Tuesday 18 October 2016

How to determine if a job offer/Advertisement is a scam?

How to determine if a job offer or job advertisement is a scam?

What is a job scam?

A job scam is when a person poses as a recruitment consultant or employer by placing attractive job advertisement in which a job seekers is either required to pay a certain sum of money or required to fax documentation to the said person or fax number.

Once your payment or fax has been made to them the scammer disappears no where to be found. You are then out of your money and still with no job.

How do we determine if a job offer or job advertisement is legitimate or not?


  • Firstly the law in South Africa states that no agency or employer must charge a job seeker to apply for a position. Steer clear of any advertisement that states this, this being said that if a "scammer" should be smart enough to call you to a fake address and state that you should bring along a certain amount of money. Alarm bells should start ringing! Stay far far away. Never pay money to anyone for a job application.No legitimate agency or employer will ever ask you to pay to apply for a position. Please note that some agencies do charge for other services as reconstructing your CV ( this is completely legal), however charging a candidate to find a job or to apply for a job is not legal.
  • Check out the email address that is placed with the advert, 90% of the time ( Not all the time, Some companies do use gmail accounts) these would be fake advertisements. Most recruiters and employers will have legitimate corporate email addresses.
  • Do your research, when spotting a particular post that you may be interested in, research the company advertising the post  - do they have a legitimate website , do they have a contact number, when you phone the contact number  - who answers? what do they say? Compare the email address and telephone number provided on the advert to those on the website. Always check the source and ensure that the company is legally registered company.
  • Google is your best friend - Google, google, google - google the company , what information can  you find.
  • Work from home jobs ( BIG SCAM WARNING) - a lot of scammers are using this approach at the moment. Should this be in an advert this is most likely a scam. Adverts like this would go something to the effect of  - " fast growing company seeking individuals who would like to earn in the luxury of their own home, make up to R5000 per work working part time". Take note these are not good and will more often than not expect you to part with your money to sign up.
  • Fax to email scam -When applying for a position there is only a fax number - Why? Call them to find out why. Which company uses fax to email for applications these days. Call them to find out if you are able to send the application via email rather.  Chances are the number you call does not exist. Check that Fax is not the only form of communication. The fact is here that modern recruiters would prefer you to email your CV in word format. They will accept a fax if this is the job seekers only resort to getting their CV through to the recruiter or employer.
  • look out for poorly written adverts  stating no experience required
  • Be aware of where the job advertisement is being placed - most recruiters and employers will use Pnet, Careers 24, Career Junction etc however also use Gumtree and a bunch of others in conjunction. 
  • facebook posts about very reputable companies offering jobs and higher than market related salaries. Rather research and verify with the company that they have in fact placed the advert.
Despite the large number of scams, there are many legitimate, reputable organisations that genuinely help jobseekers to find work. A legitimate recruitment agency or employer will NEVER ask a job seeker to pay any amount of money to apply for a job.

Try and use sites they are specifically designed for Job advertisements.

Herewith a link to to 5 most common job scam in South Africa via Careers24 . https://goo.gl/qtR7Fb

The bottom line here is that you need to be aware and do your research. Research my be time consuming however at the end of the day you will not be out of pocket and your will not fall prey to identity theft.

Be safe! Be Aware and do your research! And the job search continues...

Monday 27 June 2016

How do I get a recruiter to respond to my application?

So you have done everything you are supposed to , you have prepared your CV and have emailed it numerous times to recruiters.

Realistically the main reason why Recruiters don't respond to you is because they just don't have time, Recruiters are only human and not miracle workers. They receive anywhere between 200 - 2000 applications per day making it nearly impossible to respond to every application received.

How to get a recruiter to respond to your application:


  1. Ensure that your CV is readable and well laid out
  2. Follow basic instruction within the job specification and how to apply - Thus showing the recruiter that you are able to follow instructions.
  3. Ensure that you have read the job specification and that you fulfill the job requirements ( chances are that if you don't fulfill the requirements they will not respond to you)
  4. Once you have submitted your CV to them wait 10 mins and call to ensure that they have received it, thus drawing there attention to your CV immediately. ( Job sites have gremlins and don't always deliver your CV to the destination intended).
  5. Follow up weekly with the recruiter, keeping your details fresh in their mind
  6. Very important - Don't invade personal space, call during office hours do not call them on their personal numbers unless they have specifically told you that you may
The unemployment rate is very high, thus meaning there are a lot more job seekers than jobs available.

Things to remember:

Recruiters have to complete reference checks, background checks etc on applicants they also need to follow up with applicants that have secured jobs through them. They need to ensure customer service is kept up to date with clients, Any recruiter at one time will have about 20 job openings at one time, this making their time very limited for a chat.

The jobs that a recruiter has available at a certain point in time is what they have, if they do not have anything available at that point within your required industry they will not be able to assist you. It is therefore important that you keep a look out for when these relevant positions become available and then contact the recruiter again. Recruiters are not able to create positions for you out of thin air.

You would need to allow at least 2 weeks response time from a recruiter, thus being due to the number of applications that have been received. 

Remember some things are out of their control, employers withdraw positions, place them on hold etc. This is as frustrating for a recruiter as for you, if not more frustrating.

Recruiters also need to wait on feedback from clients, even though they follow up regularly employers are not always forthcoming and can also be very difficult to deal with

Please remember Recruiters are human too! 

Sunday 12 June 2016

How to get your CV noticed by a recruiter

A well written and presented  CV is much more likely to be read than that of a shabby unattractive CV.

The layout of your CV is very important and key factors must be included.

What should be included on your CV:

1.   Full Names ( and if you have a good photograph, this is optional not essential)
2.   Area of residence and area in which you are looking for a post
3.   Include on your CV if you have a drivers license and your own vehicle
4.   Ensure that you have a contactable number and email address on your CV - Important
5.   Age - However also not essential
6.   List your qualifications starting with your Highest grade achieved at school and then tertiary
7.   List your Employment history starting with the most current on the top

  • Include dates of employment ( March 2012 - December 2014)
  • Include duties and responsibilities
  • Include reasons for leaving

8.  Include reference details - leave your current place of employee referee off your CV

SPELL CHECK YOUR CV BEFORE SENDING IT OFF

Included below is a link to a Free CV download http://goo.gl/Cbnif0
This CV is simple yet effective

Should you want professional assistance with setting up your cv go to http://kontak.co.za/get-a-professional-cv.php or call us on 011 431 3542 to set up an appointment

Is a Recruitment Agency allowed to charge a job seeker for finding employment?

After receiving numerous phone calls and emails on if we charge for finding job seekers employment, I think we must make it very clear to job seekers in South Africa the legal stance on this point.

IT IS COMPLETELY ILLEGAL FOR AN AGENCY TO CHARGE A FEE FOR REGISTRATION OR FOR FINDING EMPLOYMENT - SHOULD YOU COME ACROSS ANY AGENCY CHARGING YOU CAN REPORT THEM TO THE NEAREST DoL OFFICE.

The labour department sets out the following:


Regulations passed under the Skills Development Act (1998)


This Act clearly sets out rights and obligations for PEA's to ensure that the industry is regulated in acceptable manner.
Among others, the regulation states that an employment service shall not:

  • Charge fees to work seekers exceeding a registration fee of R1.  An additional amount of 7,5% of the remuneration that the work seeker receives at the end of the first month or a shorter period.
  • Charge an amount for an advertisement that the agency may have placed in a publication in addition to the above mentioned amount unless authorized by the work seeker.
Jobseekers are therefore advised to remain vigilant at all times and to report any suspicions of irregularities to the nearest Department of Labour offices.

There are many fake recruiters out there, be vigilant. Before applying for a specific post advertised ensure that the agency is legitimate. 


Tuesday 29 March 2016

Get a Professional CV


Professional CV Writing Service 

Is your CV prepared for your important interview?
Your CV is the first and  most important step towards your sought after new position. Kontak Recruitment offers a professional CV writing service during which we will review, edit, reformat or redraft your CV for you from scratch. 
Your CV needs to be relevant, professional and properly highlights your strengths, experience and qualifications.
In order to ensure that you market yourself effectively as a job seeker to potential employers we need to ensure the following:
  • That a professional Cover letter suited to your specific skills and attributes is set up
  • That a fully reviewed CV is created for you in a professional format
  • We need to ensure that you know how to maintain your CV and how to keep it up to date
  • We need to ensure that you know where to place your CV to be noticed on job sites and for applications during your job search
  • We need to ensure that you are fully equipped with the necessary interview tip to boost your application and prepare you for your interview
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Visit http://kontak.co.za/get-a-professional-cv.php