Overwhelmed with unsolicited job applications - who are they from? Thread poster: Wendy Cummings
|
|---|
Wendy Cummings 
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:37
Spanish to English
+ ...
I am a freelancer, and never outsource work. Since May I have received 125+ job application emails from translators, offering a wide range of language combinations, and all seemingly genuine applications. They all have a cover letter and an attached CV, sometimes .pdf sometimes .doc. There is sufficient detail and information to make it all seem genuine. The content of the emails is always different, as are the CVs. However they all come from Yahoo, Hotmail or Google addresses, and they all use ... See more I am a freelancer, and never outsource work. Since May I have received 125+ job application emails from translators, offering a wide range of language combinations, and all seemingly genuine applications. They all have a cover letter and an attached CV, sometimes .pdf sometimes .doc. There is sufficient detail and information to make it all seem genuine. The content of the emails is always different, as are the CVs. However they all come from Yahoo, Hotmail or Google addresses, and they all use more or less the same format for the subject line (Language Language Translator).
I have just done a mass mail to them and not a single one has replied. At least 6 have so far been "undeliverable".
Is this the oddest scam ever?
I do not know where they obtained my address or why they think i can offer them work. Whoever 'they' are.
Has anyone else had this issue? Whilst seemingly harmless (they are not asking for money) it is nevertheless beyond a joke and cluttering up my inbox every single day.
Wendy ▲ Collapse
| | | | Natalie
Poland
Local time: 12:37
Member (2002)
English to Russian
+ ...
MODERATOR SITE LOCALIZER | Raffi Jamgocyan
Türkiye
Local time: 13:37
Member (2012)
English to Turkish
+ ...
You could try googling your email address and see if it comes up anywhere that you did not provide.
| | | | | Even I get these mails | Jul 4, 2013 |
Yes, even I am facing this problem. I wondered sometimes as to where they got the mailing address from.I think it is some sort of automated system that is sending all the mails - otherwise who would write intentionally to a freelancer in India asking for translation work in any European language? .
| | |
|
|
|
Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 16:07
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
I too get at least two such mails a day, and I simply trash them as I am not an outsourcer at all.
| | | | | This poor industry | Jul 4, 2013 |
Have compassion for colleagues who can't find gainful employment! ... And have to spam mailboxes of not only agencies but also fellow translators perceived as potentially having some workload to share.
At the same time, enjoy the feedback. Receiving such a request means that someone has judged you to be a successful translator of good standing in the community and perhaps a worthy prospective part-time employer (client). You can look at it in a similar light to mentorship request wh... See more Have compassion for colleagues who can't find gainful employment! ... And have to spam mailboxes of not only agencies but also fellow translators perceived as potentially having some workload to share.
At the same time, enjoy the feedback. Receiving such a request means that someone has judged you to be a successful translator of good standing in the community and perhaps a worthy prospective part-time employer (client). You can look at it in a similar light to mentorship request when you aren't open to mentoring other translators.
You know... half full and all!
Oh, and congratulations on being judged so by your colleagues from the other side of the world, thousands of miles away! ▲ Collapse
| | | |
Raffi Jamgocyan wrote:
You could try googling your email address and see if it comes up anywhere that you did not provide.
And I found that those spam are sent to my old email address (which is now forwarded to the new one), it is only present in the ATA directory, so apparently it was caught there.
[Edited at 2013-07-04 15:19 GMT]
| | | | | I truly believe that these are spamming/hacking attempts | Jul 4, 2013 |
I get them all the time, and I don't truly believe that they are genuine applications, at all. I do receive from time to time some genuine ones, though, (mainly local, or regional), but you can easily tell the difference. As I am essentially a freelancer and I don't usually outsource, I ignore them all.
To me, they just get our mails from about anywhere in the web, and if you reply, they get to access or hack into your list of contacts, and the net widens...so I don't think it is ac... See more I get them all the time, and I don't truly believe that they are genuine applications, at all. I do receive from time to time some genuine ones, though, (mainly local, or regional), but you can easily tell the difference. As I am essentially a freelancer and I don't usually outsource, I ignore them all.
To me, they just get our mails from about anywhere in the web, and if you reply, they get to access or hack into your list of contacts, and the net widens...so I don't think it is actually smart to respond to these mails. After I marked them as spam, they more or less stopped or trickled down to just a few per month, no further deluge.
My advice is, treat them as you would any other spam mail. ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
FrenchPhD
Canada
Local time: 06:37
French to English
+ ...
| It's just hard times | Jul 9, 2013 |
I don't think there is any scam here, just people exchanging email lists of people in the industry, trying desperately to get their name out there, to get work. I've had this problem for about a year. I just delete them, or if they look great, save them (gmail) in case I need to find a collaborator, which is rare.
| | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Overwhelmed with unsolicited job applications - who are they from? | Anycount & Translation Office 3000 | Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.
More info » |
| | Trados Business Manager Lite | Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio
Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
