Hi Reader,

The other day someone told me about the “perfect” job.

Good salary. Nice team. Close to home.

She’d spent a bunch of time reworking her resume. Yet she’d spent exactly zero seconds researching the employer.

Which is strange.

Because there’s a government website called Employer Data Explorer that quietly publishes a report card on thousands of Australian companies. Most people have never heard of it.

Think of it like a nutrition label for employers. Except instead of sugar and carbs, you see things like pay gaps, parental leave, flexible work and leadership diversity. In other words, the stuff that actually affects your life.

So I tried an experiment.

I looked up a Physiotherapist job at Aegis in Perth. Nice ad. Friendly team. Meaningful work. Conveniently located near IKEA.

So, let's look at what's hiding in the data.

First thing I notice is the workforce. More than five thousand employees, and about eighty-six percent are women. Not surprising in aged care.

But here’s the interesting part: most of the managers are women too. Which means women aren’t just doing the frontline work — they’re actually running the place.

Next question.

Pay.

The gender pay gap is basically zero. Across Australia it’s usually well into double digits, so on the pay front this looks fair.

Flexibility is a different story. They say it exists, but when you dig deeper it’s mostly time-in-lieu, purchased leave and unpaid leave. No hybrid work, no remote work — which makes sense when your job involves helping residents move, walk and recover.

Parental leave is five weeks paid. Not spectacular. Not terrible. Most staff return after having children, which is usually a decent signal about how supportive the workplace actually is.

One last stat caught my eye.

The governing board is mostly men, even though the workforce is mostly women. Classic.

Here’s the lesson.

Job ads are marketing.

But this database? It’s the nutrition label. And it takes about thirty seconds to check.

Before you apply for your next job, look them up.

You might learn more in five minutes than you will in three interviews.

~Lisa

Your Q&A

“Helpful Recruiter” Who Wanted $249

Hi Lisa,

I saw your response to Will in last week's newsletter and wanted to share a scam job I started to be lured into. A Talent Acquisition Manager found me on Indeed and requested my resume and cover letter for a Sales Director position.

Within 90 minutes, she had shared my application with the hiring team and they were impressed. It’s the fastest response I’ve ever had to an application.

Then things got weird. When I asked for the specific feedback she mentioned, she suddenly said my resume scored “low 30s” in the ATS and needed a lot more work than she first thought. That's after saying everybody was impressed by it. She directed me to a website to pay for a resume and cover letter update service, totaling $249.

I just wanted to share so others don’t fall for it, because with AI now involved, the communication is sharp and feels very real.

Kelly

Hi Kelly,

Nice catch.

The recruiter whose name appears on that email — Adrienne Fragomeni — is actually a real person. Real job. Real LinkedIn profile. The scammers have simply scraped her details and are impersonating her, which is why the message looks legitimate at first glance.

But the real trick isn’t the fake identity.

Scammers have figured out the single biggest frustration job seekers have: nobody replies to applications, and almost nobody gives feedback. So they offer both. First the praise about your experience and sales results. Then a little constructive feedback about how your resume could be stronger. Then the helpful solution.

And that solution just happens to cost $249.

There’s also a very simple red flag sitting in the message: the email address. A Senior Talent Acquisition Manager supposedly recruiting for a Sales Director role isn’t doing it from a Gmail account. Nor are they randomly offering resume coaching to strangers on Indeed. That’s just not how corporate hiring works.

My other concern is what information scammers now have when someone sends their resume. In many cases, that document contains your full name, phone number, email address and maybe even your full home address. If you've got a really old resume, it might have your date of birth, visa status and more.

That’s enough personal data to try other scams later.

Job scams are getting more sophisticated. AI has made the writing sharper and the messages more believable. But the playbook hasn’t changed.

Offer hope. Offer feedback. Then charge for the fix.

Thanks for sending this one in.

~Lisa

Get in Contact

To ask me a question about resumes or job searching, reply to this email. If it’s a standout question, I might share my thoughts in future newsletters.

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This information is for general purposes and doesn't consider your individual circumstances. It serves educational goals and isn't formal career advice. Always seek personalized guidance tailored to your needs.

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