Last week the news world was a buzz with many newspaper articles reporting that Google would allow prospective employers to see your browsing history through ‘Google Hire’, its new recruitment tool, built on the lines of LinkedIn. Google Hire is said to let employers place job ads and manage applications through the product.
It was also suggested that the search giant’s latest project would link your search history and YouTube account with your job applications, which could be accessed by prospective employers.
News denying the initial reports came out quickly, with Google representatives saying that “Google does not share private information such as search or viewing history. Only the information that applicants input into Google Hire will be shared – for example, first name, last name, email address, resume, cover letter, etc”.
Google Hire is said to be in the very early stages of development and needs an invitation to sign up. It is based on the same system used by Google to manage its own job applications.
The product’s sign-in page apparently has an option to connect through a personal Google account, which is what led to the fears that employers could access your search history and YouTube subscriptions.
Google, however, hasn’t revealed much about the new venture, so it is unclear at this stage exactly what employers will be able to search for when looking for potential hires. Stay tuned for more.