No Stupid Questions

#1 rule on LinkedIn when responding to recruiters - ask them what the pay, benefits and hours are before providing anything other than what's on your public facing resume.

If the job offer is legit, they'll respond quickly with real numbers. If they throw up some BS like "competitive pay dependent on experience", then they're either a scammer or someone who doesn't have any real authority to actually hire you. They'll try to string you along so you're invested, and won't balk when you find out their offer is below market rate. If they're not up front in any way, or leave you hanging for basic information, let it go. They'll just waste your time and energy, or put you in an untenable situation where you won't be able to trust them if you do end up working for them.

Rushing your decisions is a common red flag in scams. I'd say it's probably enough of a red flag to stop talking with them. You can try to slow play things and if they continue to hound you then it's almost certainly a scam. They're probably going to do something like:

Ask you for money to purchase things you'll need for your job (MLM/pyramid scheme)

Give you a large cheque, ask you to cash it, give a certain amount of the cash to someone, and keep the rest for yourself (cheque fraud).

It might occasionally be legit that an employer needs you to apply quickly.

But EVERY scam will say this.

You might just let this one go.

I am a potential employer. Speaking on behalf of only myself, there are two reasons I may feel inclined to rush an applicant. If the unfilled position is causing hardship on operations or other team members (Like having someone having to fill the spot while I search) or if the intended start date falls towards the end of a current pay period. Because if the new hire doesn't have paperwork done by then it can slow down payroll for all of us.

I learned very quickly not to rush folks out of desperation, but honestly sometimes that does happen. It doesn't necessarily mean it's a terrible place to work. In my case our labor market is lacking viable applicants. It can sometimes take weeks or months before finding even a good interview. If I have somebody that hates overnights, but is working them to cover for a recent loss then you bet I will be motivated to fill the spot ASAP. It takes emotional control to make sure that doesn't turn into rushing the applicant.

These may not apply to your situation, but that's my two cents.

You know what, don't ignore your instincts. Everytime I did I regreted.

It's either a scam or a hellscape.

Dang, this reminds me of how genuinely helpful /r/Scams is and how we could develop an equivalent, thriving community here on Lemmy.

Anyway, vet the company and have a friend read the messages, or share them here. Do not do anything involving money (you should only be gaining it, not having to part ways with it), and the app sure as heck shouldn't ask for your SSN at this time.

I think it's a red flag because rushing you (without a valid, stated reason) is an attempt to override your instincts while pressuring you to take a certain action. Outside of safety-related situations, that kind of situation has never gone in my favor.