Should I Post My Resume on Craigslist?
81There are so many horror stories these days that all boil down to a person posted detailed information about themselves on some website and someone stole their identity or otherwise caused them harm. It’s especially scary because these aren’t urban myths – it happens. Craigslist is exceptionally notable in this area: police officers have used it to snare criminals, scammers have used it to commit fraud, normal people have used it to reveal secrets about others.
But Craigslist also has many benefits. It’s become a key tool in the job seeker’s arsenal, and even major corporations use it to look for new employees. So, how can you take advantage of the opportunities Craigslist offers, without exposing yourself to all the problems that go along with posting personal information online?If you’re planning on posting your availability for any sort of gig or job, I recommend posting only a limited amount of information. Include a way to contact you – an e-mail address with a good spam filter and without your actual address or phone number associated with it – and a short and sweet explanation of your background. “Ten years of bartending experience” is good. “I graduated in ’02 from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in Illustration and worked for XYZ Graphics for 4 years before striking out to freelance on my own” is bad. Respond to listings in a similar manner, especially if they give very little information to begin with. Before you do any work on a project you find on Craigslist, make sure you know at least the following:- the actual name of the person you’re working for
- a way to get in touch with him or her that doesn’t involve an ‘@craigslist.org’ e-mail address
- who will be paying you and by what method
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Thursday, if you are concerned about having your contact information on your resume open to everyone, I suggest using Razume.com . They have an systems for blocking any info you don't want to show. Once blocked, you can just link your page on Razume when posting to Craigslist. Hope that helps,
Sam
Craigslist is an amazing opportunity for everyone
"if something doesn’t feel right, just walk away from it. The fallout from refusing to give out your information to a suspicious lister is far less than the damage that they could do with that information. Prevention really is the best remedy, in this situation."
Very well said. Same goes for opening any unsolicited emailed "invitation to apply". Read my post about Career Network Inc aka Internet Solutions Corp.
Native American Male teacher with a Masters Degree and an ESL degree from two famous American Universities in California wanting to teach overseas.I have 15 years of teaching experience with foreigners.Please call me at:1-310-553-2954.I am available for travel now.I am a very patient and understanding individual.
Native American Male teacher with a Masters Degree and an ESL degree from two famous American Universities in California wanting to teach overseas.I have 15 years of teaching experience with foreigners.Please call me at:1-310-553-2954.I am available for travel now.I am a very patient and understanding individual.
I just tried posting my resume there... we'll see how it goes. :)
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I made a terrible mistake today by sending my resume to several craigslist ads which contained my address and phone number! I am really scared now... What should I do? Please help!
I think it's becoming a ridiculous trend that some employers are thinking it reasonable to stay anonymous posting jobs on Craigslist. My God-- shouldn’t Craigslist do something to discourage this deprecating trend? It just seems to undermining to the whole legit job hunting process.
I understand that employers get too many resumes today, but at the same time shouldnt the employee be expected to research the company first before applying? Why would an employer expect to get a good candidate, if that candidate shows up clueless about the company? "Hello Mr Employer, Wow nice building, I didn't even know you were XYZ .co..."
Isn't this ultimately self defeating for the employer?
Surely, I can understand the anonymity/benefit side of Craiglist, for re-selling your old junk (which was their claim to fame) but now--in the job/career section?
Anyway,here’s my solution:
(at-least until Craigslist wake up and discourage this behavior)
- Never send a resume to a Craigslist job posting where the employer is anonymous
- First email the anonymous employer, asking for a company website address, before you apply to their company.
- If all else fails, and the Craiglist world doesnt change…
Resort to sending an incomplete resume. Include no personal information, ie: no address, no phone number, only include email address.
Also, only highlight your skills and total years of experience (no date ranges). Remove actual names of places you worked, or schools you atended..
In the bottom, write.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & REFERENCES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST!
This way your information remains safe and the game is mutual for both side!
Cheers!
glassvisage says:
2 years ago
I've never heard of anyone's identity being stolen on craigslist, but I can definitely see it happening. Anyone who puts that much information in a resume online... yeah...