By Holly Murray, Recruitment Resourcer, at Escape Recruitment Services
Get in touch: holly.murray@escaperecruitment.com
What’s the story?
Over the past 24 hours it's been revealed that shared conversations from ChatGPT (using the chat.openai.com/share feature) are being indexed by Google. That means anyone can find and read these conversations via a simple search, including those that contain sensitive or private content.
Screenshots showing résumé drafts, cover letters, recruiter summaries, and job transition coaching, complete with personal or professional details, have been doing the rounds on social media. This story is gaining traction fast, especially on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).
What does this mean for you?
If you’ve ever clicked “Share” inside ChatGPT and sent someone a link to a conversation, Google may now be able to find it, and so can everyone else. This includes:
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Jobseekers sharing résumé drafts, interview answers, or personal career details
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Hirers sharing anonymised candidate profiles, salary benchmarks, or internal strategy notes
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Anyone using ChatGPT for content creation, client communication, or sensitive data prep
This isn't a data breach, but it is a wake-up call about how “public” those “shared” links really are.
What does a public ChatGPT conversation look like?
It looks like this:
https://chat.openai.com/share/xyz123...
If someone posts that link on a public site or forum, Google can index it. And it is.
How to check if your content is exposed
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Go to Google and type:
[your name or keywords] site:chatgpt.com/share
Example:resume site:chatgpt.com/share -
Review any shared conversations you recognise. If you see yours, take action.
What you can do to avoid or delete this
For jobseekers, hiring managers and recruiters:
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Do not tick the “Make this chat discoverable” box when generating a share link. This setting allows the chat to appear in Google search. If left unchecked, the content should not be indexed.
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If you’ve previously shared links:
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Search Google using:
[your name or keywords] site:chatgpt.com/share -
Check if any conversations have been indexed.
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Delete any shared links that were accidentally made discoverable.
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- For truly private content: use secure methods such as document downloads, email, or screenshots.
To delete conversations:
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Log into ChatGPT
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Go to your settings and select Data Controls
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Click on "Manage" next to Shared Links
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You will then get the option to Delete the link and access the chat
Final thoughts
Tools like ChatGPT can be game-changing in recruitment and career development, but only when used wisely and securely. If you’ve shared a link publicly, assume it may now be searchable. Take five minutes to check, and clean up, your shared history.