How Much Should Job-Finding Apps Know About You?

Job-finding websites such as LinkedIn and Handshake were built for sharing information. Users share information with coworkers, prospective employees, and 3rd-degree connections in hopes of finding their dream job. Yet from a cybersecurity perspective, this practice puts job seekers at risk of sharing too much information and jeopardizing their online safety. If you want to be even safer while online, activate Anti-Hacking to protect yourself from malicious websites and phishing attempts:

Some job-finding apps require users to upload their resume in order to better connect them with job opportunities. On platforms such as LinkedIn, members can choose whether to upload a PDF of their resume as part of their summary. However, individuals that choose to do so should be careful about the exact information included in the uploaded resume. It is common practice to include an address, phone number, and email along the top line of a resume, but this information should never be shared freely online. If job seekers plan to upload their resume, they should be sure to delete this information before doing so.

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In the best case scenario, handing out your phone number and address online can result in spamming, which can be a nuisance. However, access to this information is more than enough to allow hackers to commit Internet fraud. While this information alone is not enough for fraudsters to commit financial theft, when combined with public records, searches can allow hackers to commit identity theft.

Careless with Company Information?

Job-finding apps are a common place to brag about new promotions, brokered deals, and financial successes. However, sharing this information online can often land you in trouble with your boss — and it’ll look bad to prospective employers. The amount of information that should be shared about a particular company online may vary by individual protocol. However, a good rule of thumb is to ask whether the information would prove advantageous to a competitor of your company. If the answer is yes, then it’s not something that should be shared. A role in an ongoing project or news of an upcoming expansion often fall into this category.

Financial Information

While employers will eventually need to ask for proprietary information — such as bank account numbers and Social Security numbers — this should be one of the last stages of the job-seeking process. In short, you should be standing in HR with a job offer in hand at this stage, not waiting for a callback interview. One way to guard against these bogus job ads is to verify the employee’s contact information — never reply to individuals who approach you under the name of a well-known company while using a third-party email address.