| Posting
your resume in a public database can dramatically increase its visibility –
but it also increases the possibility that your current boss will see your resume
online. In addition,
some job seekers are so concerned about information piracy and identity theft
that they refrain from posting their resumes in any public database. There
is reason to be cautious in either case, but you can safeguard your privacy and
reduce the chance that your resume will end up in the wrong hands by following
the guidelines below.
Once
your resume is properly modified, it can be distributed in a variety of
ways. But first, some important changes must be made:
Your
Name Replace
your name with a generic term such as: –
Confidential Candidate
– eSolutions Marketing Candidate
–
Confidential Resume: eSolutions Expert
– Confidential Candidate / CEO
| 
Will
the Wrong People
See Your Resume Online?
SAMPLE:
Confidential
Web
Resume | |
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To
protect confidentiality, your email address needs to be nondescript. In other
words, avoid using e-mail addresses that include parts of
your name (i.e., johnfrank@abc.com). For job seeking purposes, the best solution
is a job-relevant, generic e-mail address like salespro@abc.com. Warning:
Never Use Your Current Employer's eMail Never
use your current employer's e-mail, computers, or telephone systems for job
search purposes. Even if your employer is aware of it (and/or 100% supportive
of your job search) using company e-mail for job searching "looks" inappropriate
and may raise questions about your honesty or integrity.
A
survey conducted by the American Management
Association found that nearly
63% of companies
monitor employees' Internet use. If
you don't already have personal e-mail, you can get a free e-mail account at Hotmail,
Yahoo, etc. If you don't have a computer, check out your local Kinko's copy shop.
Most offer on-site computer rental and Internet access (24 hours a day) at a reasonable
price.
Eliminate
the name and location of your current employer from the resume. Replace it with
a general company description:
High tech manufacturing firm
International sales consulting firm
Replace
unique, industry-specific, or product-specific job titles with more generic (but
equivalent) job titles. For example, use Quality Assurance Manager instead
of Manager of Widget Systems Quality Assurance. See
these principles at work: Confidential
Web Resume
Industry-specific
Keywords Imagine
that your current employer is searching for your replacement... What skills (keywords)
would they search for in candidate's resumes? Be
sure to eliminate these kinds of keywords and terms:
Specific industries, markets, products Client
names, company names Industry-specific
technologies, certifications Location
(cities, area codes, and so on)
Never use a company e-mail address (even if you have permission) – doing
so makes you look like you're job searching on your current employer's time. More...
Personal
identifiers should be removed or described in a more discreet manner. In addition
to the obvious (never list your social security number or birth date), you'll
also want to consider camouflaging specific locations, products, dollar amounts,
account names, specialized technologies, etc. In
High Stakes Job Searches Remove
graduation and / or college attendance dates from your resume's "Education"
section. When motivated, employers and recruiters can track down identities through
graduation dates and academic records. Remove
specific cities, locations, and geographical criteria from your job entries and
replace with generic terms.
See
these principles at work: Confidential
Web Resume
Before
sending your confidential resume as an attachment (MS Word), make sure your name
is not embedded in the document's file properties.
To remove
personal identifiers from a Microsoft Word file: Open
the MS Word document. Select
FILE (top of computer screen, right side) and then click on PROPERTIES. Click
on SUMMARY. Delete
any personal identifiers such as subject, author, etc.
If
you plan on sending the word-processed version of your resume as an e-mail attachment,
be sure to rename your resume. For
obvious reasons, the file name should not be based on your name. Renaming
Your File: Most people name their resume Resume. But naming your document
"resume" makes it easy for employers and recruiters to to lose your
resume – or worse – overwrite it with another resume with the same name.
Instead, consider using a file name that reflects your job target:
project_manager.doc
Marketing-Candidate.doc
marketingexec.doc, etc. Marketing
Your Confidential Resume Once
the identifiers are removed from your resume, you can start actively using it
to market your candidacy online: Market Your Resume on
the Net
 t's
not your blue blood, your pedigree or
your college degree. It's what you do
with your life that counts.
MILLARD
FULLER 
Copyright
by Pat Kendall, All Rights Reserved
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