4 Tips for Protecting Your Personal Info During Your Job Search

Protecting your personal information is an increasing concern in today’s technology-driven job market. Information can be found and shared at alarming speeds, and with a rise in activity on job boards, there is also a rise in employment scams. However, there are some measures that can be taken in order to ensure you keep your private information under lock and key. Below are 4 tips on how to keep your personal information safe as you carry out your job search.

Know How to Spot a Scam

The Better Business Bureau has reported an increase in employment scams. It’s important to be aware of the signs and the strategies of job scammers in order to protect yourself during a job search. Be sure to only respond to emails from recruiters that come from a verified business domain. Professional emails coming from Yahoo or Gmail addresses are a red flag. Scammers will also create fake businesses as a front for stealing the information of their applicants. You can usually spot a fake business by doing some research online. Always remember to never give out information such as your social security number, birth date, or bank account numbers. You can read our article about job scammer strategies for more detail.

Don’t Include Personal Info on Your Resume

Even if you are only applying for a few jobs online, you never know where your resume will end up. This means it’s important to limit the amount of personal information you include yon your resume. Never include your full mailing address, as this information can be used in searches to access even more of your personal information. In order to limit the number of people who can see your resume, you can use online programs that require potential employers to click on a link in order to access it. This can help to keep your information more secure and to stop your resume from being automatically distributed to countless places across the web.

Screen In-Bound Calls

If your resume ends up in a resume database, you can expect to get a lot of phone calls. Many of these calls could be calls from scammers attempting to obtain your personal information. Be sure to always screen your calls so that you can verify that you are talking to an actual representative of an employer and not a scammer who has come across your resume. Ask questions about the job and the organization and verify the validity of what the person tells you. Be as sparing as possible with your personal details until later in the hiring process, after you have done your research and can verify that you are communicating with a real hiring professional.

Adjust Your Privacy Settings

Making use of privacy settings on social media is especially important when beginning a job search. You can use privacy settings on LinkedIN to limit the views on your resume or choose which information you want to make visible to users who are not in your network. You may consider hiding certain details such as names and contact details for your current employer. You can also hide your email address to limit who is able to contact your directly. This can help you to avoid being targeted with illegitimate job offers. Also be sure to utilize the privacy settings on your other social media profiles to make it more difficult for scammers to find you and access your personal information.

Searching for a job can make you and your personal information more vulnerable to scammers. More job activity means a wider abundance of employment scams, and they can sometimes be difficult to spot. However, knowing the signs and knowing which steps to take can help you navigate the job market while keeping your personal information safe.

Bradley Staffing Group is a full-service staffing firm based in Wayne, PA. We are committed to matching A-level talent with best-in-class businesses. We are known for placing excellent Executive Assistants. Our knowledgeable and well-trained staff brings a combined 70+ years of staffing experience to our clients and candidates alike. https://bradleystaffinggroup.com