As with anything we do online, exercising good sense and caution can go a long way to ensuring we have a safe and secure experience. And online recruitment is no exception.
Recruiters are used to dealing with lots of potentially sensitive personal data and most will have rigorous processes in place to keep information from getting in to the wrong hands.
But reminding ourselves of some of the most basic steps we can take to keep our activities secure could make make the difference when it comes to keeping data safe and integrity intact.
Here are some simple tips for staying safe when you’re recruiting online.
1. Manage your passwords
They’re the first line of defence for keeping your online activities secure and some simple password management will minimise the risk of your organisation’s login details being abused:
- Don’t choose anything obvious or too generic (e.g. ‘password’)
- Include upper and lower case letters
- Include numbers or other characters
- Don’t write your passwords down anywhere
- Update your passwords regularly (we would recommend once a month)
- If you’re managing multiple accounts for a team of recruitment consultants, for example, enforce regular password changes
- If you use multiple job boards, choose a different password for each one
2. Create a job board account for each active user
Whether you work with one job site or many, it’s always preferable for each user within your organisation to have their own account.
In this way, you can monitor and control usage and, more importantly, any potential breach of security will be easier to detect – and shut down.
3. Delete ex-colleagues’ accounts
It’s normal for systems access to be revoked when someone leaves your organisation and job board accounts should be no exception – particularly if staff leave to join one of your competitors.
4. Audit job board usage
Most job sites will have controls and checks to alert or restrict access should fraudulent activity be detected.
However, by regularly checking CV downloads and job posting credits usage, it should be obvious if unscrupulous activities are taking place. If in doubt, talk to your account manager who will be able to help you by reporting on how your account’s being used.
At the same time, spot checking your job postings to ensure they match your expectations and that responses are being directed to the correct email address will add extra peace of mind.
5. Keep your browser up-to-date
Whichever browser you’re using (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox etc), always ensure you have the latest version installed, which will have been updated to deal with any security threats.
Similarly, as with any sites requiring you to log in, always make sure you’re doing so via a secure connection by looking for a symbol which denotes a secure connection (such as a padlock) and the secure ‘https’ prefix in the address bar.
6. Look out for phishing scams
Finally, always be vigilant about the emails you receive.
Phishing scammers attempt to carry out fraud by accessing usernames, passwords and other information typically by creating fake login pages that look and behave like genuine pages.
If you don’t recognise an email (or even if you think you do) and you’re asked to follow a link, exercise caution. If you’re asked to sign in to your job board account via an email, take a moment to read the URL in the address bar of the login page. Does it display an ‘https’ prefix or a symbol denoting a secure connection (see point 5, above)? Does it contain any unexpected details, such as the name of another website or service?
If you’re in any doubt, don’t continue. And don’t be afraid to ask. If you’ve noticed something that looks suspicious, contact a representative from the site you’re dealing with and ask them to investigate.
At reed.co.uk, we’re committed to offering the most secure online experience possible. If you would like to talk to us about any aspect of your security on reed.co.uk, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.