Belated Trick or Treat--Monster Can Bite You

Photo by Vik Nanda

Here's a dose of paranoia for those of you who may also be trying to improve your financial situation by getting another job. I probably shouldn't have been, but I was semi-shocked when a friend told me last week that the owner of his company has a saved search at Monster for any job-seekers posting resumes containing his company's name. The owner then makes a practice of telling his managers that he has found resumes of current employees and asking them to find out why the person is looking for another job. EEK.

A couple of people I talked to about this found that practice borderline abusive. I find it just to be a cautionary tale. Even if you choose to make your contact information anonymous (one of Monster's privacy options), a savvy employer could still identify you by your company name or job details. And even if you choose to make your entire resume confidential (in other words, it doesn't show up in searches) there is nothing keeping people you do authorize viewing it from emailing it to your boss.

Monster itself warns

As with any career or networking site, the general rule is: If you don’t want your friends, family or boss to know about it, don’t post it online. Once you’ve set your information to public, understand that you really are getting your name -- and a whole lot more -- out there.

Skulking Behind the Bushes

Image via Wikipedia So, I just gotta say that it's kind of humiliating to sneak out of my office, make sure nobody is looking out the window as I dart across the parking lot, and duck behind the bushes to make phone calls on my cell phone to my favorite creditors.

I work in cube-ville. The conference room is a fishbowl, literally in the center of everybody's desks. A few windowless rooms are available, but they adjoin my boss's office and the walls are thin.

So skulk I must. It's comical. It stinks.