Protect your Resume from Identity Theft
A scam job advertisement that led to identify theft has prompted an awareness drive by Australian resume-writing company CV Saviour.
Job seekers need to know what they should and shouldn’t include in job applications.
Our clients have been getting some impressive results recently with the resumes we’ve been writing for them … obtaining job interviews when they weren’t before, being called back very soon after submitting applications etc. As a result of our success, our business has dramatically grown and we’ve increased recruiting at CV Saviour so we can help more people get resumes that get them interviews for the jobs that they really want to do.
While we’ve been thrilled with the response to our advertisement and humbled by the calibre and experience of many of the candidates, we’ve been alarmed at the level of personal detail provided by others.
Our concern has been heightened by a recent story in the Australian press about the Australian Federal Police’s (AFP) Operation Zulu, which raised the issue of identify theft by criminals who had used stolen IDs to commit crime. The identity information in this particular case was obtained from a job vacancy scam, some two years ago.
The point has been driven home to us as we continue to screen the resumes of the many applicants for our job vacancies.
The sort of information we’ve been freely supplied includes full names, dates of birth, places of birth, full home addresses, home telephone numbers, and in some cases, details of next of kin, children’s names, and photographic evidence of identity documents and qualifications.
What is particularly worrying is that NONE of this detail was requested in our advertisement. But what was provided was certainly enough information that, in the wrong hands, could possibly do a lot of damage to the financial status and reputation of some of the job applicants.
It got us thinking … times have REALLY changed when it comes to what you need to include (and what you don’t) on resumes (and if we use our current candidate search as an example, 98% of applicants included personal information that we didn’t ask for, and detail that they didn’t need to).
So what should (or shouldn’t) you include on your resume when applying for jobs to ensure your identity is protected?
Only provide your first name and last name. Obviously you need to include your first name and last name, but you don’t need to provide your middle name, middle initials or maiden name. Save them for the forms HR will ask you to fill out on your first day on the job.
Never, ever include your date of birth on your resume. It should go without saying that you should not include your date of birth. Firstly, it’s no one’s business. Secondly, whether we like it or not, the reality is that while illegal, age discrimination does occur in the job market, so that’s another reason not to include your date of birth. Given that the older you are, the more likely you are to skirt around the issue of age with people you do know, why would you hand such personal information over to a virtual stranger on the internet?
Don't include your full home address. Your suburb and postcode is enough on a CV, and is enough to get you through the screening process. There are many other reasons why you shouldn’t include your full home address, and there are some reasons why you might need to, (let us know if you want to know what they are). Keep it in mind that by providing your full home address before you’ve vetted the company you are applying to, you’re putting your identity at risk.
Don't include a photo. Added to the fact that a simple photo could provide cause for discrimination, including a photo on your resume just takes up valuable real estate on your resume. Combining your photo with some of the other personal information we’ve found on resumes could be used to create false identity documents. It’s worth noting too some Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) programs cannot process documents that include images, so you could get screened out before a human even reads your resume. Therefore, as a rule of thumb, don’t include a photo on your resume (keep it for LinkedIn, unless you’re a model or an actor and it’s asked for, or generally required as part of the application).
Other top tips: One contact telephone number and one email address is enough. Don’t include height, weight, marital status, number of children, health status, religious views or political leanings. Don’t include place of birth, next of kin or photographic evidence of identity documents and qualifications.
Yes, there will always be exceptions to the rules, but your resume is a document designed to get you through the gatekeeper screeners and get you to interview. You don’t have to give everything away - just garner a lot of interest - so the reader of your resume picks up that phone and asks to meet you. Use your judgement, take our top tips on board and seek advice if you’re unsure.
If you’ve got any questions about any of the issues raised, or if you’d like a free CV Health Check to see where we think we can improve your resume, please visit our website.
NB: This article was written for those seeking jobs in the Australian job market. We use CV and resume interchangeably because in the Australian job market, either is acceptable and both are understood.
Curriculum Vitae : cur·ric·u·lum vi·tae : noun – 1) A brief account of a person's education, qualifications, and experience, typically sent with a job application.
Résumé : ré·su·mé : resume : noun – 1) A curriculum vitae 2) A summary
Author Credits ::
Catriona Herron has been marketing people for over 25 years, helping brand and position job seekers through their resumes to reposition them for their next career move. Principal of CV Saviour, an Australia-wide resume writing and career marketing service, Catriona established CV Saviour 17 years ago after joining a mentoring program in the UK.
She began her resume-writing career with a focus on helping the unemployed and retrenched get back into the workforce, as well as parents returning to work. She works with clients in every industry, private and pubic sector, from high school leavers and new graduates keen to secure their first jobs, to CEO's with 30 years experience. She is passionate about writing resumes for newcomers to Australia and the Australian job market, and those with English as their second language.
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