In Nov. 2021 alone, 4.5 million Americans quit their jobs in search of better opportunities—the highest number on record within the past two decades of tracking by the Labor Department. This mass exodus from the workplace means that many people are on the hunt for new positions, and thankfully there are plenty jobs to go around. The New York Times reports there are currently 10.5 million unfilled positions (for reference, in Jan. 2002, employees were competing for just 3.7 million open posts), so the odds of finding something new at the moment are decidedly in your favor.
However, the transitional nature of a job search can be disorienting, leaving you more vulnerable to scams, experts say. That’s why the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued this piece of advice, warning job seekers to never accept a position without doing one important thing first. Read on to find out which step is crucial in the job hunting process, and the other red flags that might tip you off to a scam job offer.
RELATED: There’s an Urgent New Warning for Walmart and Amazon Shoppers.
The FTC is tasked with protecting the public from unfair or fraudulent practices in the marketplace—a responsibility that includes protecting job seekers from potential scams during their search for employment. The agency says that job scams are a common problem in no small part because scammers often convincingly imitate the…
