JobSearchTipsOnline.com

Should I provide my Social Secutity number?

Q. Ralph asks, "What should I do when an online application asks for my social security number?"

A. Why are you filling out an online application? Remember that there is little mileage in applying online. But sometimes you end up doing it anyway for a number of reasons, usually after you have made direct contact with a company and they ask you to apply online. But, even then, if you are talking with the hiring manager and have established interest this is usually not required .

But - when you have to do it, how do you handle the SS question?  You certainly do not want to give away information that someone can use to steal your identity.

First try to bypass the question. If it is required, see if the field will accept an alphanumeric entry. If so, enter something like "will disclose later" or "when mutual interest is established." If that doesn't work try to construct a number using one digit, like this: 555-55-5555.

If nothing works then you have to determine if this is a legitimate company. If you are unable to do that with certainty, then your best bet to protect your identity is to skip it rather than taking a chance.

Volunteer work?

Q. Gary asks, "What about volunteering? I have heard it is a good way to meet people and to land a job."

A. Volunteering makes sense in some situations. If you are changing careers and have learned that experience is necessary to land a job in your new field, volunteering may be the best step to take. But investigate first to learn if volunteer experience will do the trick.

Volunteering is also a good strategy when you are trying to expand your network. But it is a time consuming process to meet only a few people. Look at the payoff. If a reasonable amount of time invested will pay off with a large number of contacts, then it may be worthwhile.

"What about LinkedIn?"

Q. Jon asks, "Should I use LinkedIn to find contacts during my job search?"

A. LinkedIn is a great tool - and not just during your job search. Unlike social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, LinkedIn is a professional networking site you can use to:

1. Find valuable contacts. Say you want to find a mid-level professional contact at a large company but have no names and your networking and research have turning up nothing. Do a search of your LinkedIn network for anyone currently in that function at the company. The search results will include anyone who matches your search parameters who is directly connected with you, their connections, or your third level connections. Also included will be anyone who matches who are members of any of the LinkedIn groups you have joined.
2. Showcase your professional background and skills to others - including corporate and third-party recruiters.
3. Stay in touch with others who you may otherwise lose touch with as you and they change companies, careers, last names, and cities.

"Your resume is wrong"

Q.    Dan asks, "Many of my networking contacts tell me my resume is wrong - and each one has a different suggestion. What should I do?"

A.    Dan, be glad - not dismayed. It could be worse - you could be asking for feedback and all they say is, "It looks fine to me." That is not an answer you want. Those people are not being honest or helpful (or your resume is truly one of the best out there).

Resume writing is an art form not a science. Yes, there are some resume writing rules (we have a set of rules on this web site) but it is essentially an ad and, therefore, an art form. Everyone has an opinion about resume format and content. So it is no surprise that you will get many different opinions.

Listen to their ideas. Thank them and tell them you will consider doing what they suggest. You may agree with some of them - those are the comments you were looking for, ways to improve your resume.

When all is said and done, this is your resume and you decide what should be included, what should be changed, and how it should look.