Privacy Protection In Your Job Search

Why do you need privacy protection in your job search:

According to the FBI, identity theft is the number one online fraud in the United States. Your resume contains a lot of personal information and can be used by identity theft criminals.
After you post your resume on job search websites, you may lose control of how your resume will be used. Many people other than recruiters and employers can access the resume database as long as they can afford the membership fee.
If you're currently employed, you may lose your job if your employer finds out that you're looking for another job (they may worry that you'll release secret information to competitors).

How to protect your personal information:

1. Resume writing:

Never use your company email address or company phone number in your job search.
Use a separate free email account in your job search and discard it after you find a job. You can get free email accounts from Yahoo, Hotmail, safe-mil.net, etc.
Never list your SSN, date of birth, credit card number, and mother's maiden name in your resume. You may supply your Social Security number or date of birth to a serious employer after you have engaged in the interview process.
Omit references from your resume. If the company would like references, they will let you know.
To minimize potential risk to existing employment, you can replace your real name with an alias.
If you want to keep your employer anonymous, you can replace your employer's name with a generic but accurate description. For examples, you can use "a big four accounting firm" instead of KGMP; "a leading biotechnology company" instead of Genentech, etc.
If your title is unique, you can also replace it with a generic but accurate description.

Check the private protection policy of the website, make sure that they are not going to share or sell your personal information with any other third parties.
Does the website provide secure online transaction to protect your credit card information. If you're not sure, always use paypal to make the payment.

Take extra caution when you use any resume distribution services, you might lose control of where your resume is going to be send. Replace your real name with an alias and modify your employment history if necessary.
Read carefully the private protection policy of the website, make sure that your resume is not open to the public. Ideally, you should have a list of recipients where your resume has been sent.

4. Job Search Websites:

Read carefully the privacy protection policy on the website. Note what personal information they will collect and how the information is going to be stored, used and shared. Also check out how easy it is to access the resume database. If it's open to the public, forget it and find another job site.
Always mask your identity, limit your contact information and modify your employment history if you don't feel comfortable with any website.
Make sure you can delete your resume after you find a job.
Many job search websites allow you to limit the visibility of your resume, consider using this option if it's available.

What else do you need to know:

Not all job search websites have privacy protection policies and not all websites with privacy protection policies are committed to their own statements. Here's a special report on the privacy protection practice of Monster.com by Pam Dixon.
You don't have to post your resume on every job search website you can find. Hand-pick those sites that are easy to use, provide relevant job openings and take care of your personal information.
Even the most careful and ethical websites can not control your resume after it is downloaded by a recruiter or an employer. Read this special report Resume Database Nightmare: Job Seeker Privacy At Risk by Pam Dixon.
Not every job opening you find is for a real job. Some MLM marketers are recruiting down lines; some companies are recruiting work at home sales persons; and some scam artists even post fake job opportunities just to get your resume and steal your identities. Always watch out if the job description contains vague wording.