Employment Scams in Nigeria : How to Detect and Avoid them

The rate of unemployment in Nigeria is rather on the high side. Consequently, some fellows maximize the situation by taking advantage of the teeming population of gullible job seekers in Nigeria. These fellows are called Scammers. They are everywhere.
An Employer scammer is someone or group of people who build a relationship with you, pretending to be a legitimate employer or recruitment agency then uses fraudulent claims to defraud you.

Scams succeed because of two things. 

Firstly, a scam looks like the real thing. It appears to meet your need or desire.
Secondly, scammers manipulate you by ‘pushing your buttons’ to produce the automatic response they want. It’s nothing to do with you personally, it’s to do with the way individuals(job seekers) in society are wired up emotionally and socially. It’s because the response is automatic that people fall for the scam. To stop scammers manipulating you into their traps, it can be useful to know how to prevent the automatic response they expect. 
Almost everyday I hear stories about how job seekers are swindled by fake employers. Some lose as much as 50 to 100 thousand Naira to these scammers. It's almost ridiculous.

Consequently, I have compiled a list of points to help you detect possible employment scams:

Sometimes, these fake employers don't have websitesIf they do, sometimes,  the websites would look tacky and quickly cooked up. (there are exceptions though)The job vacancy requirements are usually wide and open to everyone (this is to enable them trap as many prey as possible)The tests or interviews usually hold in make-shift locations which do not depict a real office like fast foods, hotels, restaurants etc They would usually talk about Employment Forms or PINThey will always talk about purchase of such forms or PINs or some other form of payment (this is the most important point to note) . For instance the recent job post about chevron recruitment at http://www.recruitment.cnlresume.com/ is a big scam. Below is a picture to back it up.
They will sound nice, show you love and sound like they would really like to help you with the jobAfter you have been scammed, you won't hear from them again. Their phone numbers will go off, they won't respond to your emails either.Some tricky and seemingly authentic ones would set up a real office, invite people for tests/interviews/training from time to time, extort money from them and make them believe they will be called again in subsequent times. You won't hear from them again.Some will tell you to pay a certain amount to help them process and get a certain certificate (say NEBOSH) which will enable them place you in an oil & gas company. All Fallacy!They have sweet tongue.
Some ways to avoid them: Google their company name and hear what people have to say about themAvoid tests/interviews that have been scheduled to hold in fast foods, restaurants and small hotels. Save yourself the time and stress of attending.Employment forms and PINs. Forget them. They are a ploy to extort money from you.Never pay for any employment offer, no matter how genuine it may seem. Authentic employers don't need your money, they want to recruit you and pay you.Finally, always trust your instincts. It's God talking to you. The truth is, we all know these scams when they come, however, our emotions and dire need of a job will usually make us ignore our gut feelings. Be cautious and careful.
I sincerely hope someone out there finds this article really enlightening, eye-opening and helpful.

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Avoid these Grammar/Spelling Errors in your Job Applications and Aptitude Tests

Many Employers want to hire employees who have a solid command of English language and who can represent them in a professional and respectable manner.

Cover letters and other application documents which contain grammatical and spelling errors will cast doubts on your ability to communicate effectively if you are hired.

It's imperative to check your documents for grammatical and spelling errors.

Here are a few common grammatical and spelling errors to avoid:

1) Use of "their" instead of "there" or "they're" 

Use "There" when referring to a place or to indicate the existence of something
eg - The car is over there or There are documents in the cabinet.

Use "Their" to indicate possession, eg - Their phones were stolen by armed robbers

"They're" is just a contraction of the words "They" and "are"
eg - They're coming over or The Nigerian Immigration Service is a Federal government agency. They're recruiting.

2)Use of "it's" in lieu of "its" 

When you mean it is or it has, use an apostrophe.
eg - It’s a nice day or It’s been great getting to know you.

When you are using its as a possessive, don’t use the apostrophe.
eg - Nigeria has celebrated its fifty years independence.

3)Use of "whose" instead of "who's"
Whose sits before a noun to state (or ask) to whom it belongs

eg- Whose bag is this?
Who's is short for who is or who has
eg - Who's at the door?

4)Use of "you're" when you should use "your." 
Same as They're and Their

5)Use of "am" instead of "I am" or "I'm" 
Better explained with examples;
I am coming or I'm coming. Never say "am coming". Rather say "am I coming?"

6)Spelling abbreviations or internet slang
"ur" "wt", "n", ASAP, FYI, FYA and many more.
Why not use Your, With, And, As soon as possible, For you information or For your attention. Don't be lazy.

Test your usage. When you use any of these words, get in the habit of asking yourself these questions, but remember that they will not work in all cases though:

If you wrote there, will the sentence still make sense if you replace it with here? If so, you're using it correctly.If you chose their, will the sentence still make sense if you replace it with our? If so, you've chosen the correct word.If you used they're, will the sentence still make sense if you replace it with they are? If so, you're on the right track! With the advent of social media, the use of IM or internet slangs is on the rise and has affected the use of proper English for many. You can carefully and consciously stop the use of slang.

Do you inadvertently use any of the above wrong form of words? Stop it.

I sincerely hope this post helps.

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Employment Opportunities at Manpower Nigeria. Apply Now!