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Show Job seekers warned about overseas advertisements The Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) warns job seekers to be very wary of advertisements for overseas employment that involve in-volve upfront payment of fees. According to CBBB president James H. Mcllhenny, "Many ads placed in the "help wanted" sections sec-tions of newspapers appear to offer employment but merely sell stale or worthless information. Scam operators are using the news of U.S. companies winning construction contracts in the Gulf to bilk unemployed job seekers." "Job listing" companies often charge up to several hundred dollars for information they compile from public sources such as government listings or other newspaper ads. These companies often promise high pay and great benefits to people peo-ple with little experience or training. train-ing. Better Business Bureau (BBB) experience with listing firms generally gen-erally shows a pattern of complaints alleging the firms claim to have access to confidential employment opportunities when, in fact, lists were compiled from readily available sources. BBB's report that job seekers responding to some "Rebuild Kuwait" or "Jobs in the Gulf" ads are told there will be fees up to $95 simply for more information, job lists or resume preparation. The use of 900 telephone numbers to snare job seekers is also on the upswing. Recent calls to regular or toll-free numbers have been answered by recordings that give vague information and then tell callers to get more information by calling a 900 number. The charge for these 900-number calls have ranged from $3 per minute to $20 oer call. These calls may be especially deceptive in light of U.S. Depart ment of State reports that prospects for American workers finding jobs in Kuwait are "very dim." The pay for unskilled workers could be as low as $1.50 an hour and many local workers will be used. One major U.S. company operating in Kuwait reports it had only a limited number of openings for highly skilled technical employees and that it will not be hiring U.S. construction construc-tion crews. Mcllhenny advises, "Job seekers should check with their state's employment commission about prospects for overseas employment rather than pay a fee in advance to an unknown firm. Companies looking look-ing for employees to work overseas will usually publicize openings directly or go through state employment offices. ' ' He noted that applications filed with state employment offices will be given to employers seeking workers to help with reconstruction in the Gulf region. There is no charge for filing an application with state offices, the phone numbers for which can be found in the government govern-ment pages of the phone book under "employment" or "job services." The Department of Commerce Gulf Reconstruction Center serves as an information clearinghouse for businesses only. It does not handle employment requests. The Council of Better Business Bureaus offers these guidelines to persons seeking employment in the U.S. or abroad: Be wary of job li stingadvisory firms that advertise in the "help wanted" section of newspapers. Any ad under the "help wanted" heading should lead to a particular job opening or employment agency with openings. Some advisory companies that claim to offer refunds for unsuccessful unsuc-cessful clients insist that clients follow rigid requirements to qualify. qual-ify. Any deviation from the requirements re-quirements could be used as an excuse ex-cuse to deny a refund. If the service offers a periodic list of job openings, ask if the list is revised as openings are filled. Even though openings may be listed, some employers won't consider un solicited resumes or applications. If you are calling a 900 number, be sure you know precisely what the cost will be before you call and remember, despite knowing the cost of the call, you may still be paying for vague or worthless information. in-formation. Be wary of promises of positions posi-tions that offer high financial reward and benefits but seem to require re-quire little experience or training. Remember, no employment service can guarantee a job. Finally, check with your local Better Business Bureau for a reliability report on the company before paying any fees. The Council of Better Business Bureaus promotes ethical business practices and protects consumers through voluntary self-regulation and monitoring activities. The CBBB is supported through the membership of private business; it is not a government agency and is not supported by tax dollars. CBBB members include major businesses and 180 Better Business Bureaus in the United States. Programs Pro-grams include a self -regulatory mechanism to foster truth and accuracy ac-curacy in advertising; a mediationarbitration media-tionarbitration service for resolving consumer-business disputes; an advisory ad-visory service that sets standards for charitable organizations and distributes information about national soliciting organizations; consumer information services and voluntary industry guidelines for advertising and selling products and services. |