8 Ways to Protect Your Privacy While Job Hunting

By Susan P. Joyce

There are bogus "job sites" interested only in collecting your personal information - no real jobs available.

They just have forms to complete with as much information as you will supply -- information that they will sell to spammers, identity thieves, or others, or misuse themselves.

There are also social networks that will collect as much information from you as possible.

Then, they sell it or simply make it available publicly to anyone who has access to your profile.

In addition, the scammers of the world have discovered that some legitimate job sites will allow "employers" to search through the resume/applicant database (for free or for a fee).

These "employers" subsequently make and keep copies of resumes. (More information about Job Scams.)

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If you have a job, protecting your privacy also protects your paycheck.

Employers don't trust employees who are looking to work elsewhere, and, at a minimum, you could have a very uncomfortable discussion with your boss.  At worst, you could be fired.  Yes, it is legal for an employer to fire someone for job hunting in the USA, in most situations.

So be cautious where you post your resume and what you reveal in social media about your intentions to find a new job!

How to Protect Your Privacy in Your Online Job Search

Here are eight methods of protecting your privacy while conducting an online job search:

1. Limit the personal contact information you make available online.

When completing a social media profile (like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) or posting your resume in an open place where millions of people may see it, limit the personal contact information (location, phone numbers, email address) on your resume.

Note: LinkedIn allows you to make contact information like your email address and phone number visible. Particularly when you are in a job search, providing your non-work email address (like a Gmail address) is a very good idea. Read To Be Hired, Be Reachable - How to Safely Publish Your Contact Information on LinkedIn for more information.

Job-Hunt's "Cyber-Safe Resume" article shows you what information to make public and how to make it public while minimizing the opportunity for identity theft or other bad result.

Yes, limiting your contact information may make you a little more difficult for a recruiter or employer to reach you, but the impact is minimal if you do it the right way (Cyber-Safe). Carefully providing limited contact information also makes you look more Internet-savvy, and it protects you and your family. Your choice.

2. NEVER share your real birth date on social media or a job board!

Someone interested in hiring you should not be asking for details that will tell them how old -- or young -- you are.

Your birth date is a key piece of information for identity theft. Omitting the year is not sufficient -- the year is easily guessed.

Someone interested in stealing your identity currently needs little more than your name, contact information, and -- most importantly -- your birthdate!

If you have already shared your birthday online, go back to where you have published it and take the following actions:

• Delete the birthdate information if possible.
• Change it to a completely fictional date - the month, day, and year! Omitting or changing the year of your birth will NOT make your birthday safe.
  
  Instead, if completing the date is required, choose another date that is memorable for you. I have a friend who always chooses January 1, 1901. Perhaps there is another date that is easy for you to remember (wedding anniversary, spouse's birthday, parent's birthday, child's birthday, etc.), and you can use that date because you may need to remember your "birthday" to confirm that you "own" the account or social media profile.
• If you cannot delete the birthdate, make it "private" if you can. But, don't assume that changing the status to private will be solid protection. Be sure to change the date to something fictional.

Yes, you may receive fewer birthday greetings, but that's not a big loss in comparison with being a victim of identity fraud.

3. Be picky about where you post your resume or the information you make "public" on a social network.

(See Job-Hunt's "Being Smart About Choosing a Job Board" article for help.)

Post your resume only where you are reasonably sure it will be protected, at a site with your preferred employers or the best job listings for you. Focus on posting at a few really good sites rather than many mediocre sites.

Don't post your birthday, the town where you were born, or your mother's maiden name on any social network. If they require your birthdate, use a fictional date as recommended above..

Most social networks, including Facebook have privacy settings. Use those to protect your sensitive information, and check them regularly to see if they have changed.

4. When the option is available, choose to limit access to your complete resume, unless you are using the cyber-safe version of your resume.

Most job sites allow you to choose the level of visibility for your resume. The levels can include:

• Completely open. Anyone (job seeker and employer/recruiter) can see your complete resume. This is the least secure, and least desirable, option. Avoid these sites, or be sure to use the cyber-safe version of your resume if you feel you must use a site like this.
• Searchable by "employers" only. Employers/recruiters, or anyone willing to pay the fee for access to the resume database, will see your full resume. Good for marketing your skills and experience to employers, but don't take the risk unless you are using the cyber-safe version of your resume with your contact information disguised or deleted ("cyber-safe").
• Semi-private, searchable but with your contact information blocked by the job site. Employers/recruiters (or anyone willing to pay) can see everything on your resume, except your contact information. If a potential employer is interested in you, the job site notifies you about the employer's interest so that you can contact the employer. Good for marketing your skills and experience and good for your privacy, too! Use the cyber-safe version of your resume here, too, just to ensure that your contact information is safe.
• Private, your resume is excluded from the searchable resume database. This provides you with the most security and privacy, but doesn't allow an employer to find you. It would be the safest option for someone who is employed and protecting his or her job.

5. Keep a log of where and when you posted your resume on a job site or employer Web site.

The log doesn't need to be fancy; just effective. A hand-written list with the date and site will work. If possible, keep track of which version of your resume you posted (helpful for updating and tracking contacts). It will also enable you to end your job search after you land your new job. (See Keeping Track of Your Job Search for more tips.)

6. Don't use resume distribution services!

You completely lose control of your resume, whether it is distributed via e-mail or posted to a number of Web sites. You don't know who has it or what they might do with it, and it makes you look desperate and/or inexperienced.

7. NEVER provide your Social Security Number, your bank account number, or your mother's maiden name to anyone approaching you about a potential job.

A person with a copy of your non-cyber-safe resume and your Social Security Number has everything they need to steal your identity - the #1 fraud, according to the FBI. Don't help them by providing that last bit of information. There is no reason to include your SSN on your resume!

Many credit card issuers use your mother's maiden name as a "password" identifying you to them, so someone with that name can access your credit card accounts (to get cash, etc.).

If a stranger approaches you (via phone, e-mail, or regular mail) claiming to need a little more information to do an employment "background check," "prescreening," or something similar, and asks you for your Social Security Number or your mother's maiden name, do not give it to them. This approach has been used by identity thieves to collect information from victims.

In general, the safest time to provide anyone with your Social Security Number is only when you are completing an IRS form at the employer's physical location, after you have accepted their job offer. Your SSN may, very rarely, be needed for a background check, but few employers spend the time/money for a background check on an applicant who has not been interviewed.

If the request feels "fishy" to you, follow your instincts, and don't provide the information they are requesting.

8. Look for, and READ, Web site privacy policies!

If the site does not have a privacy policy, do not use the site! There are thousands of job sites - find another one. Read job site privacy policies!

NOTE: a privacy seal (e.g. TRUSTe) does NOT mean that a site is "safe" to use unless, when you click on the seal, you go to a page specifically about the website you are considering. If you go to the TRUSTe or BBBonline home page, the seal may not be current or even used legitimately.

For example, and we don't think this problem is limited to just one or two sites, Monster is arguably a very major employment super site. However, on 9-5-2001, Pam Dixon compiled a serious report on Monster's privacy practices that, if accurate, indicated very bad practices. So, if you choose to use ANY job site, be VERY careful! Follow Job-Hunt's cyber-safe resume guidelines, use a 3rd party e-mail address, and be extremely cautious about any personally identifiable information you share with any job site.

Don't Be Discouraged, But DO Be Careful!

Being Smart About Choosing a Job Board is something to be approached very carefully. Read that Job-Hunt article before you start posting your resume at any job sites.

More About Being Safe Online in Your Job Search

• 5 Types of Online Job Scams
• 9 Characteristics of a Job Scam
• Scam Jobs Sniff Test
• Quiz: How Scam/Phish Proof Are You?
• Quiz Solution