Think your safe job-searching online? Think again.

Guest article by Teena Rose — a highly endorsed resume writer and career coach with Resume to Referral. Mrs. Rose writes professional, fresh, and attention-grabbing resumes, social media profiles, and bios for national and international executives.

Conducting a job search using the Internet has definitely transformed how jobseekers contact hiring companies. The availability of copying and pasting a text version resume into a form at a company’s website [or uploading a Word file] has laid the foundation for an easier and more convenient job-search process. No longer does a jobseeker need to spend hours with the traditional method of printing and mailing his resume to countless recipients.

With the Internet’s convenience, a breeding ground for scam artists continues to grow each year as well.

Identity thefts increased overwhelming between 2008 and 2010, effecting 3.5% of the adult American population by some studies. Many of these cases are the result of phishing — so not surprisingly, the employment industry is under attack as well. The FTC has reported that more 10% of total fraud involves employment fraud.

Phishing is an attempt to extract personal information through what appears to be authentic emails. If you are job searching, an email from a seemingly interested recruiter, for example, may not raise a red flag with you. You may think that the contact person and company listed are legitimate. Yet, looks can be deceiving. Knowing what to look for and how to spot fraud (or potential for abuse) can be the best deterrent to ensuring you have a safe experience, while conducting your job search.

Be leery of submission invitations.
Scammers and spammers follow much the same patterns. Mass emails are sent to an enormous list of recipients. Not everyone on the “hit list” is searching for a new job; however, only a small number of people need to be convinced or tricked into believing the email is authentic in order for the scam to be deemed successful. Receiving an email from a recruiter who states, “We saw your resume on the Internet, and we find your skill set to be perfect for one of our clients. Please complete our online application through the below link.”

Should this happen to you, ponder these questions:

q  Did you send your resume to this recruiter? 

q  If not, how did the company learn about you [legitimate emails should tell you]? Just mentioning “saw your resume on the Internet” is vague.

q  Upon further examination, do the company and the company rep appear reputable? 

Visit the company’s website (caution: type the web address into your browser, avoid clicking the link in the email). If you’re still unable to determine the validity of the request, call the company. Verify everything; sender’s name, email address, and so on. Still avoid clicking the link in the email … it’s just a good habit to start! Always proceed with suspicion when you receive any cold-contact email from someone.

Avoid responding to requests for personal information, such as a social security or credit card number.
Let’s say you receive an email from what appears to be a well-known job bank. The email states that your account needs your contact and payment information to be updated in order for service renewal. You click on the link and you’re taken to a page that looks, feels, and “smells” right. You then proceed by submitting the requested information. The link appeared safe, but you were taken to a site designed to defraud you.

When purchasing from resume, using a paid resume submission service, or any other service for that matter, ensure the private information you provide is encrypted upon hitting submit.
Encryption, in short, ensures the private information you submit online is kept safe. When at your browser, you can recognize an encrypted form when the root URL starts with “https:” instead of “http:” or you see the padlock present in the bottom right corner of your screen. Purchasing from companies having added security measures in place can ensure your private information avoids the hands of ill-willed people. Learn more about encryption by reading Jeff Tyson’s article titled, “How Encryption Works,” at howstuffworks.com.

Read and understand the privacy policy of sites you patron.
The Better Business Bureau possesses a strict policy for members who do business online. A privacy statement for example must be displayed on member’s website, no exceptions. High business practices are a necessity for maintaining the trust of online buyers; and the BBB understands the critical importance of trust among consumers. A privacy statement outlines what type of customer information is collected and how it’s used. Information transferred or sold could be basic, like name and email address, or far more in-depth like name, address, social security number, and phone number. No matter how basic or detailed the information, the company must have the logistics spelled out in their privacy policy, so you can make the decision whether to patron the site in the first place.

Tell — because so few others do!
Reports show a staggering 80% of online fraud goes unreported. If the proper authorities aren’t aware of the magnitude of fraud that actually exists on the Internet, then getting the much-needed funds to battle the problem will take more time. The Internet Fraud Complaint Center (ifccfbi.gov) has an online complaint feature for individuals to report phishing attacks. The IFCC report process requires basic information, including information on the perpetrator and type of fraud.

For phishing schemes, forward the fraudulent email to the legitimate company in addition to filing a formal complaint with IFCC. Phishing is smearing the good names of countless companies, and notifying the company about the scam can also help the fight. Bringing affected companies on board early will provide a multi-prong approach to this epidemic.

The lesson jobseekers should learn is to avoid giving your information out freely. Whether you’re at the end of a phishing attack or the job application requires more information than you’re willing to provide, proceed with caution.  Much like you’ll analyze job opportunities; intensely examine each person who receives your personal information. With safe online practices, you’ll get the best return from your job-search efforts — instead of spending hours filing a police report and calling credit bureaus and credit card companies.

How often have you taken the time to think about what really interests you at work, what has perhaps shaped the career choices you have made so far? Think about those times when you get really absorbed in something, the time flies by doesn’t it? Why is this important? Because it’s all about bringing more of yourself to work. When you really enjoy what you do, you are more likely to perform well and be satisfied with your career. What comes to your mind when you think of career satisfaction?

For me career satisfaction means being connected to a cause. I like to know that there is some real meaning behind my work and that what I am doing is helping everyone with their personal development and this motivates me to continue working and trying to succeed in my work. Other people might define career satisfaction by working with people who empower you and having a greater cause. Also, career satisfaction could be solving problems and filling a gap or reward and recognition. Some examples could be adding value or being interested in your work or working with great people.

All this to say that career satisfaction means different things to different people. Over several decades, countless studies have been conducted to discover what makes people satisfied at work. Research has found that interests, motivators and abilities are the 3 factors that lead to career satisfaction.

Interests

Career interests are the most important of the 3 factors because interests are a part of our core and are stable and they stay with you through your lifetime. The definition of an interest is something that is deeply held that you absolutely connect with – you want to learn more about topics. An example of this is if you really love analysis or new technology. These stay with you throughout your lifetime. My nephew is fascinated by legos and he has an entire room filled with legos. He I am sure will be connected to engineering and building activities for the rest of his life just like his father was because he has an interest in the inner workings of things. My high interests are coaching and mentoring and when I look back at my childhood, I was always helping my group of friends put together goals and since I was the first one to apply to college, I helped all my friends with the application process and test process so that they could get into their dream college as well. What are some interests that you have? Can you see your interests evident in your childhood like I can?

Motivators

Then we have motivators, which can also sometimes be called values. These are the rewards each of us needs. Some examples of motivators are flexibility, lifestyle and intellectual challenge. Motivators are really important to be aware of to make sure you are aligned in a job correctly and it is also important to remember that your motivators can change based on your current life situation. One of my motivators is altruism which means that I have satisfaction of regularly helping others with their individual and business concerns and this fits perfectly in my role at work as a consultant because I get to help my client.

Abilities

Abilities are your skills – this is what we focus more on in the professional world. But this is just one part – skills are like muscles, you build them up if you must also have an interest in them to want to be satisfied in your career. Some people are drawn to career paths because they have the ability and like the rewards, even though they aren’t interested. After a short period of success, they lose interest and either quit or just work less productively.
So now that you have thought about your interests and motivations and what career satisfaction means to you, how you can apply what we learned today in your future career path?

Classy Career Girl, a blog written by Anna Runyan, provides advice to young professionals on how to be classy as they climb the corporate ladder.  Her blog covers topics such as business chic fashion, career motivation, personal development, networking, and office etiquette. Connect with her at http://www.classycareergirl.com.  If you would like to learn more about how to find a career that you love to go to everyday, check out her free video training series at http://www.getmycareerunstuck.com.

Recent statistics* suggest that “passive” candidates – those not actively seeking new employment – make up 84% of the potential workforce. With more employers tapping off this source than ever, how can you make sure you stand out from the other 83%?

Like falling in love, finding a job can often happen when you’re least looking for it. With social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook blurring the lines between the personal and the professional, it’s becoming increasingly easier for recruiters to track down potential candidates outside of traditional application processes.

If you want to keep your career options open, then, building a strong passive profile is a great way to put yourself on the recruiting map and pre-empt the next stage in your career. Convinced? Here’s a few ideas for how to do so:

Ways to build a stronger passive profile:

Social networks: Nine out of ten employers use social networks as a recruitment tool, according to Jobvite. In practice, this can mean only one thing – if you’re looking to attract recruiters’ attention as a passive candidate, you’ll need to spruce up your social footprint. The survey goes on to report that 73% of all social hires come from LinkedIn, 20% from Facebook and 7% from Twitter, making it clear where you need to focus your efforts to make yourself known to recruiters.

Online CV databases: As well as coming in handy when you’re actively looking for work, uploading your CV to online job boards is a great opportunity for you to get a detailed professional profile out on the web.

Databases: Applied for a job in recent years, but didn’t get it? There may be a silver lining to that cloud. For the sake of a quick email, it’s worth sending a letter to your ex-future-employers thanking them for your time and asking them to keep your details on file for future positions that may become available. If you lacked a specific skill for one post, but were otherwise considered a suitable candidate, you might find that you’re considered for a different post within the company at a future date and hear back from them when you least expect it.

Blogs: What better way to establish yourself as an industry professional than your own blog, where you can showcase all your bright ideas and top achievements? Although it might be time-consuming, a blog can be a valuable lifelong professional tool and is well worth considering investing your time in.

Put it on the grapevine: Don’t forget the power of your non-virtual networks when raising your passive profile. Giving friends and family the impression that you’re open to new careers suggestions can bring up interesting results, especially if they have a clear idea of what your current skills set is and what type of opportunities you’d be interested in.

Events: Attend events related to your career… and stick behind for the “networking” sections at the end. Yes, it might be possible that you get stuck talking to the industry bore at the end, but it’ll be worth it if they remember your name next time their company’s hiring.

Unless you’re very fortunate, being a “passive” candidate takes more work than the name suggests. With a bit of luck, you should be rewarded with some interesting new offers, but even if they don’t start rolling in as quickly as you’d like, don’t be disheartened. Working on your passive profile is also a great way to take stock of your current career achievements and interests, and help you clarify what you have to offer the job market. All of which means that next time you’re “actively” looking for a job, you’ll have a ready-formed profile and the self-knowledge to hit the job boards at full power.

One last comment, however – beware of letting your current employer know that you consider your professional relationship to be of the open kind, or you might find yourself being converted from a “passive” to an “active” job seeker more quickly than you think.

*Source: US Department of Labor

Written by Penelope Labram: JobisJob 

“JobisJob, the clever click”