find a job, not lose your data! how to search for a job safely online?

check the company 
 

Before sending application documents in response to an ad, it is worth checking the legality of the entity to which we are providing our personal data. This can be done for free in publicly available registers. There, you will find key information about the company, its management, current activities, or share capital. This way, you can easily confirm certain information found in the job offer or on the website.

employers:

• CEIDG (central register and information on economic activity)
• KRS (national court register)

employment agencies:

An employment agency, in addition to appearing in the registers above, should also be found in KRAZ, the national register of employment agencies. a legally operating, registered agency receives its entry number along with information about the scope of services it can provide. randstad polska is listed in the register under number 47. It is also worth warning that various registers appear online that impersonate the aforementioned list maintained by the ministry of labor, family, and social policy. you can only check if a given agency is legally registered at the location indicated below.

• KRAZ (national register of employment agencies)

apply for ads from reliable sources 

It is worth starting your search on well-known recruitment portals that verify the offers they publish. Large sites have internal service regulations under which an ad is checked before it appears on the site. official websites of reputable employers are also a reliable source – it is worth visiting their "career" tabs.

You can also trust the websites of employment agencies that can boast documented market experience. On an agency's website, you should easily find information such as its mission, vision, certificates, or information about partners, address, and headquarters contact details. All of this proves the transparency of the agency's operations.

The content of ads posted by professional agencies should also meet certain standards: for example, on the randstad.pl website, offers are regularly updated and checked by specialists. They always include the job title, workplace location, and a description of tasks. next to the offer, you will also find its reference number and direct contact to the recruiter responsible for the ad: including their first name, last name, and phone number.

verify the recruiter's social media 

potential employers or recruiters increasingly contact candidates via social media, such as facebook or linkedin. What should raise your alertness during such contact?

linkedin

• pay attention to whether the employer or recruiter has an active workplace linked to their profile and whether the user information field is not empty. For example, a randstad recruiter always has official randstad or randstad polska company accounts set as their workplace.
• People setting up fake accounts most often steal photos: you can easily check if a given photo actually belongs to the user and is not stolen from another account by putting it into an image search engine (e.g., google's search by image option).
• check when the profile was created. if it is a new account with no activity history or very little, be cautious.
• completed professional history and activity on linkedin: it is worth checking if the field with previous positions and companies is filled in. Credibility is also increased by recommendations written by other users and skills confirmed using the appropriate functions on linkedin. Regarding activity analysis, it is worth verifying if it is regular, whether these are posts created independently by the user (which proves the profile's uniqueness), or just shared links.
• pay attention to the number and quality of contacts: if you have mutual friends in your network, it is worth asking someone you know about this person. if there are no mutual contacts and the network consists of only a few people or, conversely, is unusually large, be cautious.

if, despite checking the above issues, you still have concerns about whether you are talking to a trustworthy person, contact the company directly. In the case of randstad, the best way to confirm a recruiter's identity is the randstad contact center (tel. 22 454 44 00 and e-mail kontakt@randstad.pl).

facebook 

Some recruiters and employers also reach candidates through facebook and messenger. But here, too, one must be careful not to fall victim to a scam.

• when you want to verify a recruiter's identity, it is also worth following the path mentioned above: check the photo, quality and number of contacts, and the degree of profile completion.
• for example, a professional randstad recruiter will have an email address in the randstad.pl domain with their first and last name provided in their facebook contact details.
• additionally, be aware that during social media contact, no professional recruiter or honest employer should collect data. A good practice is to send a link to the official ad on the company or agency's website: a randstad recruiter shares a link to a job offer posted on randstad.pl or a direct link to a form in the professional traffit system (randstadpl.traffit.com) used in recruitment processes.

At any stage of the process, the identity of a randstad recruiter and the authenticity of the offer can be confirmed at the randstad contact center (tel. 22 454 44 00 and e-mail kontakt@randstad.pl).

other instant messengers 
Instant messengers like whatsapp or telegram are also increasingly used in communication between recruiters and candidates. Job seekers prefer this form of contact because it is simply convenient. But you must be careful here too:

• exercise great caution toward links sent via messengers or sms - you can check in google search if the link address definitely matches the website address officially used by the employer; in the case of randstad recruitment, you will only encounter links in the randstad.pl or randstadpl.traffit.com domain (the address of our recruitment platform);
• always check the recruiter's identity and the phone number they use in the messenger - it is best to verify such an identity by contacting the employer via email or phone. at randstad, one call or email to the randstad contact center is enough (tel. 22 454 44 00 and e-mail kontakt@randstad.pl).

never pay to participate in recruitment or for its mediation! 
 

Any job offer that requires financial involvement from us, even a small one, should immediately raise distrust! there can be many schemes, but they often boil down to a few of the most popular:

• the so-called verification transfer: a supposed employer or recruiter asks for a symbolic amount, e.g., 1 PLN, to "verify the identity" of the candidate in their system. In this way, the scammer obtains confirmation of the candidate's bank details, allowing them to open a fake bank account in their name (affiliation). They can also easily take out loans or undertake other financial obligations in their name, such as charging fake bills or invoices.
• fee for the employer or intermediary: no honest employer demands fees from candidates in the recruitment process, and employment agencies do not charge candidates any fees for mediation.
• links to fake recruitment forms: remember that the law strictly regulates what data can be collected at the recruitment stage. any recruitment form that forces you to provide the series and number of your id card, credit or debit card number, or bank account number is dangerous! Only upon employment will you be asked to fill out the appropriate form, e.g., for tax and registration purposes.

watch out for job offers abroad 

Be alert when looking for job offers outside Poland. If the employment is organized by an employment agency, remember that an honest intermediary does not collect any deposits or entry fees from candidates. Check if the foreign employer actually exists: the agency should provide you with contact information, i.e., phone number and headquarters address of that employer. Read the documents you receive carefully; do not be afraid to ask about any ambiguities. An honest agency issues a written document before departure, which is a guarantee of employment. Dishonest intermediaries often claim that such a document is not needed and formalities are handled exclusively "on-site" - this is illegal. It is an illegal practice to include provisions in the contract stating that the payment of the first salary is dependent on working a longer, e.g., several-month "grace period." You should be informed about all potential costs, e.g., related to travel, accommodation, and taxes. You should receive a draft contract containing the terms of employment for review beforehand. Do not trust intermediaries who avoid sending draft contracts or inform you that you will only receive them at the foreign employer.

report recruitment fraud attempts 
 

when you encounter a recruitment fraud attempt, it is worth taking specific steps:

• inform the portal/social media administrators about the suspicious ad: especially when a given entrepreneur or employment agency is not listed in the registers indicated above or they require data in the offer that they are not entitled to possess, including when they aim to obtain a financial advantage. special reporting forms are used to report users or posts on social media, where you can mark fraud as the reason for violating the regulations. In the case of portals, it is worth contacting the customer service office or help department.
• inform the real entrepreneur: if you had contact with a person impersonating a company or employment agency employee, it is worth informing the real entrepreneur so they can implement preventive measures and warn other candidates.

if, unfortunately, it has happened that you fell victim to a scam and provided personal or bank data or financial resources to unauthorized persons, immediately block your documents and payment card, and inform your bank about the incident. This fact should also be reported to the police.

• start by blocking your id card at your bank or any other bank that accepts such reports. The bank will make the appropriate entry in the restricted documents system maintained by the Polish bank association.
• notify the police, as well as the municipal or city office, and get new documents.
• if your credit card numbers and cvv codes reached the scammers, block the card at the bank. you don't even have to look for your bank's hotline number; a call to the general emergency number of the card restriction system +48 828 828 828 is enough.

While looking for your dream job, remember that haste is a poor advisor. avoid ads promising easy and quick earnings without experience. Verifying the offer and the person making it can protect you from very severe consequences.