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5 Cybersecurity Practices to Remember while Job Hunting

5 Cybersecurity Practices to Remember while Job Hunting

Nowadays, job hunting is different from how it was back then. People back then would rely on bulletin or announcement boards, the yellow pages, and the newspapers to look for job postings. Today, people would go online to look for job opportunities because employers have already moved on to online job boards and job-seeking websites. In addition, recruiters now perform background checks on each shortlisted candidate with platforms like uCheck - so you really need to check on several levels before you get that offer!

Job-seekers themselves are also turning to the internet to look for job vacancies. It’s easier and more organized to do this because their job-hunting becomes more targeted based on their previous work experiences and skills. Now, if you’re someone who is looking for job vacancies online, you must protect your personal information. This is why you should learn about cybersecurity to safely look for work online. Here are some tips for you.

Use an encrypted network

Whenever you surf online, you leave a digital print. This is why cybercriminals can easily track or view your online activity when your internet is not encrypted. Using unsecured connections can lead to a loss of privacy. Your private information and sensitive data can be accessed by anybody and this makes you vulnerable to cybercrime.

To avoid any of that, you should protect yourself via a VPN to hide your IP address. This will also encrypt your online footprint so that cybercriminals won’t be able to access any of your information. The use of a VPN improves your network security system and prevents data loss and sabotage.

Use an antivirus software

When job-hunting online, it’s normal for you to browse through a lot of websites and receive newsletters and random emails from job-posting sites. This makes you vulnerable to cyberattacks. There’s a chance that you’ll get a virus, adware, ransomware, and many other forms of attack on your computer.

This is why you should have anti-virus software installed on your PC, tablet, or even your smartphone. Antivirus software could detect viruses and would let you know if something is off or suspicious about a website.

Use a separate email address for job-hunting

You should always make sure that you use a professional and appropriate email address for job hunting or work-related communications. Even if you already have a personal email address that could also be appropriate for work-related email exchanges, you should still consider creating a separate account for job-hunting.

Cybercriminals are always after people who are willing to give out personal information and as a job-seeker, this is something you’re doing. There can be a pretend interview for them to somehow be able to hack your email account. If this happens and you’re using your email address, then they could gain access to important matters like your banking details and your social media accounts.

Having a dedicated job-hunting email address could help you become more organized. Your job-hunting email would help you not miss out on job invites or interview schedules. Aside from that, this also helps you become cyber safe. Even if they somehow get into your job-hunting email, they won’t be able to access your other important information.

Be wary of cyber phishing

The use of internet exchanges has given birth to cyber phishing which is now the most common way for cybercriminals to illegally obtain your information. How does this happen? You may receive an email from someone you’ve never heard of or someone who claims to be part of a specific company.

The email may contain an email attachment that you’ll have to click. Some would just let you click a hyperlink that will lead you to a different and professional-looking site where you’ll need to input your details to be able to sign-up.

This is why you should always be wary of the emails you receive. Always make sure that you’re only dealing with email addresses that are on a company’s website. Check for misspellings on the email address and if the website attached to the email looks fishy, just avoid it.

Don’t just give out your personal information

It’s normal to get excited about job interviews and invites. However, this could make you very much willing to give all the information they need. Of course, you will want to make sure that you give them the impression that you can give them what they need, but still be careful.

Don’t just give all the information they need especially if they are asking for too much. Cybercriminals are posing to be interviewers or from HR saying that they need your account number right away or your email passwords to be able to give you what you need for the job or get paid. Always assess whether the information they need from you is really necessary. You can always ask them their purpose for the information they need.

Conclusion

These are just five things that you can do to be able to protect yourself from cybercriminals. Using the tools mentioned above will all help ensure that you’re safely browsing on the internet while you look for the perfect job.

Even if internet security has improved a lot over the years, there’s no harm of being extra careful with the transactions and communications you make online. The bottom line here is that you should always be careful of who you’re giving your information to. Don’t trust anybody right away. DO your research and make sure that you’re dealing with a legit employer.