{"id":36842,"date":"2020-08-31T09:23:44","date_gmt":"2020-08-31T13:23:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?post_type=emagazine&p=36842"},"modified":"2023-07-17T05:03:55","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T09:03:55","slug":"privacy-job-hunting","status":"publish","type":"emagazine","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/privacy-job-hunting\/36842\/","title":{"rendered":"Job hunting with privacy could be the secret of your success"},"content":{"rendered":"

Job hunting has become an almost public activity, but it doesn\u2019t need to expose you and your data.<\/p>\n

70 percent of employers look candidates up on social media sites, and 66 percent look for them using search engines<\/a>, a 2018 CareerBuilder survey found. Employers checked candidates\u2019 online presence was consistent with their resume and looked for dodgy photographs, among other things. But when employers couldn\u2019t find a candidate online, nearly half said they\u2019d be less likely to invite that person to interview.<\/p>\n

When you apply for roles, you share your personal information with potential employers. But you\u2019ll also need to share it with job posting websites, networking sites and recruiting agencies.<\/p>\n

These four steps will protect your job-hunt privacy and reduce the risk of identity theft. But doing them can also make your job search easier and more effective.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It helps make sure the right people see your resume and protects your job search activities from anyone who doesn\u2019t need to know, like a current employer.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0 Create a separate email address for job searching<\/h2>\n

The more you share your email address, the more likely you\u2019ll receive spam. It\u2019s not just annoying, spam is often used as a way to \u2018phish\u2019 information<\/a>, and these emails can look like an official email from a potential employer.<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Secure Futures<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

What's coming next?<\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/header>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Be first to find out what\u2019s happening in tech, leadership and cybersecurity.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tStay ahead<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n

Include your separate email address on your resume and use it only when job searching. As well as protecting your primary email address, you\u2019ll find it easier to keep track of your applications.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019d rather have everything in one inbox, consider email forwarding. Make an alias email (or several) and set up the accounts to forward to your primary email address. You don\u2019t need your own domain, although it\u2019s useful to have one to build your brand. You can create aliases in Outlook or Gmail.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0 Make your usernames unique<\/h2>\n

While the importance of unique, complex passwords<\/a> is often mentioned, the importance of unique usernames is overlooked. Most people have two usernames they continuously reuse<\/a>, often simply adding digits, such as their birthday, to new usernames.
\n\"privacyReusing a username makes you easier to identify online. Arizona State University researchers were able to identify two-thirds of users by comparing their usernames in different online communities<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To help prevent potential employers coming across your personal accounts, vary your usernames or, at least, use a different one for personal and professional accounts.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0 Whenever you give out information, read the privacy policy<\/h2>\n

Before you apply for a job, find out about the organization\u2019s privacy practices. How do they handle candidates\u2019 data? Do they collect information from third parties? How long will they keep your data?<\/p>\n

Search for news about an organization\u2019s privacy practices and take frequent data breaches or public criticism of their practices as \u2018red flags.\u2019 <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

You should also do the same when dealing with recruitment agencies. Expect to see differences in privacy policy between them. For example, Volt agency keeps your data for 24 months<\/a> while Jam Recruitment stores your data for seven years<\/a>.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0 Prevent businesses from sharing your data<\/h2>\n

Organizations are increasingly collecting data about their potential and actual employees. An Accenture study across 13 countries found 62 percent of businesses use new sources (such as on-sold wearable tech, app or social media data) to collect information about the workforce. Still, only 30 percent of executives believe their organization is highly responsible in using the data<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Companies may still be able to use your data even if you didn\u2019t land a job with them, or you quit awhile back. Check your privacy settings on sites like LinkedIn to make sure you\u2019re not allowing them to share your data.<\/p>\n

Depending on where you or the organization is, you may be able to delete your data. For example, Europeans can do this under the General Data Protection Regulation<\/a> (GDPR) and California residents under the California Consumer Privacy Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These four steps help protect your privacy, but also make your job search more effective and organized. Taking charge of your data helps make sure you make a good impression with the right people. Good luck with your search for the right role.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An online profile is vital when seeking work, but maintaining your privacy can further boost your job search.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2602,"featured_media":36843,"template":"","coauthors":[3835],"class_list":{"0":"post-36842","1":"emagazine","2":"type-emagazine","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"emagazine-category-data-and-privacy","7":"emagazine-category-opinions","8":"emagazine-tag-careers","9":"emagazine-tag-professional-advice"},"hreflang":[{"hreflang":"x-default","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/privacy-job-hunting\/36842\/"},{"hreflang":"en-gb","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/privacy-job-hunting\/21382\/"}],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/emagazine\/36842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/emagazine"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/emagazine"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2602"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=36842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}