin

thanks for the information.
I just don't understand why they feel the need to scam a job seeker. What's in it for them?

This explains it a little:

Affiliate marketing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by malachai23

Yah, a lot of those "phony jobs" are actual just people selling "training materials", and teaching you how to sell training materials to train another, who sells training materials to train another, ... you get the picture. I actually know someone whose wife just fell for one of those. They are basically modern-day pyramid schemes.

Also - even be wary of the temp agencies' ads. Even the well-known ones. From past experience, those ads they post are RARELY the jobs that are actually available. I actually had an agent at a well-known Portland temp agency (which shall remain unnamed) once tell me that they post those "fake ads" because they can get more calls that way. People respond to the exciting sounding, higher paying jobs, then once the agency gets all your info and gets you processed in their system they offer you what they *really* have. It's classic bait and switch, in my opinion.

I remember a long time ago when I lived in Chicago a friend got a job at an employment agency. She didn't last long because she was too honest. The agency made its employees meet a certain quota. As long as they could send people out on an interview they got points. So they would send anybody out for almost anything qualified or not.

[philwithbeard]

Another scam....

Back when the Y2K thing was winding down, Temp agencies that dealt with IT, IS, and software types would put out fake ads for such workers. The point was to find out from the resumes and job applications where the applicant worked, who they reported to, and a phone number. Not so the Temp Agency could hire someone, but to get leads for the sales staff to go out and sell the services of the temp agency.

Phil

[seain dublin]

You have to be careful. I know someone who used Volt in Portland. They went in and did the testing and also had to pass a drug test.

Had to wait a week for the results from the drug test before being sent out.

They were then sent out to a company who wasn't really ready for them to start working, didn't have a computer or even a cubicle for them to sit in when they arrived.

It was suppossed to be a long term assignment doing data entry and working on internal software programs which they would be trained on.

They were there 3 days and they never spent a full day there. They would get sent home after lunch and spent the first 2 days clearing and moving boxes around.

On the third day they get a call at home from Volt saying the employer didn't think they had enough computer skills...lol...they never even touched one of their computers.

It seemed like the company really wasn't ready for someone to start working and used lack of computer skills as an excuse, which Volt believed. That was the last assignment they got.

Even though they passed all the computer tests that Volt gave them.

Just an FYI. Complete waste of time and not to mention having to "pee" in a cup to prove they were clean.....LOL.

[malachai23]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

You have to be careful. I know someone who used Volt in Portland. They went in and did the testing and also had to pass a drug test.

Had to wait a week for the results from the drug test before being sent out.

They were then sent out to a company who wasn't really ready for them to start working, didn't have a computer or even a cubicle for them to sit in when they arrived.

This same situation actually happened to me once... but it wasn't even a temp job or through an agency. I was interviewed THREE times, peed in a cup & waited the week, was hired on direct, and actually RELOCATED for the job (from Portland to Eugene) - and turned out they didn't even have a job for me, much less a cubicle or a computer. The only thing they had me do on my first day was walk 1/4 mile down the street and pick up lunch for the office (and this was supposed to be a college grad senior-level professional position, by the way). Oh, AND they ticketed me for parking in the wrong parking lot. I quit on my 2nd day and moved back to Portland. What a waste of time and money (deposit/rent for rental house). I just have absolutely NO patience for stuff like this. I empathize with your friend, Seain.

[PortlandTechnical]

I work for a staffing agency (a big one) and we are actually only posting our toughest jobs, with the market being what it is networking with those we know and who know us is the way we hire most of our people.

Look over job descriptions carefully, not everyone posting is actually an employer or staffing agency. Trust your instincts, if they are asking for your social security number before you are doing a background check for a role then run. Ask questions about the role, if they do not have details, or do not have a good reason for not having them (not all of our client give us the best details) then don't trust them. Ask to see the original job description from the client.

I support the technical and engineering roles, so the above may not apply equally to all verticals, but should serve as a good rule of thumb.

Best of luck in your job searches!!!