Job and Resume Bank Confidentiality

Job Banks

Natch, job banks need at least your email address when you post your resume, so employers and recruiters may contact you. But that, and your user ID and password are all they really need. Many insist on being too nosey, and won't let you post your resume unless you comply. Forced compliance might mean that they are indiscriminate in distributing your personal information to third parties, including telemarketers, spammers and your current employer.

Job banks might also redistribute your online resume to job newsgroups and other job banks, to give you maximum exposure. That's nice, but some do so without your permission and worse, without regard for confidentiality. Your current employer or its authorized recruiters might tap newsgroups and multiple job banks, as many do.

There are plenty of job banks from which to choose, so you don't need to settle for those that insist on too much personal information up front, and indiscriminately blast it all over the Internet to boot.

• Look for job banks that offer features to protect the confidentiality of your resume. Many do, such as allowing you to select whether or not to display your contact info with your resume. Others will let you ban companies or recruiters from seeing your contact info. Examples of reputable job banks that offer confidentiality options are listed below.
• HotJobs
• CareerBuilder
• BrassRing

• Dice

• Read the privacy policies (typically, a tiny link near the bottom of one or more pages). If there is no privacy policy or you don't like it, skip that job or resume bank.

• Even if they have favorable policies, still be wary of those that insist on too much personal info just to let you in the door. There are rumors that some violate their own privacy policies, unintentionally or not.

• Instead of posting your resume, consider just signing up to receive jobs by email. Many job banks offer the option, and it's one of the best ways to maintain job-search confidentiality.

Resume Banks and Blasting Services

The same goes for resume banks. Be wary of "resume-blasting" services too. They distribute your resume all over the Internet, as that's the whole idea. While indiscriminate exposure might be helpful otherwise, it's not if you're concerned about job-searching confidentiality. Even if you've implemented all of the safety measures, you'll likely have to register your contact information when purchasing a blasting service. Be sure to read the privacy policy, to ensure that the service does not include personal details when blasting your resume. But, as with job banks, some have been rumored to violate their own privacy policies.

Next Page > Job Application Confidentiality
Page > 1 • 2 • 3 • 4