There are completely bogus "job sites" collecting resume information from unsuspecting job seekers. Don't get caught by one
There are thousands of legitimate job sites, so don't worry about running out of them. Evaluate every site you are considering using using these criteria:
Have you heard of the site?
If you haven't heard of a site you're tempted to use, and no one you know has used it, do a Google search to see what is being said about it.
Look for contact information on the site. Not just a form for visitors to complete to ask a question, but a name, address, and phone numbers. Then, Google the address and phone numbers. Are they real? Call one of the phone numbers to see if someone answers from the organization running the site. Be very cautious if no concrete contact information is available. Who would you contact (or sue) if you had a serious problem.Do you have to "register" before you can search through the jobs?
Why should you waste your time registering before you can see if they have jobs for you? In most cases, this should be a BIG red flag that the site is not seriously interested in helping you find a job, particularly if the site does not have a Privacy Policy posted telling you what they do with your registration information.Does the site have a comprehensive Privacy Policy?
Look for a Privacy Policy, and READ IT before your register at a job site!! The privacy policy should disclose to you the information that the site collects and what they do with it (i.e., sell or rent your e-mail address, etc.). They should also provide contact information for "opting out" of their database. Some will claim complete ownership of your resume, including the copyright. That would mean that you couldn't use it anywhere else. Preposterous!Privacy seals
They can be helpful, but there are a couple of very important caveats about privacy seals!
A privacy seal is NOT assuring you that the Website is safe or a good one for you to use. It is only telling you that the site has agreed to be audited for compliance with the policy they have posted, but the policy itself may be terrible.
If the site displays a "privacy seal," the seal must be clickable, and the link must take you to a specific page on the seal organization's Website that describes the site claiming the seal.In other words: -
- If the seal cannot be clicked on, don't trust it.
- If the seal's link goes to the seal organization's home page, it cannot be trusted
- If the link goes to another page of the site claiming it, it cannot be trusted
- Only trust the seal if you can click on it, and it takes you to the specific page on the seal organization's Website where you will find a confirmation that the Website you came from actually has the seal.
See Job-Hunt.org's articles about Protecting Your Privacy, Choosing a Job Site, and Using a Job Site for more information. An online job hunt is not as safe nor as easy as it might appear.
And, be careful out there!
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