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Dear WAHFAQ,
I saw this job ad for a house manager, but something seems off. Can you tell me if it’s legit or not before I apply?
The job description itself seems fairly reasonable: the employer is looking for someone to help with housework, running errands, (most likely) child/family care, cooking, and assistance with events. Basically, it looks like a glorified job description for a housekeeper position.
And frankly, it is not unusual for well-to-do families to hire house managers to get daily chores and activities accomplished. What is unusual, however, is for those families to post on Craigslist. That is really the major red flag for me – where it is posted, not the information contained.
Think about this job ad from the poster’s perspective: If you have the type of lifestyle that requires “property manager” assistance – do you have the time to sit and go through emails, resumes, interview perspective candidates, contact references, and background checks? Probably not. Most likely, you’d seek the advice of the friends in your circle for references, or go through an agency to find people who are already pre-vetted.
I’ve seen scams looking for “house managers” that use this type of ad to draw people in. Then, once contact has been established, the prospective employee is required to provide their social security number, and other personal information for the hiring process. Which – for a regular job isn’t unusual – after all, the employer needs to pay wages and taxes. However, all of this is done sight-unseen. There is no in-person interview because the employer is “so busy”, there is no virtual interview, because the employer is “traveling” or has “spotty Internet”, (the excuses run the gamut), and really the whole process is set up to just get personal information from prospective candidates to commit identity theft. There is no job to begin with – just a trap to reveal personal information.
So, my verdict? Potential scam – just make sure you meet your prospective employers in person, and do research on them just as much as they’ll be doing on you. Don’t give out any personal information without doing your own due diligence!
If you’re interested in house manager type of work, I’d recommend finding local agencies that you can sign on with, or going through sites like care.com to create a profile and find work in your area.
Think about all the extra money you could make by being a mystery shopper, starting your own business, or working from home for a legitimate company. Take control of your income and check out our LEARN page for a list of classes, books, and more!
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