Breaking the Myths for Online Job Hunting

Here's some good advice from Job-hunt.org.

Marlborough, MA (AHN) – Online recruiting and job hunting are rapidly growing across the Internet. Identity theft and other scams targeted at job seekers are rising as a significant problem. Job seekers should take full advantage of the Internet during their search, but they should do so with caution. The following are the biggest misconceptions online job seekers make:
1. Every Web job site can be trusted with your resume.

2. A website that has posted a Privacy Policy is one you can trust.

3. Your current employer will never find your resume online, or if they do, they won't be upset.

4. It's okay to put your Social Security Number, date of birth, and references on your resume.

5. It's okay for a website to require or request your Social Security Number with your resume.

6. Every job posting represents a genuine job opportunity.

7. If you submit your resume on an employer's website, only that employer will see it.

8. Every job site is able to ensure that only a "real employer" posts job opportunities and can search through the resume database.

9. A website that offers "employers" free access to their resumes is doing you a favor.

10. Legitimate "employers" will e-mail you for "pre-employment"
information to "qualify" you for a job -- information like a copy of
your driver's license, your Social Security Number, date of birth,
mother's maiden name, and bank account number or credit card numbers.

11. If you send an e-mail message to someone, they always receive it or you receive a notification if they don't; and if someone sends an e-mail to you, you always receive it.

12. You can believe that the address in the "From:" field of an e-mail
message is the person and/or organization that sent it.

Employment seekers can reduce the risks associated with these assumptions by being less trusting and using an identity-suppressed resume, as described in "Cyber-Safe" resumes, http://www.job-hunt.org/resumecybersafe.shtml.