Why job seekers want a separate number
When you apply for jobs, your phone number spreads. It sits on your Indeed profile, on every CV you upload and in the inbox of every employer you apply to. Most of those people are fine. But job seekers are a favourite target for scam texts: fake recruiters offering remote work, interviews on chat apps, or tasks that end with a request for money or bank details.
A dedicated job-hunt number puts a wall around all of that. Messages about your applications arrive in one place, separate from family and friends. When you land a job, you can let the number lapse, and the spam goes with it.
Use a number you keep while you apply
A per-code number receives one verification and then it is done. That is fine for the code, but it is not a number an employer can text next week. If you put it on your profile, recruiters would be texting a number you can no longer read.
A rental solves this. It is a private non-VoIP number that is yours for the period you choose, with unlimited SMS in an inbox only you can see. Rent it for the expected length of your search, a month or three, and put that number on your Indeed profile and CV. Indeed's own codes and employers' texts both reach you.
Rentals receive SMS in your ASMS.ai inbox. If an employer prefers to call, give them another way to reach you, such as email, or arrange a time on a number you are happy to share.
Indeed verification and account security
Your Indeed account holds your CV, application history and contact details. If sign-in or recovery on your account can use an SMS code, then whoever controls the number can receive it. A free shared number has a public inbox, so do not use one on an account you rely on.
If you used a rental and your search is over, move the account back to a number you keep, or switch it to email-based sign-in, before the rental ends. That way a future verification does not go to a number that is no longer yours.
Indeed not sending verification code
If Indeed is not sending a verification code, check that the country selected next to the phone field matches the number. A US number needs +1, a UK number needs +44.
Next, the number may already be attached to another Indeed account, which is common with free shared numbers. A fresh private number avoids that. Also avoid pressing resend repeatedly: each request can replace the last code, and repeated requests may be slowed down for a while.
If Indeed declines the number type, follow the usual ladder. Try VoIP High Quality first, from $0.50, since a code that never arrives is refunded. If you job hunt in the UK, use a real +44 number. For a number Indeed and employers will both use, rent a private non-VoIP number.
Spotting scam texts while job hunting
Real employers rarely ask you to move to a chat app for the whole interview, pay for training or equipment, or share bank details before an offer. Treat any text like that as a warning sign, whichever number it reaches.
Indeed's own verification texts only contain a code to type into Indeed. Never read a code out to someone who contacts you, even if they say they are from Indeed or an employer. That is a common way accounts are taken over.
How to set it up
For a single code, sign in to ASMS.ai, top up your wallet, open the OTP page, pick Indeed and the US pool, and check the price and stock before paying. Paste the number into Indeed and read the code in your browser.
For the whole job hunt, rent a number on the Numbers page instead, then add it to Indeed and to your CV. If you rented by mistake, cancel between 5 and 120 minutes after renting, before any SMS arrives, for a refund.