How do I make sure my cv doesn't end up in the hands of Cyber criminals?

 Donald Trump isnt the only person who should be conncerened about fake news . If you are looking for a new job you should be too.

Most job vacancies on the internet are fake news .

Recruiters often post fake jobs because they like to think that size matters and with smart recruitment software its just as easy to search thru a database of 500,000 cvs as 100 . Using a boolean search on key words recruiters can whittle that number down to a shortlist of 50 and then bulk mail each candidate ,attaching a job description ,with a short note asking about availability .

Posting fake jobs an a website also improves a job sites SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) making it more likely to be found on a google search.

I have lost count of the number of unemployed Oil & Gas professionals who have told me they have sent out hundreds if not thousands of cvs for advertised jobs without even getting a response .

Applying for a job advertised on Linkedin is much more reliable since you can apply automatically without having to complete countless jobsite applications  . You can also view the profile of the advertiser to establish that it is a genuine job advertisement.

 If the Linkedin profile is complete, with enough detail to describe the last 5 years of employment, there should be enough information for most recruiters to make a shortlist decision  .

Scam jobsites advertising fake jobs to get money from desperate candidates is no longer the biggest threat . 

Just a few months ago CapGemini managed to compromise around 650,000 cvs held in the Michael Page database, when an unknown hacker managed to access the files.

In 2017 Ransomware will be a massive threat to HR departments. Employer and agency databases, that hold valuable confidential information, could be used to steal an individuals identity.

It is very tempting, even for long established and credible recruiters, to post fake job adverts to "beef up" their database of candidates, because it can speed up the hiring process when new jobs arrive.

Another benefit is that recruiters will often use an applicants references as a marketing tool to find more work for the agency (so never include referees in your cv) ,

When I first entered the recruitment business in the 1970s all agencies had to be registered with the UK government and part of the audit process was proving that all the job adverts were genuine . A log was kept, which showed the contact details of the end employer, alongside a cut out of the job advert. Failure to do this could result in the withdrawal  of the agencies licence and the imposition of large fines.

At that time we regularly advertised fake jobs because we were still receiving cvs in the post and our competitors were filling freelance positions before we had time to open the envelopes !  For this reason we all kept a manual database of thousands of (handwritten) cvs for jobs that might require a candidate to start the next day.

 Today Cyber criminals make all online databases vulnerable to "black hat" attacks and all job hunters should be wary of blasting their cv to hundreds of different sites in the hope of getting lucky !

Perhaps in the future job sites will have a "trusted" icon, so that job hunters can feel more secure about who they are sharing their details with . 

In 2017  most job hunters are more likely to hear from the cyber criminals, who are phishing for their confidential information, than a friendly recruiter offering a dream job.

My advice to job hunters is to only register with a small number of trusted recruiters that work in your specialist field and use LinkedIn to do your research.

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