Your Own Personal "Jerry McGuire"

Whenever it comes to negotiating the next "bank-breaking" sports contract, a professional athlete always utilizes a top-notch sports agent. Athletes realize that agents are specialists in the art of negotiation, however they also go a long way in crafting an athlete's image. Wouldn't it be nice if you could have a top-notch agent representing you the next time you consider a making a career change. Well, agents do exist for star performers in the business world......they are called executive recruiters. So how can an executive recruiter be your "Jerry McGuire"?

First, consider the fact that many resumes never reach a decision maker's desk. The internet has signicantly changed the way a company's Human Resources Department seeks out talent. Through utilizing the mega job boards, a company recruiter can receive countless resumes in a very short period of time. The bad news for you is that the sheer volume of resumes prevents people in many cases from ever knowing that you applied for the job.

If a candidate is represented by an executive recruiter, the recruiter will know who is actually making the hiring decision and be able to get your resume in their hands. Also, it makes your candidature look much more impressive when a hiring authority is informed that you are being "represented" by a top recruiter. Put yourself in the shoes of a hiring manager, you have two candidates:

Candidate#1) Spent the evening looking at job postings online and your company was one of several that were sent a resume.

Candidate #2) You receive a phone call from an executive recruiter who states, "I am representing an absolute superstar and they are happily employed where they are, yet they told me to call them if an opportunity ever became available at your company." So which candidate would you be more interested in hearing about?

There are also other significant advantanges to using a recruiter:

1) A recruiter can provide additional details to a decision maker about your professional experience that cannot be addressed in an email. Sometimes a candidate will be overlooked because something was confusing or not mentioned on the resume and a recruiter can help overcome an objection or clarify the matter over the phone.

2) People can "expose" themselves to an industry when they send out a resume. You might be surprised at how sending out a resume can get back to the boss. A recruiter knows this so they will focus on outlining your sucesses without providing your name or present and past employers if they do not have a retained agreement in place with the company. The last thing you want is a recruiter to call everyone in the industry telling them you are interested in pursuing other opportunities.

So how can you be represented by a recruiter, well there are two ways:

1) In speaking with a recruiter and sharing with them your resume and career objectives, they can come back to you later on with what you described to them as your "perfect" job.

2) If you are really special with a documented history of success and strong references, a recruiter may be willing to call a few companies on your "wishlist" of employers. There may not be an open position with the employer yet if a company can get a "Tiger Woods" on their team they will make room. So keep in mind a recruiter is not going to call companies on behalf of an average or above average performer, you need to be special.

Finally, although nearly all recruiters have their fee paid for by the company it is important to clarify this point with the recruiter. As a result of a recruiter's fee being paid for by the company, recognize that a recruiter will always act in the best interest of the client first.

Why a Resume Could Bring a Job, But Also ID Theft

Identity Theft From Online Resumes On The RiseNEW YORK (CBS) ― It's a biography of your life; where you've worked, lived, who you are. Your resume also provides everything a criminal needs to open new credit accounts in your name.

"The more info I learn about you, the more I can take advantage of your identity" Said John Pironti of Unisys.And now with more people posting their resumes online, law enforcement officers say criminals are turning to job posting sites for new victims. John Pironti is a security consultant."Once I have your social security number and your address, and some other personal info, I can now start building a profile about you" Pironti said.

James Hall was a victim of financial fraud."I would be nagged for yrs after with questions about credit where people thought i was someone else" Hall said.James posted his resume online, giving thieves everything they needed to buy a car in his name. "You don't think about how people will misuse info that is to you very innocent."Websites like, Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com, now say thieves are even posing as employers, asking for personal information like date of birth for fake employment applications.Privacy experts say, increasingly mid-career professionals are becoming victimized.


As part of an identity theft project, Doctor Latanya Sweeney with Carnagie Melon University wrote a program that searched Google for resumes with personal information."They dont understand how easy it is for a person to find that information. They may think its hidden in the masses."

Resumes belonging to James Hall, and Matt Smith popped up, with their Social Security numbers."If she was able to create a program and look for Social Security numbers online, I would suspect other people could do the same thing"

Smith said.Security experts warn if you do post your resume online, give personal information sparingly.Never post your home address, date of birth or Social Security number. And, instead of your home phone, use a cell phone number. Even primary e-mail addresses should be avoided since spammers place a high street value on them."If a spammer knows that the email address came from a resume, they have a higher confidence that its a valid address and they can send use that to send spam to you." John Pironti said.

Hackers Fake Job Ads to Steal Corporate, Government Data

Editor's Note: This is a corrected version of an article which at first erroneously referenced L-3 Communications, which was not one of the hacking victims.

Hackers stole information from the U.S. Department of Transportation and several U.S. corporations by seducing employees with fake job-listings on ads and e-mail, a computer security firm said on Monday.
The list of victims included several companies known for providing security services to government agencies.
They include consulting firm Booz Allen, computer services company Unisys Corp. (UIS), computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) and satellite network provider Hughes Network Systems, a unit of Hughes Communications Inc. (HUGH), said Mel Morris, chief executive of British Internet security provider Prevx Ltd.
• Click here to visit FOXNews.com's Cybersecurity Center.


Hewlett-Packard declined comment, while officials with other companies couldn't be reached for comment. A Department of Transportation spokeswoman said the agency couldn't find any indication of a security breach.
Malicious programs were able to pass sophisticated security systems undetected because that software hadn't been instructed that they were dangerous. Hackers only targeted a limited group of personal computers, which kept traffic down and allowed them to stay under the radar of security police who tend to identify threats when activity reaches a certain level.
"What is most worrying is that this particular sample of malware wasn't recognized by existing antivirus software. It was able to slip through enterprise defenses," said Yankee Group security analyst Andrew Jaquith, who learned of the breach from Morris.
It was not clear whether the hackers used information stolen from the personal computers, Morris said.
Internet security firms began to release patches to fight the malicious software on Monday night.
Trend Micro, for example, has sent its customers software that prevents the malware from being installed on computers. It also blocks browsers from going to
Web sites that the company has identified as being infected with the dangerous programs, said company spokesman Mike Haro.
"This is a serious threat. It shows how sophisticated hackers have become," Haro said.A piece of software, NTOS.exe, probes the PC for confidential data, then sends it to a Web site hosted on Yahoo Inc. (YHOO). That site's owner is likely unaware that it is being used by hackers, Morris said.
That Web site hosts data that had been stolen from more than 1,000 PCs and encrypted before it was posted on the site, according to Morris.
He said that he believes the hackers have set up several "sister" Web sites that are collecting similar data.

(Source: Reuters, July 18)

Identity Theft and the Online Job Search.....

In February 2007, Javelin Strategy and Research released its 2007 Identity Fraud Survey Report. The report is issued as a longitudinal update to previous Javelin Identity Fraud Survey reports and the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) 2003 Identity Theft Survey Report.
Survey findings indicated that the number of US adults who were victims of identity fraud was 8.4 million in 2007.

So how does searching for a job online lead to identity theft, well here are a few horror stories for you:

"Jim" responded to an email request from an individual identifying himself as a human resource specialist with a leading company in his field. He did some cursory research, and it appeared to be legitimate, so he went ahead and responded with additional information, such as a more complete copy of his resume, including references and reference contact information, his date of birth and social security number, supposedly provided in order to complete a background check. A week later he called the telephone number listed, and it had been disconnected. He called the company direct and found that no one by the name he provided ever worked there, and that they company never requests personal information until they are made an offer.
"Candace" was contacted by three different "companies" requesting additional information to be used to complete the application process as well as to perform a background check. In doubt, she contacted her BBB, and found out that these companies and techniques were well known and common fraud information gathering techniques.
Even movie star Will Smith and former NBA player Steve Smith have been victims of identity theft, by the same thief.
How can your resume help identity thieves? Access to your resume is like hitting the lottery jackpot for identity theft. In many cases it provides your name, address, telephone number, date of birth, schools attending and when, as well as references information. In some cases all that is missing is a Social Security number, and that can be found out through a variety of methods.
(sourced from http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/what-you-can-get-besides-a-job-by-posting-your-res.html)

What can you do to protect yourself, well Wall Street Journal reporter Dana Mattioli cites a few recommendations for job hunters to avoid becoming identity theft victims while seeking employment online:

1. When you post a résumé, clear it of personal information.
2. Take advantage of posting options to keep your personal information anonymous. You can often check a box to “hide” contact information from employers.
3. Since scam artists have been known to post fake job ads, also remove personal information from résumés you submit to potential employers.
4. Think twice before revealing personal information by email or phone.