Shortlist scam

I am thrilled, honored, and excited... or maybe I'm excited, thrilled and honored in that order -- to announce I have been shortlisted by Manage HR Magazine for their "Top One On One Executive Training Services 2026."

I received notification -- twice -- by senior relationship associate Jennifer Rhodes that this distinction was "based on nominations from our readership and a detailed review by our editorial board and industry specialists, who were impressed by your company’s impactful work."

The letter says the magazine reaches over 129,000 qualified print and digital subscribers in the HR profession.

Oh, and then there is this part: they're offering me the opportunity to leverage this shortlist distinction with usage rights, a logo and "other benefits" for $3,000.

<cough>

Of course, this letter is a total scam. 

I Googled "Jennifer Rhodes" at "Manage HR." There is no such person. I visited the Manage HR website and the entire content consists of HR people from all over the world who seem to have been duped into paying money to appear on the site. There is no masthead. There is no personnel mentioned anywhere.

Forward this post to any colleagues, clients or friends who receive these pseudo-honors from questionable organizations and magazines like this one. If you receive an award offer from somebody who does not have "editor" in their title, it's almost certainly a pay-for-play ruse.