7 Smart Ways to Spot a Job Scam For Kenyan Job Seekers

I have fallen for a job scam once and I can tell you that it is one of the worst job search experiences anyone can go through. This week,  I stumbled upon a video that was talking about the rate of unemployment in Kenya, which is at 40%, 70% of these being young people between 22-35 years.

I understand that the unemployment rate is high and the competition for the few available jobs is neck to neck.  But it’s in such a dire case that job scams tend to be high, which is why it is very important that you tread with caution when you come across a job that is questionable.

Let’s look at 7 great ways to identify a job scam

1.The ‘employers’ always ask for money

Isn’t it strange for an employer to ask you to pay them to give you a job? Being asked to pay some money, as little as Kshs.1,000 is questionable.

Never pay money up front to an employer. 

No genuine employer will ask you for money to get hired. Most of those who do should be suspects of job scamming.

2.They ask you for your valuables

As I mentioned earlier, I fell for a job scam years ago. The advertiser of this job invited me for an interview and asked me to carry my laptop, for him to install a software, that was needed for the job. (It was a data entry job).

In very rare occasions will an employer invite you for an interview asking you to carry your laptop. Unless the interview includes a power point presentation. But even then, it’s important that you do your research on this company to ensure that it’s a genuine company.

3.The process of getting the job is full of twists and turns.

First, they tell you to meet them at a particular place. As soon as you arrive and call them, they make you travel to a different location.

In my case, the scammer had told me he worked for DHL Company and he needed help with data entry. I was to meet him at the DHL Offices. On the day of the interview, however, he said that he had left for lunch, and suggested that I meet him at the restaurant he was having lunch.

Scammers keep changing stories. You can tell by how they handle the process unprofessionally.

If you come across a case where instructions keep changing, it’s a clear indicator of a job scam.

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4.The location of the interview

Hotels, a small room with a desk a chair,  a few files or a house are not standard locations for any legitimate interview in Kenya.

Very few scammers have decent offices or any at all.

5.The job description and the salary does not match

The job might read “no experience required” which is not necessarily bad, but then the salary indicated is 70K or 100K.

When the deal is too good, think twice.

6. Opportunity to work from home jobs

Scammers know that work from home jobs such as online writing are very common and the preferred choice for some, and they target people looking to work from home.

Beware then, of jobs that offer you an opportunity to work from home. Ideally, in the Kenyan job market, only CEO’s have the privilege of dashing home or opting to work from home one day of the week.

That said, most work from home jobs should be put under careful scrutiny.

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7.Too many job responsibilities for a very junior role

Have you come across a job that had too many responsibilities for a simple sales job? That could be a scam.

Scammers always want to appear professional and legit, by posting job ads that look standard, but often go overboard with the responsibilities.

Lastly, most scammers don’t have websites and even if they do, those websites don’t look professional and the information on the website is not coherent, in that is it’s not logically connected.

There you have it. Hope you learned a thing or two about job scams and how to identify them. What has been your experience with job scams? Share with us below.

Susan is a Communications Officer at Career Point Kenya. Email: susan@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke