Don't Lose Track of Your Resume

[Jeff Steiner]

As I continue my job search, I remember that it is important not to dilute my resume by sending it out to every recruiter and every job I see on the Internet. I am very selective about where I send my resume and in this market, I’m extremely cautious with every job posting that I see. The resume is really all that we have to differentiate and present ourselves to employers, so we can’t afford to lose control of that document. It’s important to know where your resume is at all times – because once you lose track of where it has gone, you may find that it’s impossible to track it down. I keep an Excel spreadsheet of the recruiters that I’ve sent my resume to, the companies that I’ve applied to and the people in my network that I’ve reached out to directly. Also, be aware that some recruiters do not even have valid positions and they are merely looking for your information to store in their databases for a later date.

With so many people out of work, there are tons of new job scams popping up all over Internet job boards. I am particularly wary of postings on Craigslist. Often times Craigslist postings seem too good to be true – and they probably are. Whenever I see a job posting on Craigslist, I always email the person asking for more information about the position and a number where I can reach them before I send them my resume. If you are wary about the authenticity of a Craigslist job posting, then you should definitely do your homework to check on the legitimacy of the posting.

When sending your resume to a job posting, always understand that once you send your information to someone, it is out of your hands as to what that person does with it. While most recruiters state that they will not dispense your information to employers without your express consent (and obviously you have nothing to worry about with the big recruiting firms with good reputations), in any email that I send, I make sure that the email address is valid and I reiterate that my resume is confidential and that it should not be sent to anyone without my consent.

Please feel free to share any stories or thoughts in the comments section.

[Chase Barksdale]

Good call, Jeff. I sent my resume to a job posting on Craigslist that seemed on-point with my experience. Instead of getting an interview or a phone call, all I got was spam email...