How to Avoid Entry-Level Marketing Job Scams

How to Avoid Entry-Level Marketing Job ScamsHow to Avoid Entry-Level Marketing Job ScamsEntry-level absatzwirtschaft jobs typically involve a unique blend of sales, customer service, consumer psychology, graphic design, and data analytics. And while some absatzwirtschaft positions are this and more, the absatzwirtschaft employment industry is now fraught with deception, scams, and miserable 100%-commission sales jobs. Technicallyspeaking, a scam is outright fraud. However, the term now encompassesa broader setofdeviouspractices. When falling for an entry-level marketing job scam, you may make some money, but you are likelynotlage getting anything close to what you were promised. Tips for Avoiding Entry-Level Marketing Job Scams Not allentry-level marketing jobsare scams. However, it is getting more difficult for job seekers to distinguish betweenlegitimate marketing job postings and deceptive ones. Most of the job postings that turn out to be scams are posted by companies using a very loose interpretation of the phrasessports marketing, be your own boss, and entertainment marketing to attract excited college students Legitimatesports marketinginvolves acquiring and managing corporate event sponsorships or endorsements.Being your own boss truly means starting your own business.Entertainment marketing means working alongside celebrities, thought leaders, and influential media outlets. However, once youve initiated contact with ansicht employers, youll find that they want you to sell unnecessary products door-to-door, recruit someone else to sell for you (known as apyramid scheme), or worse. These positions may pay, but you will quickly find out that youve been lured into a job that you were not expecting.(Some of them will even charge you to join the team.) How the Scams Work Who wouldnt get excited and want to click on a job posting with titles like those below? ***IMMEDIATE HIRE*** Work With PRO Sports We Will TrainFRESH TALENT NEEDED - Entry Level Mark etingStart Your Career in Sports and Entertainment Marketing These kinds of job postings specifically target ambitious high school graduates and college students. The employers hope that you get too excited about the job to do your own research or ask probing questions. If youre a college student looking for an entry-level marketing job or internship, you must first recognize how difficult they can be to find. If you find that theinterview processis surprisingly easy, then you should be suspicious. Ideally, you should work with your career services office, a mentor, or one of your professors to help you land a reliable position. How to Identify a Scam As you peruse job postings, here are a few things that can help you identify entry-level marketing job scams. Getting the Call Back Job scammers willtake anyone expressingan interest. If you submit a resume, they will contact you immediately for an interview. They may even do a phone interview right away and give you the impression that you are a prime candidate for the open position. The next step is an in-person interview. The Interview Process Here is a classic marketing scam scenario. Youll show up for yourin-person interview in your Sunday best. Theres a good chance that it will be your first job interview ever. Youll be nervous, but excited. Then youll realize that this isnt an interview at all. Youll be expected to get into a car with a current employee and ride along to a neighborhood that is not at all close by (maybe even a couple hours away). Your interviewer will tell you to take one side of the street while he or she takes the other side, and youll start selling coupons door to door. The coupons often have something to do with major sports teams or entertainment venues. (This gives them the legitimacy to call the work sports and entertainment marketing.) Youll quickly feel uncomfortable and ask to return home or to the office. The interviewer will then employ shaming or intimidation tactics to ge t you to change your mind. In extreme cases, the police have reported these interviewers threatening physical violence or showing a weapon. No one should have to go through such an experience. But unfortunately, these things happen moreoftenthan we would like to think. The less overt marketing scams might involve formal office interviews, but at the end of the day, the employer expects you to sell unusual things in unusual places and will pay you as little as possible (unless you successfully recruit your friends and family). Multi-Level Marketing Scams (Pyramid Schemes) A somewhat controversial, yet legitimate, way of doing business is through amulti-level marketing(MLM) setup. The idea is to build a following, manage your team, and then encourage your team members to build their own following, too. Good MLM companies do not charge you to get involved, and theyusually offer good products or services. And while MLM companies strongly encourage you to build your own team, they do not coerce you into harassing your friends and family. However, what makes MLM companies controversial is their tendency to exaggerate the income youre likely to make. You will initially work hard for moderate income, at best. In contrast, a pyramid scheme asks for a financial investment up front and promises you that you will make it back, and more, faster than you could imagine. Products and services are usually of low quality and overpriced. Most importantly, Pyramid Schemes try to force you to harass others with what is nowyour ownPyramid Scheme. How to Find the Right Jobs Thankfully, it is not impossible to find great entry-level or internship positions in marketing. However, it is important that you recognize that some of the better positions might be more difficult to acquire. At the same time, if you find an employer that is thrilled to hire you, you need not feel overlysuspicious. To help you get a good feel for what is available and a legitimate offer, here are some i nsights. Finding a Good Marketing Internship The idea behind a marketinginternshipis to reinforce classroom instruction with professional experience. Despite the notionof interns being the ones whoget the coffee, internships areinstructivesincetheyexpose students and aspiring marketers to the way an agency works. As such, amarketingagency/departement should be reputable and robust. You will be expected to do a great deal of grunt work. But instead of your work being door-to-door sales, you will be supporting full-time staff members with data-entry and marketing-research tasks. In addition to grunt work, you will get to experience creative projects,collaborative teamwork, and deadlines. You will walk away with a clear understanding of what a marketing position looks and feels like. The best way to find a good internship position is to research companies and brands that you admire. On company websites, they will usually post internship opportunities and how to applyforthem. Your c ollege will also have on-campus resources letting you know of marketing internships that come highly recommended. Finding a Good Entry-Level Marketing Position Getting a goodentry-levelmarketing position is not too different fromfinding a good internship Having a good idea of what brands youd love to work for can help you narrow your search.Your college will have job assistance offices, coaches, or opportunities available to students.You can also use only job sites to locate reputable entry-level marketing jobs. One of the best ways to research entry-level opportunities is to read employee reviews on sites likecom. Questions to Ask the Employer Once you land an interview with a reputable employer, arriveprepared with questions. Here are a few questions to ask, especially if you suspect that the opportunity might be a scam What are the day-to-day tasks associated with the job?What training will you receive?What is the nature (not the amount) of compensation? For example, is i t hourly or commission-based?NoteMost legitimate entry-level marketing positions do not involve heavy sales. Any job advertising itself as an entry-level marketing job that pays 100% commissions is most likely a scam.Does any part of your job involve recruiting team members?Who are the companys top clients?How long does the average employee stay with the company? If the job involves sales, how are leads generated?NoteIf you are generating your own leads in an entry level position, the job is likely a scam. The Bottom Line Search by Company Instead of by Job Keyword. Scams are good at using job keywords. Instead, if you know the name of a good company, searchbythecompanyandyoullknow that their open positions are legitimate.Note the Interview Process. Employers trying to sell you a scam are not vetting you they are trying to trick you. Theyre hopingthey can bring you in before you start asking questions. Once you do start asking questions, they will get defensive and ask you to just t rust them.Use Online Reviews. Thanks to search engines like Google, it is getting harder for scam employers to deceive the population. Take advantage of theonline tools availableto help you avoid entry-level marketing scams.