Guest Author - J. Lynn

Many of us have applied for jobs online and in doing so; we may be putting our safety at risk. If you ever searched for a job, found one that interested you in an online database and uploaded it without editing personal information, your name, phone number and address as well as any other information included could be used by less than scrupulous people for their own purposes.

Identity theft is on the rise and with the popularity of the Internet; criminals are getting more and more creative when it comes to finding their prey. In February, Choice Point notified California residents that more than 30,000 people that their personal information had been compromised, adding later that the true total included more than 150,000 people nationwide. Last week, LexisNexis revealed that their databases had been hacked and were forced to send letters informing more than 280,000 people that their information was compromised. More than 20 million people have been victims of identity theft over the past 5 years.*

With large corporations feeling the sting of identity theft and security issues, job searches face a serious dilemma. Do they withhold information and risk a hiring manager ignoring their resume or do they post their complete resume and hope that it stays in the right hands? It’s really a no brainer; above all else protect your safety and the safety of your family.

There are things that you can do to protect yourself and still remain a top candidate for hiring managers.

1) When you find a job that fits your skills, apply directly on the company website. Most companies have forms for this purpose and it doesn’t require you to make your resume public.

2) If you are forced to submit your resume in a database that remains online with or without security measures, do not include your home address or telephone number on your resume. Rather than use your full name, use your first initial and last name and provide an email address and cell phone number for contact information. Most cell phone numbers do not appear in telephone directories and that makes it that much more difficult for a criminal to track you down and steal your identity. You should also note on your resume-in small print, please- that you are withholding information for security purposes. In this day and age, most managers can respect the need for privacy.

3) NEVER include your social security number on any documentation on the Internet. Never include credit references or any identifying details for other references other than their first name and last name initial. You can also note that you are withholding that information for security purposes, but that you will supply upon request if needed.

Above all else, use common sense when hunting for a job via the Internet. Put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes and provide enough information for them to contact you, learn of your experience, but not enough for someone to assume your identity. When in doubt, contact the company personally and find out how you can safely forward your resume to them either by business email address or private fax. The identity theft criminals are getting smarter everyday and we have to keep one step ahead of them.