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Safety in the Hiring Process

The hiring process has three main stages: the application, the interview(s), and finalization.

Below are some helpful tips on how to protect yourself against fraud throughout the hiring process. 

Application

During the application process, you will be submitting a resume (CV) and/or a cover letter to a prospective employer. 

  • Although you want to provide information about your qualifications, personal information should be kept to a minimum.
  • Give out your email address and telephone number at your own risk. You can communicate with an employer within the Chegg Internships platform, which allows you to avoid giving out any personal contact information.
  • Be mindful of whom you share additional information with as you progress to the interview stage.

Interviews

  • Virtual interviews should be conducted formally over a publicly listed phone number.
  • Be wary of online video interviews (such as Google Hangouts, Zoom, WhatsApp, Wire, or Skype) that are not associated with a publicly listed number or verified company email address. If employers request this type of interview, be sure to confirm the legitimacy of the account before accepting.
  • If you take the interview, make sure you can see the interviewer’s face live in real-time and that it matches with a public profile on LinkedIn or the company website. Even if the interviewer appears to have a legitimate LinkedIn profile, remain alert to the possibility that they could be impersonating company personnel.
  • If you suspect fraud, you may decide to reach out to the company via customer service to confirm the interviewer’s identity and verify that they have internship openings. Verifying the legitimacy of the employer is extremely important before finalizing employment.

Finalization

When you finalize your employment, you will be asked to do a number of things: verify your hours, provide contact information previously withheld, and discuss role expectations. 

  • At this point, continue to manage the security of your personal information: Do not provide your social security number directly to the employer and be careful when providing bank information.
  • Ensure you’re submitting any personal information on a private network with a strong password. You can also consider using a paid, personal VPN to protect your information.
  • There are alternatives to your social security number that can be provided for verification, like a passport.
  • For direct deposit, your employer may ask for a voided check. Only do this at an in-person internship. For a remote internship, do not provide bank account information directly to your employer.  Instead, go through a trusted third-party system or have the employer send a paper check.
  • Lastly, your employer should never ask you for payment. If they send you a check first for you to pay them back, this behavior is a strong indicator of fraud. Chegg Internships does not ask students to pay any fees on its platforms in order to help avoid fraud. 

Please be mindful throughout the hiring process and focus on maintaining the security of your personal information every step of the way. If you suspect a job is fraudulent, report it to the job search site itself (most sites have a “report fraud” button) or to IT/security. If you’re the victim of a phishing attack, change all your passwords immediately and keep an eye on your banking statements.