FAQs About e-Resumes: Part 2

By Sandra Lim, CPRW, CCM, CECC

This is a continuation of my article that appeared in the Spring issue of the Contact Point Bulletin, which described e-résumés and explained their role in an electronic job search. Step-by-step instructions on creating an e-résumé can be found through a chat transcript on coaching a client to convert a Word résumé to an e-résumé (www.abetterimpression.com), from my Web Portfolio.

If you have created an e-résumé, you may be wondering about confidentiality and privacy issues now that your personal information is floating around in cyberspace. These concerns will be addressed in this article, along with links to e-résumé resources. For those of you hoping to learn about Web résumés, they will be covered in an upcoming separate article along with a related topic, Web Portfolios.

Q: Should I be concerned about privacy when I post my e-résumé on an Internet job board?

A: Confidentiality and privacy issues are legitimate concerns, especially since cases of identity theft have been reported in the media – on February 27, 2003, Monster.com issued a “critical service message” by email to all active users stating that they had discovered that fake job postings had been used to gather and steal personal information from millions of unsuspecting job seekers.

This happens when someone posing as a prospective employer contacts you to offer you a job that may seem almost too good to be true, and just needs some additional details, such as your social insurance number, bank account numbers, and even your mother’s maiden name, for a “routine” background check. The identity thief then proceeds to drain your bank accounts, ring up credit card charges – ultimately wreaking havoc on your credit rating.

While the Internet has made access to job postings more convenient, it has also made the process of identity theft much easier. Although most job boards charge employers a fee to access candidates’ résumés, some job boards allow free access to résumés. This is practically an invitation for unscrupulous individuals to easily obtain full names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses. Using an unsuspecting job seeker’s résumé, an identity thief can take this information and assume that individual’s identity.

Furthermore, your résumé contains information that can jeopardize your personal safety – if someone is interested in harming you, they can find out your full contact information. Less serious (but annoying) consequences many job seekers face are being spammed with multi-level marketing offers.

Q: How can I protect my privacy when I post my e-résumé on an Internet job board?

A: Identity theft is the #1 Internet fraud, according to the FBI. Be vigilant with your personal information, and choose the job boards you use very carefully. Here are some important considerations that you should research before selecting a job board:

1) Does the site have a comprehensive Privacy Policy?
Look for a privacy policy, and READ IT before you register with a job board. The privacy policy should disclose the information that the site collects and what they do with it (i.e., sell or rent your email address, etc.) Your résumé provides a lot of very personal information, and you need to know how it will be used.

2) Do you have to register a profile or résumé before you can search through the jobs?
Be suspicious of a job board that won’t let you perform a job search before you register your profile or résumé. You need to evaluate the site first to determine if it has the jobs you want before you register.

3) Who has access to the database of résumés?
The privacy policy should tell you who has access to the résumés. In addition, you can check out the “employer” side of the job site to see how easy it is to gain access to the résumés. If access is free, or only a nominal fee is charged for access to the résumés, regard this as a red flag.

4) Can you limit access to your personal contact information?
The best job boards provide you with options to protect your contact information (name, e-mail address, street address, phone numbers, etc.). If you are currently employed, limiting access can help you protect your existing job.

Q: After selecting a job board that meets these criteria, are there any specific steps I can take to protect my privacy?

A: Remove your standard contact information: your name, address, phone numbers, business e-mail address (which shouldn’t be on your résumé anyway, because it gives the impression that you conduct personal business on company time), and your personal email address if it is associated with a detailed profile on you (as in yahoo, etc.) For job search purposes, sign up and use an email address that is less identifiable, yet professional – for example, jobdeveloper@hotmail.com. You can modify how you present your current position on your résumé to minimize potential risk to your existing job. For example, remove your current employer’s name and replace it with a descriptive phrase, such as “Multinational Information Technology Company,” instead of IBM. You can do the same with your position title – Canadian Computer Sales Manager could be replaced with “National Product Sales Manager.”

Q: Where can I learn more about e-résumés?

A: Here are a few resources to get you started:

Electronic Resumes & Online Networking, by Rebecca Smith, paperback, 224 pages, Career Press; 2nd edition, 2000.

e-Resumes: Everything You Need to Know About Using Electronic Resumes to Tap into Today’s Hot Job Market, by Susan Britton Whitcomb, Pat Kendall, paperback: 208 pages, McGraw-Hill Trade; 2001.

Wendy Enelow’s 1500+ Key Words for $100,000+ Jobs is useful for all job seekers, not just executives.

The Job Hunter’s Word Finder – a complete guide to other keywords and phrases.

Tapping the Power of Keywords to Enhance Your Resumé’s Effectiveness by Katharine Hansen.

Conclusion

At a time where e-résumés are becoming a form of ongoing communication between job seekers and potential employers, remember that in the electronic age, the most effective job search method is still networking… that is where a presentation résumé still comes in handy to give to a networking contact.

Sandra Lim, CPRW, CCM, CECC is a Certified Electronic Career Coach (CECC). Through her company, A Better Impression, she provides résumé and career counselling services to help her clients create a better impression. She can be reached at newcareer@abetterimpression.com.