Job Application Confidentially

Job applications are quite nosey, and there's little you can do about it if you want a job. It's not a good idea to turn in a job application with incomplete, vague or bogus information. You'll have to completely fill out applications and provide personal details, including your contact info and current employer, and probably references too. However, most job applications ask if it's okay to contact your current employer (e.g., during a background check).

• If a job application doesn't ask if it's okay, use a generic company name as previously indicated, and omit the contact info. Then explain to the person who collects your application that your job search is confidential. Better yet, ask first what he or she would like for you to write in the space, to keep your job search confidential.

• If you've worked for only one company or at the same one for many years, you might have to let a potential employer conduct a background check with your current employer. Otherwise, you're giving the potential employer little to go on, and you might not get the job as a result. In this case, provide your employer's real name and contact info, and indicate that it's okay to contact them. But explain the situation, and ask the potential employer to hold off a background check, until they're otherwise ready to hire you. Most employers won't go through the expense of a background check unless they are close to hiring you anyway, but it might be good idea to verify it.

• If you're short on references and must include those who work at your current employer, list only your most-trusted references. Provide only their home contact info, to avoid putting them on the spot at work. There's always the chance that someone at work might overhear the reference-related conversations too, letting the cat out of the bag. Natch, clear this with your references first, so you don't put them on the spot or give out personal info they'd rather you didn't.

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