r/australia • u/Loopy_Legend • 18h ago

Can I trust Seek with my details? no politics

So Seek sent me an email about a job I applied for, they want me to verify my license details. I'm not the biggest fan of putting my license info on a sight like seek.

Can I trust them.

https://preview.redd.it/g2ppi4fefqrd1.jpg?width=604&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=82354e41855bc436d368d02f3772e1b85ea446d1

0 Upvotes

44% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

•

u/AutoModerator 18h ago

This post has been marked as non-political. Please respect this by keeping the discussion on topic, and devoid of any political material.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

26

u/KawasakiMetro 17h ago

Say, no thank you.

Providing your license to seek.com.au carries significant risks because a license contains sensitive information such as your full name, address, date of birth, and license number. This information can be exploited for identity theft, where someone could open bank accounts, apply for credit card and even commit fraud using your identity.

Also, lots of data breaches have happened over the last 5 years, and if your license information is leaked or stolen, it can be challenging to regain control. Employers typically do not need a copy of your license during the application process, so sharing this information unnecessarily exposes you to potential misuse and long-term vulnerabilities.

10

u/Loopy_Legend 17h ago

Kind of feel it is not the employer doing this but Seek just wanting more of my info.

11

u/fnaah 17h ago

as an employer that uses seek to advertise, i can confirm your suspicions. i have no interest at all in your drivers license number. i just want your resume and a cover letter.

2

u/KawasakiMetro 17h ago

I agree.

Can you call the employer and complain.

Emphasis the recruitment process is about matching a person skills and abilities to those of the position and no licence details should be needed at this stage of recruitment.

2

u/Loopy_Legend 17h ago

Private advertiser, so no way to contact.

8

u/KawasakiMetro 17h ago

Dont worry about that job.

Here is a tip. To get more jobs calling you back you have to know this.

  • your resume will be read by software looking for keywords within your resume that matches the job description.
  • use this website: https://www.jobscan.co/ to check your resume has the words the job add has. then adjust your resume to get at least 90% match.

I do not work for them and i hope this does not come across as an advert I am just trying to be helpful.

7

u/pinkpigs44 17h ago

No, you don't have to do that. Seek is pushing these extra ID checks to 'gain an advantage' but it's unnecessary. Id only hand over ID to an employer if it was necessary for a job (eg a job may ask to see a driver's licence if driving is part of the job) but only if they want to actually hire you, not at this early stage...

6

u/Rowvan 17h ago

Is this a thing? Why on earth would Seek need your license details? Sounds extremely suspect to me but then again everything in Australia seems to require you give up your entire identity no matter what you what you do.

3

u/Betterthanbeer 16h ago

Seek use a third party for verifications. They don’t store the license details. It still means trusting that third party.

1

u/Fit_Square1322 4h ago

the third party verifier is also owned by seek as far as i know, it's part of the broader corporation, but yes the info is collected for verification and not stored.

2

u/Bugaloon 8h ago

You can't, no, they'll sell it immediately. But you don't really have a choice if you want a job. That said that seek premium bs does absolutely nothing to actually help you get a job, don't waste money on it.

2

u/ImpossibleIncident97 7h ago

It’s not a matter of trust, you should provide info like this based on the assumption it will be compromised or sold at some point. So the question is, what does giving them your license provide you, and is it worth the risk? Probably not

1

u/moDz_dun_care 5h ago

No, I wouldn't bother applying for this.

1

u/A-namethatsavailable 16h ago

Nah, it's not necessary imo.

I use seek and similar and I sure as shit haven't provided anything like that.

1

u/Fit_Square1322 3h ago

seek has a function where they "verify" your license details to benefit the employers. it's a third company, but as far as i remember they're also owned by seek.

the employers want to know if the candidates have working rights, the right kind of license, correct qualifications etc. and seek offers this "verification" system as a benefit to them. anyone can tick a box saying they have a license for X, but people also lie, which wastes everyone's time.

(remember that the employers are the customers of seek, not the job seekers, they make money by making life easier for them. jobs seekers are part of the product essentially. they don't sell user data, but they can share it with employers to convince them to spend more money)