Job Search Spam: How Do You Handle It?

Today I received this email with “your resume” in the subject line:

Hi Kim
I recently received your resume for a position our firm had been looking to fill. This position was filled, however your resume appears to be a good match for some of the employers who frequently use our recruiting services in Boston. If you are still actively looking for a job in your field, click this link. If you are looking for a site specific to Boston, try here. Remember that it is important to keep your online resume up to date.
Best of luck,
Jennifer McMillan
HR Manager

I haven’t applied for a position since the early 1990s, so the email is either spam or we’re looking at some pretty slow follow up. Okay, it is obviously spam. However, if I were in an active job search, an email that appeared to come from a hiring manager would surely catch my attention.
Ms. McMillan’s email was deceptive because she was alluding to a resume that I submitted; an unsuspecting job seeker might think it was actual resume follow-up. Job seekers are bombarded with spam all the time – career firms offering a “free resume review” (of course they will find problems and offer to fix for a fee), multi-level marketing plans, get-rich-quick schemes, fraudulent emails pretending to originate from reputable sites, and scammers advertising job opportunities but who are trying to get money or steal the job seeker’s identity.
What can you do to protect yourself and avoid wasting time with spam, while still being open to real job opportunities and services that can help your job search? A good starting point is Monster’s primer on preventing email fraud: Tips for a Safer Job Search.
I recommend setting up a disposable email address specifically for job search activity so you can easily say goodbye to the spam when you land a new position. When reviewing emails, always use common sense and don’t be afraid to investigate companies that raise red flags — if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
How do you deal with job search spam? Please feel free to share any tips that have worked for you.
Best wishes,
By Kim Isaacs and courtesy of ResumePower blog.