Getting a job can be one of the most privacy invasive tasks. Unlike cars, taxes, insurance, healthcare, banking, education, credit, and other privacy invasive things, jobs are nearly impossible to avoid.
Why are jobs privacy invasive?
Jobs used to be as private as one could wish for. You would be able to ask to work for someone, start working on the spot, and get paid in cash at the end of the day, without so much as giving your name. There are many factors that led to the privacy invasive nature of jobs, but one large factor was the strict requirement to report taxes. Information such as your ID and social security number needed to be collected to avoid tax evasion.
Tip: In the United States, if you make under a certain amount each year, you aren’t actually required to file your tax return. Your income information may still be sent to the IRS as part of working for your job, but this can help reduce the amount of personal information given away. I am not a lawyer.
The culture around getting a job also shifted in a privacy invasive way. Most jobs began requiring a résumé containing information such as past jobs and contact information. It’s no surprise that résumés became one of the largest data breaches in the world.
Protecting your résumé
Handing out copies
There are two types of résumés: physical and digital. Jobs that collect physical résumés often discard them in irresponsible ways, usually by throwing them in the trash for any dumpster diver to collect. Because a résumé is often required to even apply for a job, any denied applicant is at risk of this kind of breach. Jobs rarely ever tell you you have been denied, so there is no way to know if or when your résumé has been discarded.
Digital résumés are no better. Jobs often prefer digital résumés for their convenience, but share it using insecure channels such as email. These digital résumés are collected by countless parties, including the employer’s email and operating system, and sold to advertising companies or the highest bidder. Résumés are also scraped from job sites (or by the job site itself) and sold in the same way.
The solution is to never give your employer a résumé at all, at least not one your employer is allowed to keep. Try to apply without using a résumé (see the next section for applying to jobs), and during the interview, allow your employer to look over a physical résumé. You should collect this résumé after the interview has included. Interviewers usually take notes during interviews, so they aren’t left with nothing.
Redacting information
Mishaps can arise, though. Your résumé could get lost, or your employer may require keeping your résumé to complete the hiring process. In these cases, you will want to put as little personal information on your résumé as possible. Your résumé can contain details such as past jobs, which schools you went to, and list your certifications and experience. However, because your employer already knows who you are during the interview, you do not need to include any personal information such as your name, address, or contact information. Any information the employer needs can be requested in other ways, such as during the interview.
If you want to provide contact information, add a SimpleX Address as described in the next section. This can be useful if your résumé is required to even apply for the job. Employers generally don’t care about any personal information other than a way to contact you. Most people are unaware about private instant messaging software such as SimpleX Chat, so it’s a good idea to explain what it is on your résumé, and explain your reasons for not using a phone number or email. Something like the following will suffice:
My preferred method of contact is SimpleX Chat (https://simplex.chat/). SimpleX Chat is a private and secure instant messaging software. Other forms of contact, such as SMS or email, are insecure and often include no encryption at all. For this reason, I prefer to use SimpleX Chat to keep my communications private.
Then, include the QR code for your SimpleX Address, with a message like “Scan using SimpleX Chat to contact me”
Adding a legal notice
An effective way to make sure your résumé is disposed properly is by adding a legal notice. This legal notice is fake, and is only there to scare your employer into handling your résumé responsibly and with care. On the footer of each page, you can add a notice with instructions on how the document should be handled. Here is an example:
This document is protected under law. Copying, modifying, or distributing this document without explicit consent from the author is strictly forbidden. Failure to comply will result in immediate legal action. By law, this document must be disposed of properly, either by returning its contents in full to the author, storing this document securely and indefinitely, or by destroying the full contents of this document in its entirety. By obtaining a copy of this document, you automatically agree to these terms.
You can get creative with what you want to put on there. Remember that these should only sound and look official, but these notices will rarely hold up in court. It is simply hard to enforce responsible handling of your documents, so the legal notice is only a deterrent. Some employers may not be happy to have that responsibility.
Applying privately
Trying to apply for a job privately will get you a lot of denials. This is because the only private way to apply for a job is in person, which most jobs are not equipped for. However, with some sweet talking, you can open up some options.
When walking into the building, state your name and title. Try to make yourself sound important. Say something like “Hello, my name is John Doe. I am an information security expert.” You can use an alias instead of your name. Then, ask if a manager is around. Making yourself sound important is to avoid too many questions from nosy receptionists. Saying things like “I’d prefer not to say why I’m here” only makes you look suspicious, and will get you turned away at the door, even if it is none of their business why you are there.
Be polite and tell them you are here about a job offering, when asked. If you are asked if you have already applied, simply say “I am here to apply in-person.” Receptionists will usually ask this to stall while they retrieve a manager.
At almost every job, especially larger corporations, the managers are not equipped to handle in-person applications, and will simply guide you to apply online. You can either try explaining the privacy risks of applying online (most will not care), or lie and say “I have no way to apply online, I’m sorry.” In a panic, managers will forget that that usually means you have a résumé with you, so now is a good time to politely remind them. If a job requires you to apply online, usually your only course of action is to either hand them a physical résumé as your application, or to not apply at all. In either case, be polite.
If you are good at smooth talking, you may be able to hand them a business card or interview on the spot. If no manager is available, giving the receptionist your résumé or business card are your only options. You can often skip the ordeal of telling them you are applying in person by handing them a business card and saying “Here’s my information if you want to get in touch about [the job position you are applying for].” and then leave. This increases your chances of being able to only use your résumé during the interview process.
Tip: Always try to hand your résumé or business card directly to the manager, where possible. Receptionists are often forgetful or may lose your documents before there is a chance to hand it to a manager.
Business cards
Business cards are a great way for people to contact you while giving out minimal information. SimpleX Chat makes it very easy to add contact information for a business card through the use of connection addresses. These addresses are QR codes (or links) that you can share in order for people to contact you through SimpleX Chat.
There are two types of addresses: 1-time invitation links and SimpleX contact addresses. 1-time invitation links are invites to contact you that can only be used once. Those are not a good option if you are printing business cards in bulk, but if you print business cards individually, these invitation links can be a good way to make sure only the intended recipient is able to contact you. SimpleX contact addresses provide unlimited invites to contact you, so if one of these business cards is lost, you may find strangers trying to get in touch. These addresses can be revoked, but that will revoke it even for people you intended to give your business card to. However, these addresses are much more friendly to printing in bulk.
To generate a QR code to contact you:
- Install and open SimpleX Chat
- Follow the first boot steps, if you haven’t already
- Tap on your profile
- Navigate to “Your SimpleX address”
- Choose which type of address you want to create, and create it
- Share the QR code
- Save the QR code image
You’re done! This image can be added to your business card for anyone to contact you with. Your business card doesn’t need any information besides your SimpleX Address and your job title.
Interviewing
Because you are entering buildings without an appointment, many jobs will require you to schedule an interview. You may be able to convince them, however, to fit in some time to do a quick interview. If there’s no time available, ask if you can schedule a meeting later in the week. This is a better option than giving out your contact information and waiting for a response, and is a sly way to confirm yourself for an interview. If they insist on contacting you back, hand them your business card, since a résumé is not required. This encourages them to contact you for more information. If they message you back asking for a résumé, tell them you’ll provide a copy during an interview.
Once you have made it to the interview stage, be prepared with a copy of your résumé and a few extra business cards for unexpected guests. Start by handing your résumé for the interviewer to scan over. When answering questions, it is up to you whether or not to lie on personal questions. These questions are generally asked so that managers can make a personal connection with you. Beware, as some managers will remember the answers to your questions long after you have been hired. When the interview has concluded, politely ask for your résumé back, and hand out business cards to anyone you feel may want them.
Some managers may insist on keeping your résumé for documentation purposes. You can either relinquish your résumé, or social engineer your way into getting it back. Some excuses include:
- That’s my only copy
- I can send you a copy later
- You are required by law to return it
Or, be honest and explain the privacy reasons for getting it back. In any case, be creative but be polite.
Tip: You are allowed to deny background checks, but it hurts your chances of being hired.
Finding jobs
Finding jobs is easy, finding good jobs is hard. Many jobs will say straight up which information they need to gauge from you in order to apply. The only jobs that you have any chance of privacy with are in-person jobs rather than remote jobs. There are almost no privacy respecting sites where job listings are posted. The only ones that exist are for specific locations and often don’t include many listings. For that reason, you need to look for job listing sites that can be browsed without an account.
LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft and requires an account to browse. Indeed is owned by the Japanese company Recruit which also owns Glassdoor) and can be browsed without an account. It’s up to you to see which one works best in your area, but in general you will have to browse using the most popular options for job listings. You will rarely find any job listings on these sites for jobs that respect your privacy.
Online listings usually include only the city or zip code that the job is located at. Sometimes jobs will include the full address. Either way, in order to apply in person you will need to find the exact address of the business. That can usually be found on the business’s website or on the map. Searching “[business] in [city], [state]” will often point you where you need to go. One benefit of visiting these locations in person before applying is that you are able to make sure the business actually exists and is still taking applications. Some job listings online will use fake addresses and fake listings, undoubtedly to extract personal information from you. I have seen these first hand.
Another option to find jobs are local bulletin boards (which are becoming increasingly rare), or word of mouth. If you get lucky, you may be able to hear about small local businesses that haven’t cemented any privacy invasive practices yet. Some small jobs can be found by word of mouth, and can pay in cash. Picking up part-time jobs such as lawn mowing, leaf raking, and snow shoveling can earn you some cash as well.
The final option for jobs is contracting jobs. Because these jobs are not fully established positions, there is a good chance you can be paid in a paycheck or even cash. These jobs will still request your ID and social security number. If all else fails, run your own business or do something worthy of donations.
You can find remote work for some for-privacy companies. Institutions such as the Ludlow Institute or Calyx Institute are hiring, and will probably handle your personal information with more care than your local Taco Bell. If you live in popular cities such as New York, you may find a lot of privacy-focused companies stationed there.
Conclusion
Being hired privately is very difficult, and you will lose a lot of job opportunities trying to do it. However, by fighting for your privacy, you are showing companies that people care about privacy, and many companies will start to accommodate things like physical applications because of it. It’s up to you how extreme you want to be with your privacy while getting hired for jobs. Hopefully this gave you tips and knowledge you can use, even outside of your job. Someone you know may find this useful, too.
Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear some of your tips and stories about applying for jobs privately, so do leave a comment if you want to.
Cheers!
I will be look like a North Korea spy if i apply these method for remote job
Ugh I hate how video interviews, camera on, are required for remote work now.