Staying protected while applying for jobs online

Job-hunting apps and platforms expose professionals to thousands of career opportunities but can also make them easy targets for cybercriminals.

Gone are the days of spending hours reading through a dozen classified ads, trying to spot a job that matches your skillset. Today, job searching has taken a sleek, digital turn.??

As offices and businesses in the Philippines reopen, recruiters expect a surge of applications from job seekers of all ages.??

Online job searching is the new go-to method to find a rewarding career, especially for tech-savvy professionals.? It’s fast, easy, and allows applicants to submit multiple applications in a short amount of time.??

In fact, 86% of younger job-hunters are most likely to apply online, with 79% using social media to supplement their search.

While the lure of convenience continues to attract more professionals to click, submit, and anticipate their online interviews, applying for jobs online also comes with threats to their online security.??

According to a 2020 report, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) announced that about 14 million people got scammed by questionable employment offers. The total calculated losses amounted to more than two billion dollars.??

This was a critical reminder of how important it is to secure private information, especially when applying for a job online.??

Threats to cybersecurity in the Philippines

With 76.01 million internet users in the Philippines (68% of the entire country’s population), it’s not surprising that a considerable number get exposed to online crimes like fraud, sexual abuse and exploitation, bullying, and identity theft being the most common, according to the national police.

Online job hunters and recruiters are not exempted from cybercrime as well. These fraudulent acts include:?

Smishing???

Cybercriminals resort to SMS (short message service) phishing or smishing to get a hold of unsuspecting job seekers' personal information.

According to a statement by Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA): “In smishing, text messages promising employment and high salaries are sent to trick users into clicking on suspicious links. These links then redirect users to fraudulent sites when clicked. These sites may steal users' data, introduce mobile malware, and even commit fraud.” ?

Fake identities?

Fraudsters posing as recruiters from big companies such as Amazon have also been a common occurrence this year, as explained by Southeast Asia Kaspersky general manager Yeo Siang Tiong.

“The phishing machinery relies on urgency or something that’s closest to the hearts of consumers, so when you see it, and it’s meaningful to you, you click on it,”?

Telltale signs of an online scam

Aside from cybersecurity threats, be mindful of scams you may encounter during your job-hunting journey. So, watch out for the following job posts or ads:

1. It’s too good to be true

When browsing through ads, watch out for words like “unlimited use of”, “earn millions fast”, and “get cash easy now”. Ads that overpromise are more than likely to put you in a compromising position.?

2. Vague job descriptions

A good job description should give you a general overview of the role you are applying for.? If the duties and responsibilities aren’t clear, you may find yourself doing jobs that you did not sign up for.?

3. No official website

At the very least, a legitimate company should have a website that clearly states its business, the products and services it provides, its office address, and contact numbers.??

4. No personalized email address

Be wary of companies that use free email services such as Yahoo or Gmail. Companies that seek to earn your trust should be using their own custom email domain names.

In addition, experts recommend conducting background checks on companies you are interested in. Do some research on the credentials of the leadership and management teams. Run through several reviews about that company, if any.?

Now that you’re familiar with the most common cyber threats, here are tips to help protect you when searching for jobs online:

Avoid oversharing personal details

Jobseekers want to ensure potential recruiters have no trouble contacting them. So sometimes, they mistakenly disclose even the most sensitive information.?

Never share details such as passwords or passcodes. Personal information such as addresses and contact numbers should only be shared with the right people.?

For an extra layer of security, create a separate email you can use when job searching on sites like LinkedIn or JobStreet.

Be critical of job-search websites?

Legitimate job search websites take pride in the quality of the service they provide and their top talents, invest in their online presence, and hire dedicated web developers to optimize their websites.??

You can always check a webpage’s integrity by ensuring its URL isn’t misspelled, the grammar is impeccable, and the domain name and age are written properly.?

You can also consider investing in anti-spyware programs or subscribing to a VPN provider to protect your location and data from shady online activity.??

Remember, you have every right to a job-hunting journey that is safe and secure. Good luck with your search!??

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Emapta is an Australian-owned offshore staffing company operating in the Philippines for over a decade. We create global career opportunities by bridging Filipino professionals to industry-leading businesses around the world without the need to go abroad.