With the advances in technology, it is very easy for employers to find out all about you, simply by looking on social media platforms or at your resume. When job hunting, we also tend to put a lot of personal information on our applications, which could quite easily get into the wrong hands. It is important, therefore, to take care when job hunting and ensure your privacy is as protected as possible.

The Right Contact

It is important to be aware of who you are actually sending your resume to and whether it is a legitimate job. There are many free job posting sites and bogus employers will often advertise roles which don't actually exist; before you know it, they have all your contact details. Take a bit of time to find out more about the employer and whether they actually exist or not. Also, try to send your resume to a specific contact in the company. If you don't have this information to hand, you can usually find it out by using social media platforms such as LinkedIn.

Privacy Settings

Employers often check social media accounts to find out more information on candidates, so try to keep it as restrictive as possible. If there are inappropriate photos or offensive comments on your social media account, it might prevent you from being progressed to the next stage. If in doubt, check your privacy settings and make sure only your friends can view your content.

Limit Contact Information

Some social media platforms such as Facebook ask for personal details which include your telephone number. There is no need to have personal details like this on social media so try and stick to only the necessary contact information. The same applies to your resume; there is no need to put your date of birth, family member names or in fact, your full address. Employers don't really need to know exactly where you stay until they hire you, so stick to the minimum information such as the state.

Be Selective

Job hunting is a monotonous task and as tempting as it is to allow job sites to distribute your resume everywhere, this can put your privacy at risk. Only apply for jobs on sites that you know and trust; even then make sure your settings restrict where your resume can be posted. It is also a good idea to keep a note of the jobs you have applied for. In doing this, you will know it's not quite right if you get an unexpected call about a job you know nothing about.

Stay Safe

If you are job hunting and the job site asks for your passport number, bank account details or anything which there is no need for them to know, don't give it out! An employer will, of course, need to know these details if they hire you but they don't and shouldn't ask for them during the application process. If something doesn't seem right, it probably isn't, so be aware and safe with your privacy at all times.