Today’s job market is unlike any I’ve seen in 25 years. Job openings received hundreds of applications within 24 hours – no exaggeration, here is a job that was reposted 9 hours ago on LinkedIn:

AI is both helping and hurting.

AI is helpful to job seekers because it helps build resumes, cover letters, and introductory messages. Use it as a starting point, but always edit to reflect how you communicate.

AI is hurting job seekers because it is being used on auto-pilot mode to apply for jobs with modified resumes and cover letters that are frequently inaccurate. Job seekers are frustrated because they aren’t seen in the sea of hundreds of applicants. Hiring managers are frustrated because they waste time talking to candidates who aren’t qualified or even interested in the job. Worse, there are AI-powered apps that will listen to the interviewer’s question and provide a response in real-time helping people cheat video interviews.

AI is helping fraudsters, which hurts everyone. I receive an employment scam via email, text or LinkedIn message every day. Here is the most sophisticated I have seen.

This email accurately references information from my background and uses the identity of a real recruiter at Microsoft.

Red Flags

🚩 The email came from microsofts-usa.com via gmail.com

🚩 The recruiter’s name is misspelled in the body of the email (careless mistake)

🚩 The sense of urgency in the subject, “you are the first person I’m reaching out to”

🚩 The recruiter’s signature line included a gmail.com email address (real recruiters use their company email)

🚩 The ‘We Are Hiring’ button takes you to fvgojo.com

What job seekers need to know:

The Open To Work banner makes you a target. I’m not suggesting you remove it, I have it on my profile. Just be aware that you will see scams more often.

Don’t let the excitement of a job lead cloud your judgement, SLOW DOWN and look for red flags in unsolicited messages

Look out for those too good to be true text messages as well. I receive these so often it’s laughable. Always from a random email or phone number, guaranteeing a large payout for little work. If these jobs were real, they wouldn’t need to advertise. And of course, the redirect to WhatsApp and Telegram are always a red flag.

Have you encountered a clever scam or have a story to tell? I’d love to hear from you: [email protected]