by Robin Throckmorton, M.A., SPHR
Although the Internet has been around since the 1970’s, over the past few years resources and uses of the Internet have skyrocketed. While yesterday, you may not have even realized the Internet existed, today you can’t hunt for a job without it. The number of tools that are available on the Internet will help you save time and obtain the information and exposure you need for a successful job search.
Before diving into some uses and tips for the Internet, let me share a few words of caution. You cannot do your job hunting solely on the Internet. The Internet does have a few limitations. To begin with, the Internet cannot completely replace the face to face networking that has helped the majority of individuals find jobs. Yes, it can help aid the networking process but should not replace it. You still need that human to human contact for networking to be successful. Second, the Internet does not allow for the personal touch necessary to make you out shine other job seekers. Don’t lose sight of follow-up, appreciation, and going the extra mile so someone gets to know you.
With these words of caution in mind, let’s go ahead and talk about some of the key uses of the Internet for job hunting.
The list of job posting boards on the Internet is endless. The key is to find the job posting
board that is most applicable to your job search. Some cities and towns have local job posting
boards through the Chamber of Commerce (http://www.chamberofcommerce.com/), local newspaper, or associations. Also, some occupations have their own websites with job opportunities. Plus, there are a number of national job posting boards that provide listings of regional jobs.
Some general sites that you may want to visit include:
The search process on each of these sites will vary. However, in general, you should be able to search by a geographic area, an occupation or field, and enter key words/phrases to narrow your search. Don’t hesitate to use some of these same search criteria on a major search engine to find other job posting boards that fit your needs. Some major search engines include:
Also, don’t forget that your dream company may have a job opportunities page on their website. To find out, go to your favorite search engine and type the company name. This should yield you a direct link to that company’s website. When you go to the website, look for a link to jobs/careers page to get a listing of their job opportunities and how to apply.
Before the Internet took off, you would have to go to your local library to try and find as much information as you could on a company or local professional association. Now this information is also available on the Internet.
To research a specific company, you have a number of options online. First, as mentioned above, go to your favorite search engine and type the company name. This should yield you a direct link to that company’s website as well as potential links to articles about the company. You can gather a great deal of information on the company’s website. But don’t forget to check out the related news articles that may provide details on the company as well. Also, you may want to visit some of the sites below and search for details on your specific company through their search engines:
If you are trying to find information about a professional association, you can try typing key words in to your favorite search engine. This will provide you links to various associations that may fit your needs.
The Internet has created a way for you to post your resume and gain exposure to multitudes of resources. In the past, you would have had to find all those resources, develop a cover letter, and snail mail your resume. Now, you simply find the right website for your career and post your resume information. Many times this is a free posting to you. In some cases, the employers have to pay to access the resume information, but other times it is free to them as well.
Many of the online resume banks do not actually let you post your resume but rather have you complete an online form similar to an application. Many of the fields can be completed by cutting and pasting your resume. Here are some tips to keep in mind when you post your resume online:
- Anyone may access your resume
- Provide only as much detail as you want everyone to see
- Use as many keywords as you can to help employers find you in their searches
- Post your resume on as many resume banks as you feel appropriate
- Double check your resume posting for typos (generally there is no spell checker)
- Include an email address in your contact information and regularly check your email
There are a number of websites that offer you the option to post a resume. You may want to start with the websites listed above under “listing of job opportunities” and checkout their resume posting option as well as their job postings.
A final area that the Internet can help you with is general information on searching for a job. There is an immense amount of information available to provide you tips on self assessment, resume writing, job searching, networking, interviewing, salary negotiations, and much more. By using online resources, you can gain quick access to these tips as you progress through your job search process.
To begin finding this type of information on the Internet, you may want to visit some of the sites listed under the job posting area above plus these sites:
In addition to the different resources found of these sites, don’t forget to search your favorite
search engine for additional resources. Plus, you may also want to consider joining a
newsgroup or listserv. There are a number of groups that share tips and ideas either via an
email distribution or an online bulletin board. To find the right group for you, check for
bulletin boards on any of the websites listed above or go to DejaNews (
www.dejanews.com) for a list of newsgroups.
As you can tell, many of these resources were not available to us this easy in the recent past. As technology continues to change, we will probably begin seeing even more changes and improvements to the job search process (i.e. online interviewing). By incorporating as many of these new resources into your job search, you will have a competitive advantage over other candidates plus you will demonstrate to your future employer that you are keeping up with the changes of our economy.
Good luck with your on-line job search!!!
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