KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- The job market is slim, so searching for anything to bring in a pay-check may be tempting. But, how do you know the offer is legitimate?

The local job experts give you advice on how to avoid the scams.

Hope and maybe even desperation can cloud your judgment, when it comes to the job hunt, but you're not alone, and with a high unemployment rate, you can quickly become a target for employment scams.

A quick internet search, online job postings, advertisements for employment; It can be a dizzying process, when the jobs are limited.

"You have to be careful there, because we want to believe, we want to believe there's something out there we can do," says Terry Callahan, manager of the Blount County Career Center.

Callahan has heard the horror stories from the hunt for a job, so he decided to see for himself what the so-called offers were like online.

Callahan says, "Some of the websites have literally thousands of jobs in a local area, that we all know don't exist." "And, sure enough I was bombarded with all kinds of, what we call spam, because it all goes to my junk email folder."

Callahan says avoid requests for anything up-front, "We're all aware of the up-front money, you buy a kit, or you have to buy this." Or even asking for email addresses and other personal information for you, and even your references.

Craigslist.com has a "scam alert" page when you enter the job section of the website, because of the number of bogus ads.

Callahan says, "Never, again, apply with anybody that represents an employer, they won't tell you who they are."

But, a business, like Skyco Staffing Services, will investigate that potential employer for you.

Dena Flatt, Skyco Operations Manager, says, "We have better sources to check out all of these companies."

Flatt works to find temporary, and some permanent jobs daily, and she says, "Trying to place them, even if it's just a few hours a day, just something. People are just desperate."

"I think the most common thing is 'I'll take any job, I'll do anything right now,'" says Callahan.

Callahan says the best thing you can do to find a job, is be open. That may mean taking a job outside of your field, extending your commute, or even moving.

But there are legitimate sources available to help you find a job, including checking out a business on the Better Business Bureau's WEBSITE.