Latest JobServe Scam

[Gentile]

Have any of you guys received an e-mail like this from JobServe recently?

"Dear Job Seeker,

We would like to help you find your next job.

You recently applied for one of the jobs advertised on JobServe via email and we would like to welcome you to JobServe and our Job Seeker services.

We have created a job seeker profile for you on our site with a password of .......... "

I received the above, after having made the mistake of contacting an agency through JobServe via the "Contact This Employment Agency" link (which is basically an e-mail address that is controlled by JobServe, but addressed to an individual at the Agency in question).

So, basically, JobServe has taken a 'private' e-mail correspondence from me to a third-party agent, and created an unwanted, searchable 'profile' on their site, containing my personal work history and contact details, without permission, purely to artificially boost their sign-up figures. I don't make my CV available to anyone prospectively, least of all to some dodgy open-to-the-public job site, and I resent it when a job board takes it upon themselves to sign me up for their crap 'service' without consent.

It reminds me of the old 'iProfile' fiasco that several agencies got involved in a few years back, where they'd post non-existent contract and permie jobs, then create iProfiles without consent for the unlucky candidates that applied. iProfile unsurprisingly died a death, and so did many of the agencies that used that model to promote their business. However, iProfile was at least agencies misusing information that had been sent *to them*. This appears to be a whole step beyond that: JobServe has move into the territory of intercepting communications between candidates and agencies, which communications they were not even the recipient of or party to, and misusing the information trawled from snooping.

I've been using JobServe since at least 2000, and have deliberately avoided using competing sites that behave unethically, such as TheITJobBoard ("once we buy your CV from someone, you'll never get off our spam list unless you contact the ICO and get them to force us to comply").

If any of the rest of you, particularly experienced contractors, have experienced this latest twist in the way JobServe operates, I'd be interested to know how you feel about it: just a hazzard of using job sites?, a symptom of the desperate business tactics that the latest recession has brought out?, or a worrying new way that this particular board has decided to contravene the DPA?

[tractor]

...

iProfile hasn't died, I still often get an email telling me I have 'another' profile which I immediately delete.

[Gentile]

iProfile hasn't died, I still often get an email telling me I have 'another' profile which I immediately delete.

Unbelievable. I haven't seen or heard from them since around 2005-ish.

[alluvial]

Unbelievable. I haven't seen or heard from them since around 2005-ish.

I seem to get the odd one, very infrequently now and haven't had one for a while. Always gets the delete treatment.

[norrahe]

I seem to get the odd one, very infrequently now and haven't had one for a while. Always gets the delete treatment.

Same here.

[mercenary]

I dont remember an iprofile fiasco - I dont think it is as used as much now as it was then but it is definitely still functioning. In 2005, I used it heavily and it seemed to have got me a lot of leads from small specialist type agencies but it is not getting me anything nowadays. In fact nothing is getting me anything nowadays!

[Gentile]

JobServe's Response

I received the following response from JobServe today, regarding a complaint I had made concerning their having created a searchable profile for me on their site, by combining a CV I had sent to a selected recruiter with an e-mail address of mine that isn't even listed on said CV. Looks like JobServe has unwisely moved right into iProfile territory. All I need to do whenever they intercept the CVs I send to selected agents and publish them to the world without my consent is delete said profiles, apparently. Remind you of anyone?

I'll be giving these jokers a miss from now on, and advise anyone else that values their CV to do the same. It's not that difficult to contact agents directly. JobServe has really shot themselves in the foot with this BS if you ask me:

"Thank you for your email regarding the use of your personal data.

I think that I should clear up some of the misunderstandings in how the JobServe application process works to show that we do not misuse your data.

When you apply for a job on JobServe the application details are stored in the candidates profile, if they have one, and also in the recruiters account. The recruiter of the job you applied for will be able to login to their account and see the answers to any questions you entered on the job application form and view the CV and any covering letter that was attached to the application.

If the candidates email address that is used in the application is not recognised as an existing JobServe candidate, nor has it ever been a JobServe candidate, then a new profile is created. This profile is solely for ease of use by the candidate in any future activity they may have on JobServe and none of their personal details or CV are visible to any recruiters unless you choose to activate your CV and make it searchable.

You may login to your profile and remove all or some of your details at any time, as per the link in the Welcome to JobServe email below.

The reason that we have your hotmail address is because this was the email address that you used in your recent application. The application is made on JobServe, saved to both the candidate and recruiter accounts, and then forwarded to the recruiter to the address that they specify. The application is not made directly to the recruiter, but via JobServe.

The main reason for this is that the majority of our recruiters use our Application Manager tool in their JobServe account where they can easily see all applications for each individual job they have posted to better manage their recruitment process.

Because our candidate database works on unique email addresses, at no time would we associate your ******* address with your ********* address. As far as we are concerned these are treated as two separate candidates.

Please be assured that we do not misuse your personal data in any way. We certainly do not trawl through Blogs or any other media to search for email address etc.

I do hope that this explanation of our processes allays your fears of how your data is used. Please feel free to contact me should you want to clarify any points or discuss the matter further.

Regards

Les Powell
General Manager Product & Service Delivery"

[NickFitz]

Reading that email, I think the real problem is that JobServe are unable to devise a system that anybody can understand. Including themselves.

[doomage]

"
Please be assured that we do not misuse your personal data in any way. We certainly do not trawl through Blogs or any other media to search for email address etc.

This more or less implies to me that they do this.

[The Gatekeeper]

Unfair critisism

Sorry, but you have not got your facts right. The profile created on JobServe is NOT searchable unless YOU make it so.

And, if you don't want an account/profile at all on JobServe you can just delete it.

I have used JobServe for over 7 years for my contracts and use my account to store my apps - and my CV is not searchable. Works for me!

I received the following response from JobServe today, regarding a complaint I had made concerning their having created a searchable profile for me on their site, by combining a CV I had sent to a selected recruiter with an e-mail address of mine that isn't even listed on said CV. Looks like JobServe has unwisely moved right into iProfile territory. All I need to do whenever they intercept the CVs I send to selected agents and publish them to the world without my consent is delete said profiles, apparently. Remind you of anyone?

I'll be giving these jokers a miss from now on, and advise anyone else that values their CV to do the same. It's not that difficult to contact agents directly. JobServe has really shot themselves in the foot with this BS if you ask me:

"Thank you for your email regarding the use of your personal data.

I think that I should clear up some of the misunderstandings in how the JobServe application process works to show that we do not misuse your data.

When you apply for a job on JobServe the application details are stored in the candidates profile, if they have one, and also in the recruiters account. The recruiter of the job you applied for will be able to login to their account and see the answers to any questions you entered on the job application form and view the CV and any covering letter that was attached to the application.

If the candidates email address that is used in the application is not recognised as an existing JobServe candidate, nor has it ever been a JobServe candidate, then a new profile is created. This profile is solely for ease of use by the candidate in any future activity they may have on JobServe and none of their personal details or CV are visible to any recruiters unless you choose to activate your CV and make it searchable.

You may login to your profile and remove all or some of your details at any time, as per the link in the Welcome to JobServe email below.

The reason that we have your hotmail address is because this was the email address that you used in your recent application. The application is made on JobServe, saved to both the candidate and recruiter accounts, and then forwarded to the recruiter to the address that they specify. The application is not made directly to the recruiter, but via JobServe.

The main reason for this is that the majority of our recruiters use our Application Manager tool in their JobServe account where they can easily see all applications for each individual job they have posted to better manage their recruitment process.

Because our candidate database works on unique email addresses, at no time would we associate your ******* address with your ********* address. As far as we are concerned these are treated as two separate candidates.

Please be assured that we do not misuse your personal data in any way. We certainly do not trawl through Blogs or any other media to search for email address etc.

I do hope that this explanation of our processes allays your fears of how your data is used. Please feel free to contact me should you want to clarify any points or discuss the matter further.

Regards

Les Powell
General Manager Product & Service Delivery"