E-Jobsearch Tour   Bookmark This Site This exercise contains a number of outbound links and you will want to return here. In Explorer, select "Favorites" from your menu and click on "add to favorites" In Netscape, select "Bookmarks" and click on "Add Bookmark." You may also use your "back arrow" to return here. It's Not All Electronic (1) Most job search strategies involve pre-computer skills: research, organization, time management, persistence, networking, and confidence. The following guide treats computers and the Internet as tools that make the job search a little easier and maybe more interesting. What Do I Want to Do? Managing Your Career (2) Think of your career as the business you own. You control it. Using electronic technology well gives you even more control and more choices. The Internet gives us a great, inexpensive way to learn about careers, professions and companies. Treat the Job Search like Work To find a good job you have to start by working hard. If you're currently employed, plan on spending at least 10 hours a week looking for work. If you're unemployed double that time. Keep a log of your time and what you're doing. It can 3-6 months to find the job you want -- keep that in mind as you budget time and your money. Explore Possibilities (3) What do you like to do List ten things. Now list jobs related to those ten things. Stuck? Try this site Click here What's Out There? According to the Department of Labor, there are 60,000 different job titles -- even with some redundancy in the list, that means there are many, many potential jobs if we look for them the right way. - A Free Twitter Account Can Expedite Your Job Search. Watch 2 Minute Video. It Really Works! Find out how you can find everything you need on Twitter. Two Minute video.Click Here How to use Twitter for Job Search.Click Here First Steps (4) Assess your skills. Explore careers that interest you. Research industries, occupations and companies. Think about how you want to live (salary, benefits, hours worked, where you will live). No, Don't Start Looking at Ads Do Your Homework first (and eat those vegetables!! bg 84% of people who research and plan their career objectives report they found better jobs and were more pleased with their employment options. Assess Your Skills (5) Every person has many skills. Employers are interested in our "transferable skills," those talents which can help in various work situations. A good site to explore these skills is: Click here Research Research industries and careers -- is the field that interests you viable (i.e., typewriter repair v. computer programming)? Research companies: What do they do? What are their products or services. Most importantly, why does it interest you? When you click on this next site, find Career Research and select Company Profiles: Click here Finding a Specific Company (6) One source of information is the company's own web site. First go to a search engine and type in the company name and see what the site has to offer. Click here Here are a set of direct company links. Scroll down past the opening article on this page: Click here Work for the Government? Every year the Federal Government hires 300,000 people. State governments also are a major source for employment for Federal Jobs: Click here For State Jobs: Click here Recommended Employment Books Resources and advice from the experts! Don't Forget Not-for-Profits (7) Not-for-Profits are major employers, including hospitals, universities, service agencies and foundations. To find this kind of job, explore: Click here How Do You Want to Live? Before looking at specific jobs, you need to ask yourself these questions. What kind of salary do I have to have? What benefits are necessary, which are nice? What hours are required of the positions that interest me? Where do I want to live? What are you worth? (8) To learn more about salaries, see: Click here Before the Resume: More Planning & Research (9) A good resume is more than a list of companies, titles and dates. A good resume is a marketing document targeted to the needs of potential employers. A good resume will show how you are different, what you have accomplished and achieved. Sometimes an objective viewpoint is helpful. There are experts that can help you in your local area. The following Web Sites will help you better define and display accomplishments and achievements: Click here Eyes without a Face: Scanning Many large companies scan resumes using OCR (optical character recognition) software. These robot recruiters respond only to key words and phrases. If you don't have the correct number or mix in your resume, it may never be read by a human being. It is very important that you speak to the requirements listed in the job posting. Copy any words/phrases that fit your skills word for word from the ad. Plain Text Resumes (10) Many companies will request a plain text resume be inserted in your e-mail or posted into a field instead of an attached Word/WordPerfect/PDF document. To convert a resume, choose "save as" and pick the "text only" or "plain text" option. To cut and paste: select "control A", select "control C", go to the target document, click on the document or field to activate the insertion point, select "control V" Keep all lines to 65 characters or less and font 10+. Put title of position sought in the subject of the message. Plain Text Resumes Test the resume by sending it to yourself. Follow the company's directions for submission. Make a .txt/ASCII Resume Look Good (11) When you copy a resume written in Word/WordPerfect or PDF format, you will lose tabs, bullets and underlines. Here are some alternative ways to make text stand out. - Use CAPS in place of Bold/Italics. - Use extra lines and white spaces. - Use asterisks in place of bullets Always print your resume and proofread carefully - Have a friend or resume professional help you. E-Cover Letters Cover letters should be part of your e-mail message. They should be brief, but well written, containing the following: - Name/Title of the contact person. - Format of the resume attached - Position and why you are interested in it. - Why you are qualified. - Request an interview. - Thank you -- signature (type name & phone number). The Passive Job Search (12/13) One of the most misunderstood points of the E-Job search is resume posting. Despite what is promised by some Web Sites, posting a resume doesn't guarantee that employers will beat down your door. Posting is a passive technique that gives your resume more exposure. But maintaining an active search still gives you a better chance for success. Effective Use of Job Boards All job boards are not equal. Ask the following question to evaluate service: - Does the job bank include your field? - Does the site tell you if your resume has been viewed? - Does it tell employers that new resumes fitting their needs have been posted (monster.com does). - Does it tell you when new jobs have been posted (careerbuilder.com does). Will My Boss See My Resume (14) If you're concerned that someone at your current job will find your resume, look for the following features in a job board: - One that will allow you to prevent companies you choose from viewing your resume. - One that gets your permission before sending that resume to an employer. MEGA-Sites (15) These Sites offer jobs in almost all fields in the U.S. and sometimes internationally. They also offer advice and help in career planning, interviewing and negotiation. Test various sites and find which one best suits your needs. MEGA-Sites www.monster.com www.hotjobs.com www.careerbuilder.com www.ajb.dni.us www.joboptions.com MEGA-Sites (16) www.jobbankusa.com www.6figurejobs.com www.careershop.com www.careersite.com Specialized Sites For students just out of college, bilingual speakers and minorities. - www.bilinguallink.com/ - www.imdiversity.com On-Line Networking (17) - Networking is the most effective way of finding a job. - Use the Internet to learn more about fields that interest you and meet more people involved in those fields. Don't think of networking as a simple matter of e-mailing someone and asking for an interview. That's rude -- and ineffective. - Becoming involved in associations is a good way to network. Helpful site for finding associations: Click here On-Line Networking - Join lists or discussion groups related to your field. Linkedin Groups - Keep the right attitude. Get to know people before you ask for a favor and give some sense that you will remember and return favors. Follow up on any advice, and thank people who help you. Interviewing on/off line: Practice (18) - Interviewing is a skills that can be improved with practice. - Practice with a professional or a friend so you answer questions naturally and confidently. - Try the following Web Site for practice and strategy.109 Interview Questions and how to answer them. On-line Interviewing - Companies interview on-line to save time, to save money, and to make sure that all applicants are asked the same questions. - There are two kinds of on-line interviews: Face-to-Face and Multiple choice question and answer. Face-to-Face On-Line Interviews (19) - In this format you see the interviewers and they see you via a computer hook up. - Never pay for this service -- that's the company's responsibility. - Speak slowly and clearly when answering questions since feeds may have static or breaks. - Wear sold color clothes. - Keep a happy, alert face while listening to a question. Don't let interviewers see a frowning face on their screen. Multiple Choice Interviews - These interviews resemble multiple choice tests. - Consider all the choices carefully and choose the one that fits you knowledge and beliefs. - Type carefully -- don't get zapped by typos. On-Line Tests (20) - Skills tests check basic abilities like typing and data entry. - Integrity tests evaluate character and honesty. - As a rule avoid absolute answers like always and never unless the subject is violence or theft in the workplace. - Personality tests attempt to predict how well you will fit in the company's profit. They are almost impossible to prepare for. Relax and answer honestly. Other Helpful Site - Distance Learning Programs can be found at:www.peterson's.com Serendipity and Perseverance 21 - These are big words, but useful ones for job seekers. - Serendipity: keep looking around and exploring. You'll be surprised at what you find. - Perseverance: Simply put: Keep trying. Finding a job is frustrating for everyone, but you have to keep trying because your career is your own business. Comprehensive source for jobsearch guides and publications. Good Luck Keep on climbing!