A host of different privacy concerns come to the surface when discussing social media profile access along with an executive job search. Executive anxiety surrounding a job search is heightened by fewer public opportunities, a current employer or co-worker finding out an exit is planned, or simply misinterpreting the myriad of privacy settings on major social networks used for professional networking and job opportunities.
Below are a few tips to help maintain discretion during an executive job search, followed by some information on how SucceedSmart stands out in the market, treating privacy with the respect it deserves.
- Update your professional social profiles – Minor updates to your professional profile pages are completely acceptable, as these profiles are meant to be seen by other people and you want to accurately represent your current experience and accomplishments. That said, there does need to be a focus on your profile privacy. settings to protect you from putting a spotlight on yourself. For instance, while it’s okay to make the changes mentioned above, there’s no need for everyone in your network to be alerted to those changes.
- Sudden and noticeable social channel activity – While it’s always advisable to let your close family members know about your job search, it’s not advisable to make your intentions known via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. With the advent of social platforms, work and personal life are blending more today than ever before. Resist the urge to inform large groups of people, there’s always the possibility it will get back to your current boss.
- Avoid posting resumes on job boards – Resist the urge to post your resume on common job boards as an executive. Once updated, resumes can quickly come up in search results for hiring managers. While those hiring managers might not know you, they might know other folks at your current employer. Much of this can be managed through privacy settings but the risk of forgetting to opt-in or opt-out of a single setting isn’t worth the potential reward.
- Sharing references – It is usual and customary to share the names of people you worked with as references with recruiters. However, be careful to only share the names of former colleagues who previously worked with you. It is advisable not to share contacts of current colleagues as it will negate any expectations of privacy.
- Email Address – We’re all guilty of using corporate email addresses to attend to personal matters. Your job search needs to take place from a personal email address that isn’t monitored by your current employer. You might want to set up a distinct email address for your search to avoid missing any interesting opportunities.
- Internet Access – Always use your home internet connection for job search related activities. Remember, you should have no expectation of privacy through your corporate internet connection.
- LinkedIn Groups – While LinkedIn Groups offers job seekers an opportunity to connect with other professionals and recruiters, it’s not the place to let the world know you’re an executive searching for a new role. Someone in the group could inadvertently expose you to your current employer’s HR department or your immediate boss. Again, keep the pool of people that know you’re looking to a small and trusted group.
SucceedSmart’s new executives-only professional network provides executives with the privacy they’ve craved for years. Fortune 1000 corporations and fast-paced start-ups looking for pre-screened and diverse executive candidates will find plenty of wonderful options, but what they won’t find is any information that would identify that individual until an executive agrees to share their profile. To learn more about SucceedSmart’s privacy benefits and its host of other benefits to executives please visit here.
