It’s no longer effective to run to every company with paper resumes and queue up to meet HR managers. As the internet has become main means of communication, we use it more frequently than anything else. The staff recruitment is one of those spheres that is also getting intertwined with the World Wide Web. That is why, everything you need to have a chance to apply for a job is to sign up for any recruitment website and share your personal information. Once you do it, you are open to various companies and employers. However, is this option safe enough as many of us think and has it prepared for us any traps?
Undoubtedly, job hunt usually makes us worried and sometimes even panicky about our future. Therefore, to be hundred-per-cent sure that you have gained a foothold in the employment marketplace, you, firstly, put your resume on as many recruitment websites as possible. Secondly, to have a competitive advantage in the overcrowded marketplace you create unique resumes for different job opportunities. The steps you make seem to be right, but you have forgotten about security.
Spreading your personal data such as your address, phone number and employment history is equated to the situation when you enter a room full of strangers and start talking about where you live, how to get to your house etc. No recruitment website provides you with a complete privacy because it is not immune to break-in. For instance, one of the renowned recruitment companies Monster was hacked in 2007. Passwords, telephone numbers, usernames and email addresses of nearly 4.5 million people were stolen.
The more sites you are registered in, the more chances are that one of them will suffer a breach. It means that you may change your password or login, though the resume can’t be changed, because once you share it, it is available for any person. Consequently, in case of posting different resumes, you spread more confidential information.
It would be logical then to delete your profile after getting a job. Even though you can remove your resume from the recruitment site, you are not able to empty the whole web of your personal data. Unfortunately, the process of information flow is not taken under control. You never know whether an employer saved your resume for further review or shared it with his colleagues. What really depends on you is the amount of information you give. Usually such websites encourage clients to complete their profiles with personal information that sometimes is not related to job hunt. However, it is for you to decide how broad will be the autobiography described.
As far as client’s choice concerned, recruitment websites offer you social login. It means that you don’t need to create one more password and username. Instead, you may use your Facebook or Google profile to easily get to your account on the site. On the one hand, it saves time and releases you from additional burden of passwords. On the other hand, your personal data is exposed to some kind of manipulation. When you authorize the website to login with any of your social network profiles, you build a bridge between these two.
As a result, the recruitment website can use the information, for example, from your Facebook profile. Your life becomes a product to sell to advertisers.
For one, they create a shadow profile of yours that includes not only the information from the recruitment website you are registered in, but from your other accounts. And it’s not a surprise, if you didn’t know about that before. In addition to this, some shadow profiles consist of the details that are placed on your friend’s profile. Thus, it is important to be not very eloquent in any social network, because the consequences can surpass your expectations.
Since the internet has taken over the world, you, probably, suspect that recruiters google candidates and give careful consideration to what kind of information you share on your social media profiles. They do so. What’s more, usually they make their decision on whether to offer you job or not according to their “investigation” rather than your resume. Therefore, every time you want to tell the world “what’s on your mind”, remember how it can influence your job prospects.
Anyway, it is better when the real recruit agent looks at your resume. As the online job hunt prevails, there are many occasions of employment fraud. It is widespread across the world, because with the internet you have an opportunity to work from home while the company you are working in is situated a million miles away. Thus fraudsters snatch at a chance: they contact you, offer you a job that will from time to time require traveling.
They can also interview you by the phone and give you a link to company’s website for further information. Everything seems to be real. The tricky part starts with fee payment for a visa, an accommodation that you will need abroad and some other arrangements. After that, they ask you to give your bank account details for salary transfer and your money go directly to the fraudsters.
All the issues described above are serious and most of them are inevitable if you are looking for a job online. In spite of the issues, there are several tips that can help you to avoid to some extent the uncontrolled personal data dispersal.
- First of all, fill your resume only with relevant information and do not get into details in your recruitment website profile to secure your private life.
- Second of all, check Privacy Policy of the site you intend to put your resume. In this document, you will read how the website is going to use your data. In such a way, you will be able to choose the platform with best security environment. Since the safety conditions are reliant on yourself too, take note of the content of your social network profiles.
- Finally, don’t let scammers prosper. If an employer contacts you, check thoroughly the official records or documents of the company. Following these pieces of advice, not only will you find a desired job, but also your private space will be protected against any incidents.
Be mindful online!
