Put the "Safe" in your Cyber-SAFE Resume by modifying the content of your resume! Take control and create your own privacy protection this way, without depending on the Web job site to do it for you. Do this to protect your existing job, if you have one, and your privacy.

The content is developed to protect your identity and your current job, if you have one. As your resume circulates in cyberspace over time, your Cyber-Safe Resume will protect your identity and, possibly, your future employment many years from now.

In some recruitment circles, job seekers who protect their identity are more desirable than those who don't. The assumption is, frequently, that you are employed (probably at a senior level) and have an existing job that you are protecting.

However, in many cases, the Cyber-Safe Resume may make it a bit more difficult for the recruiter or potential employer to reach you, at least initially, because of the limited contact information. So, it is a trade-off -- privacy for security -- and your choice, obviously.

To Make Your Resume "Cyber-Safe"--

• Minimal contact information makes it harder for your identity to be stolen or for your employer to discover your job search.
  
  
  • Remove your standard "contact information" --
    • Your home and/or work address(es)
    • Your home and/or work phone number(s)
    • Your business e-mail address (big NO-NO!)
    • Your personal e-mail address if it is associated with a detailed profile on you (as in AOL, etc.)
      
      
  • Replace the standard contact information with --
    • Your personal cell phone number, assuming that it is unlisted (be it rolls over to a personal voicemail account if you don't answer).
    • Your personal e-mail address that is unconnected with either your home or your work, like one of the Web-based e-mail addresses (hotmail.com, Gmail, MSN, etc.).

      Do NOT use a goofy e-mail address (e.g. hotstuff@example.com) or your messages will probably be deleted unread. Use the e-mail address as an opportunity to do some marketing and some differentiating - like sjones-web-pro@example.com or sjones-MBA@example.com.

• Modify your employment history, particularly for the current job, minimizes the possibility that your existing employer will find your resume and fire you.
  
  
  • Remove your current employer's name; replace it with an accurate, but generic, description --
    • "Nuts n' Bolts Distributors, Inc." changes into "small construction supplies distribution company"
    • "IBM" becomes "multinational information technology company"
      
      
  • If your job title is unique, replace your title with, again, an accurate, but generic" title --
    • "New England Regional Gadget Marketing Director" becomes "multi-state marketing manager of gadget-class products"
      
      
• Save your resume as "sjones-resume.doc," NOT as " myresume.doc" or "resume.doc," so your resume will be easy to save, and identify, on someone else's computer hard drive.

You increase the probability of a confidential job search by being very selective about where you post your resume. See Job-Hunt's sections on Choosing a Job Site and Protecting Your Privacy for tips and guidance.

Read Job-Hunt's article Dirty Dozen Dangerous Job Search Assumptions for tips on avoiding scams in your job search.

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About the author...

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff "graduate" who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg.

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