Avoid Identity Theft When You Are Job Searching

Avoid Identity Theft When You Are Job SearchingAvoid Identity Theft When You Are Job SearchingOnline job searching provides a number of opportunities and conveniences for job seekers. In fact, its almost impossible to job search without using the Internet. Most large companies, and many smaller employers, only accept applications online and in order to apply you will need to provide at least some personal information. However, job seekers are a major target for scammers that seek to steal peoples identities. Thats why its really important to be sure the jobs you are applying for are legitimate and you are not inadvertently providing personal information that can be used for identity theft to a scammer. There are a number of ways in which scammers seek to steal job searchers personal information including pretending to be an employer and collecting your information from a job board, listing fake job openings online, saying they will file for unemployment for you, sending emaille askin g you to apply for a job or even saying youve got a job offer. Heres information on the most common identity theft scams and advice on how to avoid identity theft while job searching. Types of Identity Theft Collecting Your Personal Data One way scammers can get your information is by simply prowling job search sites. Most job search sites allow users to post their resumes publicly so that companies can search through resumes and contact potential candidates. A fraudulent company can easily search through these resumes and collect any personal information listed, including your name, address, phone number, email, and (if you list it) Social Security number and drivers license number. With this information, scammers can set up bank accounts in your nameand potentially access your own accounts. When you post your resume online its important to check the privacy settings on the site where you list and to be sure the site itself is legitimate. Fake Job Listings Other scammers list fraudulent job openings on job boards and other job search sites. Before offering you the job or even meeting with you in person, they will ask you for either your bank account number (under the guise that they will be paying you by direct deposit), a copy of your utility bill (which contains your bank account information) or a background check. They will then use this information to access your account or set up an account under your name. Direct Email Some scammers will contact you directly. They will often email you directly pretending to be a contact from a legitimate job site. These scammers may even offer you a job you cant remember applying for and you probably didnt apply for it. Often, it is a job that seems too good to be true, such as a work-from-home job or a job in an exotic, far-away location. Like the scammers on job search sites, they will ask you for personal information, such as your bank account or PayPal account number. Unemployment Scams With this type of scam , the scammer will offer to file for unemployment for you, even though you are the only person who can file an unemployment claim. Scam unemployment websites collect your personal information to use for fraudulent purposes including identity theft and collecting your personal information to sell you products or services. What Happens Once Your Identity is Stolen In all of these cases, these scammers will access your personal information and use it to steal money from your personal bank account or establish another one in your name. This information can also be used for leistungspunkt card fraud and even for getting loans or financing purchases in your name. How to Protect Yourself From Identity Theft Dont let the scammers scare you away from online job searching. Instead, you can simply take a few precautions to ensure that your personal information does not fall into the wrong hands. Keep Your Job Search Separate Keep your job search as separate from your personal and prof essional life as possible. When signing up for a job search site, create a username and password that differ from those you use on other accounts (your email, bank account, etc.). You may also want to create an email address that is just for job searching. Some people even get a post office box and list that number on their resume instead of their home address. To protect your home phone number, you may also consider getting a temporary cell phone to list on resumes and to use for phone interviews. However, because cell phone numbers are generally unlisted, you should feel relatively safe listing your cell phone number on a resume. Use Privacy Settings A number of job search sites allow you to limit the information you share with employers. Monster.com, for example, allows you to hide your contact information, current company name, and references from employers. Interested employers can contact you via a confidential Monster.com email address. Only when you decide to apply for the location is this information made available to the company. For even further privacy, Monster.com allows you to make your resume completely private. Employers cannot search for your resume, but you can search for job listings and send out resumes yourself. Many job search sites have similar privacy policies. However, keep in mind that, the more privacy settings you set, the fewer chances you have of interested employers finding your resume. Limit The Personal Information You Share With Employers Never include your date of birth, Social Security number, drivers license number, bank account number, or credit card number on your resume or cover letter. You may not want to list your home address on your resume, or only list part of it. Do not share this information with any company until you have met in person, interviewed with the employer, and been offered a position in writing. Keep Track of Where You Post Your Resume Scammers may email you and state that they saw your resume on a certain job site. Often, they are lying. Keep track of the job search sites on which you actually do post your resume so you can avoid this common scam. Even if you have posted your resume on the site, check to make sure the company is legitimate. Dont respond until you have double-checked that both the position and the company are legitimate. Some scammers use real company names but post fake jobs. Heres how to check out jobs and employers. Verify That the Company is Legitimate Many of these fraudulent companies appear legitimate they may have a logo or even take their name from an actual company. If youre not sure, call the company or visit the office to verify that any company that contacts you is legitimate.Trust Your Gut If you see a job listing or receive an email that seems suspicious, trust your instincts and do not apply for the position. Sometimes, you may just have the feeling that something doesnt seem right. If you have any doubt, trash the email and forget about appl ying for the job. Scam Warning Signs It can be difficult to tell the difference between scams and legitimate job sites and job openings, especially when it comes to work-at-home jobs. Here are scam warning signs to watch for and how to spot a scam. What To Do If Your Identity is Stolen Sometimes, you can do all the right things to protect your identity, but you can still get scammed. As I mentioned, some of these scams are very sophisticated and it can be hard to tell that they are not real. If your identity is stolen, close any accounts you believe have been tampered with. distributionspolitik a fraud alert on your credit report, and review your credit report for any recent changes to your personal information. File a report with local police, and continue to periodically review your credit report.

Why Nobody Gets a Job Anymore

Why Nobody Gets a Job AnymoreWhy Nobody Gets a Job AnymoreThere welches a time when anyone perceived to be lazy or unproductive, especially teens or college grads sitting around the house during the summer with bedrngnishing to do, would hear this phraseWhy dont you get a jobAll you had to do was goout andfind a company or store looking for employees, bring a resume, dress nice and show up willing to work. But times have changed for everyone. Read why no one simply goes out and gets a job anymore.Prevailing negative belief systemsUnfortunately, several prevailing negative belief systems exist within todays workforceUnemployed workers expecting too much too soon (ie. thinking certain jobs are beneath him or her)Companies refusing to hire people they consider overqualifiedUnemployed workers believing only jobs they are passionate about are worth the effortCompanies seeing highly skilled workers with no defined career path as negativeThe belief that directly asking for work is considere d unprofessional.Lack of company/employee loyalty in a gig economy.After all, why bother trusting someone to stick around when statistics and market behaviors dictate an employee will leave after two years? Employees are safer being job hoppers and companies are better off never trusting, only taking quick profits and moving on. This is good business, right? Wrong.What companies and employees alike have forgotten is that jobs are ultimately about making money. And when things get better for everyone...they get better for everyone. In the past, it was always understood that the more money the company made, the more it would benefit the employee, eventually. In this process, the employee would learn some sort of skill that could be transferable for new work in the future. US Bureau of Labor Statistics over the last five years repeatedly show that todays worker will have 10 or more jobs before age 40. Previous generations would have 3 to 5 jobs in their entire career.Even the small job s face tougher competitionWhy go out and introduce yourself to people at employment agencies, companies or stores, when you can stay home and fill out 1,000 online job applications? The answer is simple Those who take such an approach are wasting their time.Statistics show that less than 2% of online job applications are considered and less than 1% will be called in for an interview. So, if you see a job and it happens to pay above minimum wage, but the work requires little to no skill or education, you can expect to be competing with hundreds of applications.In the past, these were the right of passage jobs people worked to get money and some experience. It helped them build up a work regimen. Ironically, technology has led to an increase in demand for in-person applying and interviewing.The ways people get jobs changedThe unemployment rate in the United States is only measured amongst people actively looking for work. But as many people know, especially the millions of freelancers in the USA, there are ways to make money online without ever seeming like one is trying to get a job.For example, writers who make most of their money with gigs contributing articles to websites. These connections were made through websites like Upwork, Fiverr or any other service providing of work-from-home jobs.A survey done by Contently in 2015 showed that freelancers can make somewhere between $5000 to $10,000 a month. In some cases, these freelancers are working less than 35 hours a week. Granted they may not be making a substantial salary, but they are not looking for work.Those get a job type jobs are going to older workersTodays workforce is expected to work longer and harder past the typical retirement age of 65. Americans now work past 65 years of age at the highest rates seen in the last 50 years. Ultimately, this is crowding younger, less skilled workers out of the workforce of those smaller jobs like cashiers. With the rising cost of healthcare and education, many olde r workers see it as a wise move in order to pay bills, pay for a childs education and even simply to stay in shape.What does this all mean?The above simply indicates that the way things were when looking for work has changed largely due to technology, the economy and the cultural shift away from work environments of the 20th century. At the end of the day, the work is still out there. You cannot go get it. Now, you must work to discover it and let go of what you once knew to be the way to get a job.

Why You Need an Online Resume

Why You Need an Online ResumeWhy You Need an Online Resume10Youve carefully crafted your resume, keeping it up-to-date with todays templates and perfectly pitched for your potential employer. But if its on paper though, you may want to reconsider revamping it. A new trend that were spotting with job seekers is to create an online resume.One paperless resume in particular that caught our attention was created by Nicholas Patten. The City University of New York graduate made an online resume to showcase his work experience and skills- and score a job. I think having a live/online resume is very important because you may want to change some of the text or even redo the resume completely, says Patten. This ensures that when Patten applies for any new position, a hiring manager is always viewing the most current version of his resume. His online resume thereby eliminates the time-consuming- and costly- job of having to redo and reprint his resume.Additionally, Patten is using his online r esume as a one-stop informational hub for potential employers. His resume/site also includes links to his social media feeds (like Twitter, Flickr, and Facebook) and a contact form as well. But Patten ensures that all the information online is always correct and in sync. Says Patten My resume even has the exact same text on my LinkedIn account. And for those old-school hiring managers who still prefer a paper copy, Pattens site includes an option to download his resume.Patten shares that he is catering to the kinds of individuals and organizations hed like to work for with his resume. Its important for me to work with and for people who appreciate the design efforts put into resumes, says Patten, who admits that hes received positive reactions from potential employers on his usage of an online resume. Some people need visuals to keep their attention.Currently self-employed, Patten is looking to get back into an office and work in a gruppe environment. We have no doubt that this inge nious individual will be fielding numerous job offers in no time.Readers, what do you think about an online resume? Would you be willing to take your resume off paper and put it online? Let us know your thoughts about this latest trend in the comments section below