Monster.com’s Break-In And What To Do About It.

My thanks to Nikki from BlogTalkRadio for today’s tweet on Steve Dispensa’s show, Security Break Live about monster.com’s security break-in. (And my apologies to her, I had forgotten who notified me of it and I believe I misspoke on my show and gave credit to someone else. Sorry Nikki!)

As soon as I heard the beginning of the show, I thought to myself, ‘See? I’m right!’ This is why I am not a proponent for posting your resume for all to see (or have access to) on any site! I’m telling you…there’s a reason I don’t have my full name and city on my business website, twitter, this blog or even BTR and why I don’t have a facebook page or livespace and such. It’s just not safe! I divulge my personal information on a need-to-know basis and I guard my social security number intensely. Call me crazy but you can’t call me directly if you don’t have my phone number! And, that’s just fine with me. It doesn’t hurt my business and it certainly keeps me safe from identity theft.

For those of you who are unaware of this occurrence (as I was but a few hours ago), monster.com was attacked and their database with userID’s, passwords, names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, and some geographical data was acquired by hackers! They have stated in their letter to their users that social security numbers and resumes were not accessed.

Not only did this affect monster.com job seekers but I believe, as Steve suggests in his show, those that post their resumes on usajobs.com are in jeopardy as well. You see, usajobs.com uses monster.com’s systems. They are linked in some technical capacity. I am not an IT specialist but it’s enough for me to continue to encourage people to take precautions when they post their resume or any personal information on job sites or such sites as facebook or linkedin.

Now, because I help people with their job searches and because I had referred my listeners to usajobs.com to browse the site for job postings, I knew I had to put together a show to let my audience know that their information could be in jeopardy if they posted their resumes to this site.

And, if you have your information on monster.com, it certainly is in jeopardy if you haven’t visited the site in the past 1-1/2 months. You see, monster.com did not send out any individual emails for fear of their email being used as a template by phishers. They posted the information on their site for users to click on to read as they visited. (It is in the upper right-hand corner, in red, and states “Security Notice”.

And just as a reminder: it’s not a good idea to post extremely personal information or pictures online where they can never be erased, completely. You have to remember that employers are checking out your facebook pages. Bad news if you have compromising “party-pictures” posted. Be aware.

I encourage all of the people I work with (and always have) to use caution when posting their personal data, especially their contact information and background information on any site. I actually discourage it, to be honest. I suggest using job posting sites as a resource tool for them (and you) to acquire information on job openings and then to research and directly contact the company (or recruiting firm) themselves. That’s taking a much more active role in your job search and can help you build your network of contacts up all under your own control.

So, please, read up on this security break and if you know of anyone who has ever posted on monster.com or even usajobs.com (to be safe), encourage them to change their passwords and/or delete their accounts immediately. And for future reference, please don’t post your full name (and middle initial!!), address, phone number, social security number, the name of your college and date graduated, and personal email (use a free one like yahoo or gmail for job contacts so you can delete them as soon as you don’t need them anymore) online.

This latter suggestion was made by security expert, Elinor Mills who was the guest on Steve Dispensa’s show today. Ms. Mills is also a Senior Editor on CNET News. For additional security tips, please listen to Steve’s show and visit his blog page. And for additional insights to my reasoning, you can listen to my archived show at BTR as well.

Be safe, be smart, be informed.

Lisa (lablady)

Copyright 2009 – All rights reserved.

Do Recruiters Overlook Overqualified Candidates? Part 2

Thanks for reading Part 1 of my response to this question. Now, on to Part 2 and the expanded version of the question. To restate: In these financially difficult times of escalating unemployment, do overqualified people have a chance in acquiring jobs that are beneath their qualifications?

I’m going to quantify this question with the following scenario. Let’s take someone who has contacted me, the recruiter, looking for work. Let’s say the candidate has extensive experience in another industry (one in which there is no correlation whatsoever to my clients’ industry), and this candidate was just laid off and is desperate for work.

As a recruiter, I usually have a reservoir of stable clients within an industry (maybe a few similar industries if my firm is large enough). If this overqualified candidate does not have similar industry-specific experience, more than likely, I can’t help him/her. If this person is seeking entry-level work, I probably couldn’t help him/her either since most companies fill those positions on their own. It’s cheaper and quite easy for them to do so.

It is not that I will automatically overlook the overqualified resume; it is more likely that I am simply not working on filling any position within that candidate’s industry. Remember, a recruiting firm is not an employment agency. We don’t work for the candidates; we work for our clients. Our clients contact us when they have a job opening and they need help in finding the right person.

Now let’s take a step out of the recruiting world and into the ‘normal’ world. If you were asking me, as a prospective employer, would I overlook an overqualified resume for an open position? Again, it depends on the industry, my personality, my specific business needs. It is totally subjective, in my opinion.

Any employer will love someone who has shown reliability and stability and will probably choose you (if you have a good track record) over a high school or college student who might not be so reliable. It is a generalization but, having worked in the retail industry and with both high school and college students alike, there are those young employees who just don’t “get” their responsibilities and are habitually late, no-shows and have that all-too-familiar entitlement factor built into their egos. However, I have also had my fair share of older employees who have behaved the same way.

One good point to raise during an interview if you are overqualified but need the position (and the employer is having a difficult time finding not only a qualified but reliable employee), is that because you need the job for income, he/she can be darn sure you’ll be at work every single day you are scheduled. Let the employer know he/she can count on you!

And if that employer wants to give you the chance to earn income while you are looking for a better job, then that’s great! You both know where you stand and no one suffers. You both benefit. You earn much-needed income and the employer has temporary help that could mean savings on benefits for his/her company and increased sales because he/she isn’t short-staffed.

And you are more likely to be able to get a job in the retail industry or food industry if you are overqualified for their open positions. The retail and food industries have high turnovers and usually welcome any able-bodied being into their workforce. As long as you don’t mind a pay cut, these industries might prove fruitful. However, retailers and food places (with the exception of McDonald’s) are having to let go of employees as well these days. But, that’s another topic.

For those of you looking for employment in a completely different industry than the one you have invested in over the years (and not in the retail/food arena), take heart. Your qualifications could very well transition over to a new industry depending upon the specifics of your experience and expertise.

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but that is where someone like myself (with an outside perspective and insights into the job hunting process) can help you brainstorm your strengths and direct you to a company or industry you may never have thought of and where you wouldn’t necessarily be overqualified. Thus, giving you a better opportunity of landing a better job and better pay rather than just any job with minimal pay.

And please remember, if you are applying for a job that you know you are overqualified for, be honest and open at the interview. And that includes acknowledging a pay cut whether it be temporary or permanent. You can’t expect to earn the same amount for an entry-level position as you were making for a managerial position. But don’t bring up salary until the employer does – he/she may surprise you.

I cannot emphasize being honest enough. These days you really aren’t going to pull the wool over someone’s eyes if you have been laid off and are just needing work…any work to make ends meet. Don’t lie at the interview stating you see this as your next career move unless you actually do! It’s an insult to your potential employer and a disservice to your integrity.

Use the interview to put yourself out there honestly and if that employer can’t invest in you, he/she may know someone who can. If you are honest, the person who interviewed you will gladly keep an eye open for any other opportunities on your behalf. It’s all about networking and making contacts. Make them good ones!

So, the answer to the above question? Yes, in certain circumstances overqualified people DO have a chance of acquiring jobs that are beneath their qualifications. Maybe not through recruiters quite as successfully as on their own, but there may be opportunities offered them by certain employers in certain areas of the country in particular industries. You just have to keep looking, brainstorming and interviewing and while you’re doing that, you might as well look for positions where your qualifications wouldn’t necessarily make you so overqualified.

Lisa (aka lablady on BTR)

Copyright 2009 – All rights reserved