People often ask me if they should post their resumes on the web on supposedly secure Career sites like Monster, DICE, Career Builder and HotJobs.
On the surface, it seems like a great way to help employers find you; and, in a perfect world, where everyone is on his/her best behavior, that may be the case. But. the world's not perfect, and people, especially at times like this, too often behave opportunitistically.
What am I talking about? Take for example, that the security of Monster's database was breached for the second time last month. Here, according to Monster, is what the intruders took, "certain contact and account data were taken, including Monster user IDs and passwords, email addresses, names, phone numbers, and some basic demographic data."
Almost enough to apply for a credit card in your name. And certainly enough to bundle up and sell to a criminally shrewd third party who can then find ways to wreak havoc in ways that lie well beyond our imaginations.
But the hacking is only one problem.
There are things that people who are authorized to use the database can do as well. For example, they can sell your resume(complete with your employer's name, your e-mail address, street address and phone number) as part of a bulk package of resumes to anyone who's willing to pay for it.
Third party recruiters can also grab it, slap their agency's name on it, and enter it into employer portals without your permission. Why would they do this? Because it gives them the right to represent you at any company that shows an interest in you at almost anytime. Don't you get any say in the matter? Quite possibly not. Companies tend to give the "right of representation" to the first party who entered the resume.
"But it's my resume!" the victims of such a scam always say. Most employers find it easier to dismiss your candidacy, thereby avoiding controversy, than to venture into a conversation. And in a job-seeker rich marketplace, this a lousy ay to separate yourself out of a crowd.
Finally, well-intended, but misguided, recruiters, might take your resume and SPAM it out to as many as 87 job portals using tools like Resume Rabbit , it barely takes more than the click of a mouse. Staffing and human resource professionals can easily tell when your resume has come to them via such means (because of the way it's formatted and labeled) and your resume will get trashed much more often than it gets read. Why? Because it appears as though you haven't taken the time to research a company, a specific opportunity, or even if the position is located within a commutable distance. In a corporate recruiter's mind, if you haven't shown thought and respect toward them when applying for job, why would they do the same for you?
So what should you do instead? Use a headhunter you trust. Network with your coworkers (past and present), and members of your industry and alumni associations. Ask your friends to introduce you to their friends who may have connections into places you might like to work, BUT make sure they know you well enough before you ask them to take action. Why? Because if you ask someone to be your "pitch man" and you've given him nothing substantive to pitch , you've set him up to fail.
Remember, people hire people not resumes. In a crowded market, it's gong to take a person to separate you out of the crowd.
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