Every single day, we connect to public Wi-Fi, swipe our credit cards and have conversations with people we think are going to help us land jobs, but instead are trying to take our money and personal information.

Scams.

The phrase “scam” gets tossed around until we are faced with it in real life. Being scammed is scary, dangerous and can result in serious threats to your personal information, and even your life.

The dreaded concept has found its way to the staffing industry, and unfortunately, Horizontal Talent is no exception to this.

Hackers are using alibis to connect with job seekers and hiring managers. They are posing as professionals in order to gain your trust, and when you think you’re creating a great relationship and opening the door to professional opportunities, they’re taking your money and personal information.

How do you distinguish between a fake or real conversation, determine whether a conversation is safe and if you’re giving your information to a real recruiter?

Our leaders at Horizontal have complied some tips for you to consider if you’re working with us, or more generally, any staffing firm:

1. Watch out for scammers requesting upfront payment or fees in exchange for job placement or training.
   • If you’re working with Horizontal, note that we will never ask for financial, banking or credit card information to be considered for an open role.
   • While discussing job opportunities, you will never be asked for payment of technology, software or any initial investment in office equipment for access to the job.
2. Communication will always come from someone with an @horizontal.com email address/domain.
   • Never engage in communication with recruiters that use generic email addresses instead of official company domains.
   • Be wary of details in email addresses. Some scams change one letter, capitalize something that shouldn’t be capitalized or make something plural that isn’t usually.
     • Ex: @horizontaltalents.com
3. The position you are being considered for will be posted on our website.
4. Recruiters should be addressing and answering your questions regarding the job and should be knowledgeable about the job they are recommending or following up with you on. If they seem vague, or gloss around the details, please stop the interview.
5. You should not accept a job without interviewing with the client.
6. When applying to a job posted by Horizontal Talent, please ensure the job posted is redirecting to HorizontalTalent.com and only that domain. Scammers post fake job postings through email, social media and text messages. While job websites are legitimate, it does not stop scammers from gathering job posting information and reposting independently.
   • Social media is public. Scammers can take information from LinkedIn, Indeed or any other platform.
7. A Horizontal recruiter will always be on camera during the screening process.

Spotting a fake recruiter or fake staffing agency

• Ask the staffing agency questions such as:
• • Have you placed any previous candidates with your client?
  • What can you tell me about the company’s culture?
  • What growth opportunities are there in this role?
  • Can you please tell me more about the role?
  • How long has the company been operating?

• Look at company connections on LinkedIn

While some of these tips are specific to Horizontal Talent, many of them are applicable to any staffing firm you are working with, or any job you apply for.

Be careful, take your time when applying and make sure that you remember these points when engaging online.

If you are unsure whether or not you are being scammed, please reach out to the company directly. If that company is Horizontal, please email us at verify@horizontal.com.