Whether
your goal is to protect your identity or conduct a low-profile
job search, a confidential resume (as defined in the 9 steps
below) will keep your personal information private.
Once
your resume is properly modified, it can be used in a variety
of ways to promote your career. But first, some important
changes must be made:
- Your
Name
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Your
Name
Replace
your name with a generic term such as:
–
Confidential Candidate
– eSolutions Marketing Candidate
– Confidential Resume: eSolutions Expert
– Confidential Candidate / CEO
eMail
Address
To maintain confidentiality, you will need a nondescript
email address. In other words, avoid using e-mail addresses
that include parts of your name (i.e., johnfrank@abc.com).
- Most
job seekers benefit from setting up a separate email for
job seeking.
-
For
job seeking purposes, the best solution is a job-relevant,
generic e-mail address like salespro@abc.com.
Tip:
Get a free email address at Gmail.com. How
to select an email address for job searching
Warning:
Never Use Your Current Employer's eMail, even if you have permission!
Never use your current employer's e-mail, computers,
or telephone systems for job search purposes. Even if
your employer is aware of it (and/or 100% supportive
of your job search) using company e-mail for job searching
"looks" inappropriate and may raise questions
about your honesty or integrity.
A
survey conducted by the American Management
Association found that nearly 63% of companies
monitor employees' Internet use.
Eliminate the name and location of your current employer
from the resume. Replace it with a general company description:
-
High tech manufacturing firm
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International sales consulting firm
-
Job
Titles
Replace
unique, industry-specific, or product-specific job titles
with more generic (but equivalent) job titles. For example,
use Quality Assurance Manager instead of Manager of
Widget Systems Quality Assurance.
Industry-specific
Keywords
Imagine that your current employer is searching for
your replacement... What skills (keywords) would they
search for in candidate's resumes?
Compile a list and eliminate these kinds of keywords and terms from your resume:
-
Specific
industries, markets, products
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Client names, company names
-
Industry-specific technologies, certifications
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Location (cities, area codes, and so on)
Details
/ Personal Data
Personal
identifiers should be removed or described in a more discreet
manner. In addition to the obvious (never list your social
security number or birth date), you'll also want to consider
camouflaging specific locations, products, dollar amounts,
account names, specialized technologies, etc.
High
Stakes Searches
In
high stakes job searches:
-
Remove
the name of the college / university and the graduation
/ college attendance dates from your resume's "Education"
section. Employers and recruiters can track down
candidate identities through graduation dates and academic
records.
-
Remove specific cities, locations, and geographical
criteria from your job entries and replace with generic
terms.
Embedded
Data in Attachments and Downloads
Before
sending your confidential resume as an attachment (MS
Word), make sure your name is not embedded in the document's
file properties
To
remove personal identifiers from a Microsoft Word file:
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Open
the MS Word document.
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Select FILE and then click on PROPERTIES.
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Delete any personal identifiers such as subject, author,
etc.
If
you plan on sending the word-processed version of your
resume as an e-mail attachment, be sure to rename your
resume.
For
obvious reasons, the file name should not be based on
your name.
Renaming
Your File: Most people name their resume Resume. But naming
your document "resume" makes it easy for employers
and recruiters to to lose your resume – or worse
– overwrite it with another resume with the same
name. Instead, consider using a file name that reflects
your job target:
project_manager.doc
Marketing-Candidate.doc
marketingexec.doc.
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©
2010 Pat Kendall
All Rights Reserved
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