Internet Job Search Tips

The internet can be a great resource for job seekers who know what they are doing.  Here are some tips that will help you use the internet effectively.

• Google yourself.  Google yourself to see what comes up — and what potential employers will see if they do the same.
• Narrow your options.  Many job boards offer filters to help users refine their search results more quickly.  You should have the option to narrow your job search by region, industry, and duration. Oftentimes, you can narrow it even more by keywords, company names, experience needed, and salary.
• Go directly to the source.  Instead of just applying for the posted job opening, one of the best strategies to finding a job is to first figure out where you want to work, target that company or industry, and then contact the hiring manager. Many employers’ career pages also invite visitors to fill out candidate profiles, describing their background, jobs of interest, salary requirements, and other preferences.
• Find your niche with industry web sites.  Refine your search even more by visiting your industry’s national or regional web site where you can find jobs in your field that might not appear on a national job board.  More and more employers are advertising jobs on these sites in hopes of getting a bigger pool of qualified applicants.
• Try online recruiters.  Recruiters will help match you with jobs that meet your specific skills and needs.  Not sure where to start?  Sites such as recruiterlink.com, onlinerecruitersdirectory.com, searchfirm.com, and i-recruit.com provide links to online headhunters for job seekers.
• Run queries.  You run searches on everything else, from your high school sweetheart to low-fat recipes, so why not jobs?  Enter a query that describes the exact kind of job you’re seeking and you may find more resources you wouldn’t find otherwise (but be prepared to do some sorting).
• Utilize job alerts.  Most job boards have features that allow you to sign up to receive e-mail alerts about newly available jobs that match your chosen criteria.
• Get connected.  How many times have you been told that it’s not what you know, but who you know?  Thanks to the emergence of professional networking sites like LinkedIn.com, job seekers no longer have to rely on the old standby of exchanging business cards with strangers.  These sites are composed of millions of industry professionals and allow you to connect with people you know and the people they know and so forth.

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Source: http://www.careerbuilder.com/Article/CB-703-Job-Search-Strategies-Top-10-Online-Job-Search-Tips/

Job Seekers: What Not To Do

You have been told what to do as a job seeker, but what about what not to do?  Below are some examples of bad advice.  What is the worst advice you have been given?

 

DON’T INCLUDE A SUMMARY OR OBJECTIVE

You’ve probably heard that you should not include a Summary or Objective. The Summary or Objective at the top of your resume tells the reader, “This person knows who s/he is, what s/he’s done, and why it matters.”

TELL US EVERYTHING

Long-winded resumes are a liability. A resume should be 2 pages maximum when printed.  (Academic CVs, curriculum vitae, are another story.)   Limit your resume to what’s most noteworthy or relevant.

 USE CORPORATESPEAK

Do you use phrases like “think outside the box” or “cross-functional multi-faceted team member” with your friends? Neither do I. Write your resume the way you speak.

DON’T EVER POSTPONE A PHONE SCREEN

Schedule a time that works well for you, not just the potential employer. A good employer will give you a list of times that will work.

DON’T BRING UP MONEY

You shouldn’t put your salary requirements at the top of your resume, but you should bring up money by the second interview, and let the employers know what your salary requirements are.

SEND YOUR RESUME VIA AN ONLINE JOB AD OR THE COMPANY WEB SITE, ONLY

The shotgun approach only works when you’re hunting for dinner. Successful job-seekers use friends, LinkedIn contacts, and anybody else in their network to locate and reach out to contacts inside a target employer.

NEVER SEND A PAPER RESUME

Yes, we are a wired world, but the response rate can be higher for a paper resume, and the approach can be considered friendlier. A surface-mail letter may get you an interview in a case where an e-mail would get ignored or spam-filtered.

WAIT FOR THEM TO CALL YOU

Be proactive! Call and follow-up on the resumes you’ve sent.  Your resume is in a stack with 150 others, and if you don’t push it up the pipeline, no one will.

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Source: http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/aug2008/ca20080829_918789.htm