Some things to remember when job hunting online

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Second in a two-part series:

You've been hearing about job hunting on line and you're intrigued. After all, you can do it from home, keep a low profile if you're currently employed and let thousands of companies know you exist without ever licking a stamp. But where do you begin and what do you need to be aware of as you enter this whole new world of job hunting in cyber space?

If you're like most people, job hunting is intimidating enough all by itself. Writing your resume, composing a cover letter and, God forbid, networking are enough to keep you stuck on a job you hate. Many would rather live with mind-numbing boredom than have their self-esteem pressed flat by the iron of rejection.

So is this computer job-hunting stuff really going to spare you any pain? Maybe. The fact of the matter is that even if you list your resume on line, you probably still have to search for a job the old fashioned way at the same time. Not all jobs are listed on line, nor are all job openings listed in the want ads. It will still take some networking, letters, phone calls and pavement pounding. For the best effect, you will need to do both.

Before you launch yourself into space, here are a few things to be aware of:

·        To get your resume on line, you can either "paste" it, e-mail it, fax it or send it by regular mail to one of the many employment services on the World Wide Web. Even if you don't have a computer at home, you may have access to one through any number of job agencies who are in the business of helping people find jobs.

·        Even if you don't have a resume, many services have a special section you can click on that helps you build your resume right on line by giving you blanks to fill in, such as "Work History," "Education" and "Skills". Listing your resume is free on all employment services. Fees are paid by employers and advertisers.

·        You can list your resume on as many services as you want. Some are national and international, while others are more local in scope.

·        In some services, if you wish to remain anonymous, you can simply block your name, company, title or any other information and have the employer contact you through a blind mail box that is set up for you.  Many services have this feature. Employers scan the posted resumes for qualified candidates and then leave e-mail for the "mystery candidate" and ask them to contact the company if they are interested in applying. Most services allow users to "search" through all listings to find matches, Some sites allow a company to search on a professional category such as "Engineering" or "Information Systems." For example, I recently checked out the America Online Classifieds (www.occ.com) and found that you could search by "geographic regions" and categories such as "professional" and "consulting" but not sub-categories. As these services get more sophisticated, you will see more user-friendly search features.

Because of the way resumes are searched on line, your resume must be written differently. For instance, some prompt you to complete a 250-character summary of your resume, which is the document that is searched when an employer enters a key word that matches their needs. Other services don't require you to write a paragraph; they index every word of your resume and make it available for a keyword search.

This means that it is very important to emphasize nouns and functions on your resume, since that is what an employer will be looking for. For instance, key words such as "project manager" and/or COBOL" (a computer language) would be more important than words such as "implemented" or "responsible for". It's also very important that you use complete words, rather than abbreviations. For example, a lot of programmers refer to "VisualBasic" (a programming language) as "VB," but if the employer does their search using the formal word, all "VB's" will not be displayed.

There are new dangers to watch out for, too. You need to make sure you are listing your resume with a reputable service. For instance, some disreputable headhunting firms are putting up web sites without revealing their company name or listing an e-mail address. They are posting fake positions to fish for resumes and then they "shop" the candidate to other employers for a fee.

The message is clear: use all the resources, both traditional and new, to take advantage of all the new opportunities out there! 

Savvy Negotiation Strategies to Get Paid What You’re Worth on a New Job (Detailed, 8-page PDF by email – no shipping charge)
Easy, Step-by-step Guide to Using the Internet to Land a Great Job (Detailed, 10-page PDF by email  – no shipping charge)
The Resume That Opens the Door and the Interview That Gets the Job (Detailed, 37-page PDF by email – no shipping charge)