Safe Job Hunting - Continued

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Modify your employment history, especially your current job

Use a generic term for your current employers company name. For example; Microsoft can be changed to "a major multinational software manufacture".

Also, If you have a unique job title be sure to change it to a generic one.

To protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud, we suggest the following:

Do not give your social security number to any prospective employer even if they suggest that it is for a "routine background check."

Do not give your credit card numbers, bank account number to and prospective employer or engage in any transaction in which you are requested to transfer or exchange currency or funds to or for a prospective employer.

Be cautious providing any personal information over the phone or online to prospective employers other than the information you have already provided in your resume.

Be cautious when dealing with individuals/companies from outside your own country. Unfortunately, a disproportionate number of the fraudulent job postings have been traced to companies and individuals located in Eastern Europe.

Be very cautious if the email address from a prospective employer does not correspond with the company name. For example a company called Acme should have an domain name similar to Acme.com and the email should be sent to that domain. This would look something like this:

Openpostions@acme.com or jsmith@abccompany.com

Be very wary if the hiring manger wants to use a personal rather then a business email address.

When responding to individuals who purport to represent a prospective employer, research the company to ensure that they are legitimate. See Resume Miners Know your future employer for information about researching companies.

While the above precautions are designed to help you avoid a fraudulent situation, they are by no means exhaustive, and you should exercise caution in dealing with unfamiliar parties.