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How To Redact A Resume In 4 Easy Steps: Top Software & Tools

how to redact a resume

Why Redact a Resume?

With organizations embracing all aspects of the digital age, Resumes are now primarily sent out electronically. Before wide distribution to numerous potential employers, it has become vital to redact personally-identifiable data to bar the misuse of where those documents might end up. Having a quick and handy redaction tool has become a natural necessity. Read further on the nature and necessities of data redaction and how it differs from data masking.

Unprofessional data-hygiene practices such as not protecting data before archiving, unapproved distribution of data to other companies and organizations, and even the selling of data have put even a noble hiring process into a necessary market for data protection. 

Check out some real cases where bad data-hygiene practices risked data security and had lasting consequences. 

What Information Do You Redact In A Resume?

Personally identifiable information: emails, phone numbers, addresses etc. Although redacting a resume may seem over-the-top and counter-intuitive to the spirit of a resume which is traditionally a clear and proud showcase of your skills and personality, it is the fluidity with which data can spread after the interview and employment process that is the concern nowadays. You want your information to be received and accessible to your potential employer, not spammers and scammers afterwards. 

How Does One Redact A Resume?

Redaction nowadays is done through either a redaction tool or software. The automation of this process has allowed it to be steered by artificial intelligence through techniques such as natural language processing to identify patterns in sensitive data. Software often provide a list of patterned information that can be considered confidential and sensitive such as bank account numbers, mobile numbers and email addresses. 

Often Redaction involves uploading your document in the form of a pdf and either identifying your items manually to be redacted or allowing the software to process and recognize sensitive data for you - given the software you have chosen offers a capable A.I.- driven software.

What Are Some Options For Redaction Software?

Free Online PDF Redaction Tools

You might be wondering why you spend money at all. There's a plethora of free online tools that everyone seems to use. Before you join the masses who have tossed their data for grabs, ask yourself what the point of redacting your sensitive data at all if you are leaving it vulnerable by using shifty online tools.

Through the analysis of the top free online redaction tools out there, it becomes clear the question of data security has somewhat of an ambiguous answer:

AvePDF:

  • Does not clearly provide their security process and capability.

PDF.Online:

  • A lack of transparent security policy prevents concrete trust: "Most tools process your files entirely within your browser. This means that your files are never saved on the server” (Source). Such a general statement is not good enough regarding sensitive data. The user must know exactly how effective their data is being protected and by what methods.

FreePDFRedactor:

  • The best of the lot in terms of security. However, the 20-page/ 5 MB limit prevents it from being a serious choice for personal users and businesses. The Pro Pack is available that allows for greater redactions, but the lack of information on its features and the fact you have to reach out to their Team for details, prevents FreePDFRedactor from being a prime choice. 

Explore our extensive analysis on free online pdf software and how they are a risk to your data

Adobe Acrobat (through the purchase of Pro DC package)

(Source)

Simply using the Redact tool in Adobe Acrobat seems like the most sensible option. With no doubts about authenticity and data security, why not just pluck the fruit from the tree?  Well, a couple reasons I discovered prevented me from making Adobe the clear choice.  

First, Adobe has discontinued providing their Redact tool without at least purchasing their Adobe Acrobat Pro DC Package first. This seems unfair, given Adobe Acrobat is largely known to be the primary pdf software most of us have come to know, so why wouldn't they provide all necessary tools for every user?

Elaborating on its capabilities, the option to Redact using recognizable patterns has become the norm for any tool or software. But what else does Adobe provide? The realization that this is Adobe's ceiling as far as the service it provides is the reason for its demotion of their ranking in the argument for best software available.

Second, though Adobe provides quality service, it seems Redactable has successfully provided a secure and capable redaction software that matches Adobe in security and trust- through their client list of well-known businesses- and goes beyond them by introducing new features that have never been seen before: Complete auto-redaction & Team Collaboration which have successfully provided shortcuts on both time and effort making tools like Adobe's Redact now obsolete in the question of a Redaction tool that reflects today's technology and employs the strides made in A.I. and the efficiency and accuracy that has come with these advancements. Why use yesterday's tools?

Moreover, the fact that paying the additional $24.99/month does not even provide the most capable redaction tool further cements my inclination that Adobe Acrobat is not the best fit for today's users

Adobe bets all its chips behind the laurels of their well-established pedigree of trust they have accumulated. But providing a cookie-cutter of a redaction tool that under hands the customer and leaves their users of other packages inconvenienced and at the butt-end of their business strategy.

Downfalls of Adobe Acrobat's software in four concise points:

  1. The long and arduous steps to Redact seem tedious and unideal. 
  2. The interface is outdated and mundane. 
  3. The inefficiency of the tool requires a subsequent Manual process of reviewing and choosing all patterns of information you wish to Redact to COMPLETELY remove all sensitive data from your document making the process demanding and time-consuming.
  4. The headache of purchasing the Pro DC pack to be able to Redact is inconvenient and disappointing in a primary pdf software. 

The gaping holes in Adobe's service have been met with a demand for an adept redaction software that concisely provides everything you need in one place. 

Why Redactable?

Redactable has successfully met the need for a professional and efficient redaction software by introducing a completely secure, championing data removal permeance, while supplying the evident need for a more modern, capable and efficient method to Redact the mass amounts of data in today's world.

Redactable has successfully streamed the prowess of progress in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Optical Character Reader/Recognition (OCR)  technology to create an artificially-intelligent software that is capable of finding ALL of your sensitive and personal data in a document and have it ready to be removed, including its back-end meta-data, to leave no susceptibility for data-theft.

With massive implications for saving resources and money in a swifter redaction process, many have turned to Redactable as their primary choice for redaction software.

Redacting a Resume In 4 Easy Steps: 

  1. Upload your Resume in pdf format to Redactable

  1. Either use Manual Redaction, Search and select, Patterns or fully-automatic auto-redaction to identify sensitive information in your Resume.
  1. Review the list of the items the software provides and select all of those you want to Redact; if you want to Redact all of the items, click Select All and then click Redact all of the items.

  1. View how your redacted document will look and download your newly redacted pdf.

Note: Swipe the Redaction Preview at the top toolbar to view how your Redacted document will look.

You now have a safe and secure redacted copy of your Resume!

How Redactable Checks All The Boxes:

  • Security: PERMANENTLY delete data. Redactable employs data and meta-data removal, not just masking. Metadata is secondary data that gives technical descriptions of your source data. It is not apparent to the end-user and must be removed on the back end.
  • Capability: Redactable is the only software that offers COMPLETE auto-redaction. Competing softwares provide semi-automatic redaction tools : criteria of patterns of sensitive data to be redacted such as Credit Card numbers, Phone Numbers and Email-addresses that must be strung together manually. Redactable is the only software that provides a one-click redaction option giving you your completed document in seconds. Users average 2 ½ minutes to redact a 10-page document with Redactable!
  • Permanence: COMPLETELY removes the meta-data and any hidden document elements to give you a completely secure document with no scope for data theft or manipulation.
  • Redaction Certificates are generated, informing the user of the time and author of each Redaction.

What Makes Redactable Different:

  • Collaboration: Collaborate with colleagues to complete projects using the cloud-based platform. Invite your Team and work together. 
  • Complete auto-redaction: Remove ALL your sensitive data accurately in one-click through our state-of-the-art A.I. technology that uses Natural Language Processing and 

Overview

Redaction has become a daily process for many of us. The increase in demand has led many to seek a quick and free online tool for their redaction needs. However, the ambiguity in the security of these toolbars them from being a serious professional option and even a legitimate route for personal use as even a simple resume can contain compromisable information that can easily be misused and put your data and money at risk.

Such risks force us to stick with what we know and trust- Adobe, however the omission of an option to redact from software known the world for being a pdf workspace seems a corporate business strategy that is not in the best interest of the people. Given the necessity of redacting documents from the legal to the personal realm nowadays, withholding the service is out-of-touch with the needs of both professional and non-professional users.

I found Redactable to be the perfect fit with an honest and capable software that provides wholesome, quality service while sitting on the brink of Natural Language Processing and O.C.R. technology to provide software that accurately reflects our . advances and capabilities. Security sits as the foundation while the abilities of the Wizard showcases their prowess. A one-stop display of secure, capable and incredibly simple software - a professional product providing service for everyone.

Head over to the plan options to see what works best for you.

 

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