The rise of job search websites has made it easier than ever to get your candidate’s resume in front of potential employers. But, there are some risks that come with sharing your personal information and contact details online.
To help you out, we’ve put together this list of precautions your candidates can take to ensure they don’t fall victim to online scams when applying for jobs.
1. Take care when sharing personal information
While it’s necessary to share some of your personal details when you’re looking for a job and posting your resume online, there is some information you should always omit. Fraudsters require sensitive information, such as your date of birth, address, national insurance number, or bank details, to succeed. So, none of these should be posted anywhere online.
Fraudsters have been known to post fake job advertisements on legitimate websites in an effort to access applicants’ personal details. So, the only contact information you should include is an email address. Then, if any supposed employers get in touch asking for sensitive information, you should proceed with caution. The best course of action is to forward the communication to the job site that’s been used, and warn them that they may want to take the listing down.
2. Vet job-search websites thoroughly
You should research every recruitment website thoroughly before you sign up and upload your resume to their databases. When you’re looking for a job, it can be tempting to join every platform possible to avoid missing opportunities. However, they certainly aren’t created equal, which means you should do some background checks and read people’s reviews of their experiences before creating an account.
3. Use the most appropriate privacy settings
Once you’ve identified some job sites that are reputable, sign up and review your account’s privacy settings before uploading your resume. The best sites to use are those that allow you to choose whether you would like to display your resume publicly, hide some of your information, or keep the entire thing private until you find a job you’re interested in applying for. If any of the websites you’ve picked out don’t give you this option, it might be worth giving them miss as it’s best not to have all of your details online for everyone to see.
4. Create a job search email address
When searching for a job online, the first step to keeping yourself safe is setting up a separate email address that you’ll only use for this purpose. Not only will this help to keep all of your shopping and social media accounts associated with your personal address safe, it will also help to keep your primary inbox free of spam.
5. Be wary of offers you receive by email
When your contact details are available online, there’s always a risk that scam artists will use this to their advantage. They may do this by offering you jobs and interviews, or by telling you they’re interested and asking for more of your personal information.
If you’re ever unsure about an opportunity you’ve been offered or doubt the authenticity of any communications you’ve received, don’t answer them and report the job listing in question to the website you found it on.
If your candidates take all of these precautions, they should avoid falling victim to any scams caused by uploading their resumes to job search sites. Plus, they’ll avoid wasting time on empty opportunities, and only make positive steps toward creating a successful career for themselves.
About the author: David Brock is the Managing Director at LetUsFixIT, a computer support and security company that offers advice and protection from some of the dangers you can face online.
