Protecting Your Identity In An Online Job Search

So economic times are tough, and like many other people that have found themselves unemployed, you’re turning to the endless resources offered by the internet to hunt for a job.  But be careful, as with anything on the internet the major problem therein is the fact that any information you give a possible employer, could be stolen by somebody else.  But of course there are steps you can take to avoid anything that could happen to your identity in your job search.

Be aware of the popular websites like Monster.com, which yes is a very large search engine for finding work, but they require two forms of identification for you to prove your identity.  And while this sounds like a good thing, one of those ID requirements just so happens to be a credit card number.  The major problem with this is that Monster.com has a tendency to be hacked by any number of identity thieves, meaning vital information like your credit card numbers could be easily stolen.  Which is why I think using any job search engine that requires a credit card number, may be a bad idea in the long run.

The other major thing you need to be extremely careful about, is what information you give to a possible employer during an interview.  Mostly because job search engines usually have requirements for ID proof from potential employees, but require practically no verification from employers.  Meaning many ID thieves will pose as employers looking to hire you, and will then request some seemingly harmless information about you to lure you into unintentionally giving them the tools to take your identity.

In any online interview you want to provide as little personal information as possible, until you establish a relationship with your employer.  For practically all online interviews or job correspondence, your name and work history should be perfectly sufficient.  Always be leery of any employer that seems to want an awful lot of personal information, just to consider hiring you for a position.

Online job searches can lead to identity theft, but as long as you’re vigilant, careful, and use common sense, you should come out just fine.