Legitimate staffing agencies make money from employers who hire their candidates – not from the candidates themselves.
A growing number of scammers are posing as headhunters and recruiters or job placement services providers, promising to find you a job in exchange for payment. This is always a red flag, because any legitimate staffing agency makes its money by commission from employers who hire their candidates – not from the candidates themselves.
As the scam victim in this article recalls, "I paid [the recruiter] the sum of $10,800 one year ago in exchange for what I was told was the inside track to 'un-advertised jobs,' their 'connections,' and their assistance in putting me in front of individuals who had 'hiring authority' at the CFO or higher level… [But] in short, they did little more than take my money." Always ask for references from any headhunter or recruiting agency – and follow up on them. And if the agency asks from money from you at any point, end the conversation then and there. No trustworthy agency behaves this way.
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