by Ann Johnson, Recruiter -Nomad Search Partners

Remote job scams have gotten good enough that even careful people fall for them, so it’s worth having a short mental checklist before you send your resume — or worse, your bank details — anywhere.

Start with the pay. A legitimate posting either states a real number or range, or is upfront that the rate isn’t disclosed yet and will come up in conversation. What should make you cautious is vague language dressed up to look specific — “competitive pay,” “based on experience,” with no number anywhere in the process, even after a first conversation.

Look at where you’re asked to send your application. A real employer or staffing partner uses an address tied to their own domain — something like jobs@companyname.com — not a personal Gmail or Yahoo account. That’s a small detail, but it’s one of the easiest tells, because setting up a business email costs nothing and legitimate operations do it as a matter of course.

Check whether the company or the role is specific. “Various clients” and “multiple industries” with no further detail is a yellow flag. A real opening names an actual employer, describes actual responsibilities, and usually explains what the day-to-day work involves — not just a list of buzzwords.

Be wary of anything that asks you to pay for something before you’re hired: a “starter kit,” a background check fee you cover yourself and get “reimbursed” for, training materials, equipment deposits. Legitimate employers don’t ask new hires to front money, ever.

And trust the pacing. A real hiring process — even a fast one — usually involves at least a conversation, not an instant offer sent minutes after you apply with no interview at all.

None of this is complicated, but it’s easy to skip when you’re excited about a role. It’s also part of why every opening we post here lists a dedicated application address and real details about the employer and the work — not a shared inbox that could belong to anyone, and not a description so vague it could describe any job at all.