Mining Job Scams on the Rise in WA and Throughout Australia
Posted:
2/08/2012 5:00:00 AM by
Mining Oil and Gas JobsFiled under:
Mining,
Oil-and-gas,
Job-seekers
One of the first topics we covered in this blog was how to
spot a job scam and we’ve continued to address the issue. Unfortunately, the WA Department of Commerce reports a rise in the number of job scams in the mining and resources industry in June and July of this year.
Mining recruitment scam
The latest tactic by scammers is centred around Facebook, fake recruitment websites and online classified advertisements. Jobseekers are being asked to send in their resumes – often with personal details such as driver licences and passport numbers - and are immediately told they have a job. There are several clues that this is a scam.
- Mining and resource jobs have a lengthy hiring process. You will not be given a job without a job interview and a pre-employment medical.
- It is uncommon for Australian resource industry employers to use Facebook or online classifieds as their main way to source candidates. Nearly all of them have their own online careers page on their website.
- If you do manage to connect with an employer on Facebook, they will move the recruitment process to a more traditional channel like the telephone, their own website, or a face-to-face meeting.
- Legitimate employers will never ask you to supply personal details online.
Protecting yourself against scammers
- If someone is asking for money in return for helping you to find a job, it’s a scam. According to WA ScamNet,
“
Western Australia employment agents must be licensed and it is illegal to charge employees any fee whatsoever – check with Consumer Protection on 1300 30 40 54 or by email consumer@commerce.wa.gov.au.
“Report anyone who wants you to pay them to find work for you.”
- The best place to find work in Australia is through an Australian recruitment agency or employer. Check the physical address of the agency or website and be cautious if it’s listed outside of Australia. We have noticed a large number of overseas agencies passing themselves off as experts about the Australian resource industry. Some of these agencies are scraping jobs from legitimate jobs board in Australia like Mining Oil and Gas Jobs to lure unsuspecting jobseekers.
- If a recruitment agency is telling you about a job at a specific company, don’t hesitate to call that company and find out if the job actually exists and if the agent is authorised to recruit on their behalf. Many of the major companies have internal staff managing the entire hiring process. Always, always get the contact details yourself. It’s not hard to do a Google search and get contact details for any company.
- Consider the information in your resume could be used for identity theft. Do not hand it over unless you’re convinced the organisation is trustworthy.
- The Federal Government has a resources sector jobs board which is powered by the Mining Oil and Gas Jobs search engine. This is a good place to start your job search.
Scam quiz
For help in identifying how to sniff out a scam, take the
WA ScamNet quiz.
Related reading:
Have you encountered any job scams?
- If you’re looking for a job in mining, energy or oil and gas, make sure you visit our industry jobs board where we only advertise real jobs by real employers.
- Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog. We’re publishing new information every day about employment in the Australian resource industry.
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