Job Searching 101: Job
Searching Online
January 19, 2008
Presenter: Donna Brice, Director
What We Will Cover in this Workshop
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The Traditional Job Search
Job Search Strategies
Types of Online Job Sites
Choosing a Online Job Site: Questions to Think About
The "Dirty Dozen" Online Search Mistakes
Online Job Search Gadgets and Widgets
Create Your Resume Online
Posting Your Resume Online
Make Your Resume “Cyber-Safe”
Virtual Career Fairs
Personal Online Resume Websites
Online Job Search Resources
The Traditional Job Search
Newspaper Classified Ads:
 Reading and responding to local and regional
newspaper classified employment or "help wanted" ads.
Industry Publications:
 Reading and responding to employment ads, related to
your field of interest, in industry publications such as
directories, trade journals, and newsletters.
Recruiters:
 Contacting recruiters, executive search firms, also
known as "headhunters," and employment agencies.
Walk-in:
 Dropping off your resume in person can sometimes be
effective, particularly with local small companies and
start-ups.
Job Search Strategies
 Self-Assessment – Riley Guide,
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http://www.rileyguide.com/assess.html
Research and evaluation of career fields –
Occupational Outlook, http://www.bls.gov/OCO/
Networking with alumnae and personal contacts
in the field – read local new articles
Select a few Job Sites to Use - It has been
estimated that there are 80,000 Web job sites.
Identification of employers and job opportunities
How much time can I realistically devote to my
job search?
Job Search Strategies, cont.
 Manage Your Time Online
 Visit the large information databases first.
 Move on to the smaller, more exclusive resources and
services, including online resource guides and sites
dedicated to your field or industry.
 Use the search engines to locate new and hidden
resources specific to your occupation and field.
 Check out employer’s website for job listings.
 Shut off the computer and spend some time with your
family, friends, and yourself.
 If I’m procrastinating in my job search, why? How
can I overcome this/these barrier(s)?
 Whom can I seek out for support with my job
search?
Types of Online Job Sites
 Super Sites – These are the mega sites with thousands of jobs
and thousands of resumes, used by thousands of employers.
Typically, job seekers use them for free. ex.
www.hotjobs.yahoo.com www.monster.com
www.careerbuilder.com
 Job Search Engines – They collect job postings from other sites
and aggregate them into one database to be searched by job
seekers. Ex. www.indeed.com & www.simplyhired.com,
www.jobster.com
 The Niche Sites – These sites serve smaller specific population:
a location, profession, age group, industry, interest.
 Online Classifies or Want Ads – Intelligencer Journal
www.lancjobs.com, Reading Eagle
http://readingeagle.com/TopAds.aspx?id=2, Pennysaver
http://www.pennysaverusa.com/jobs/?r=Pennsylvania
Choosing an Online Job Site:
Questions to Think About
 What type of information are you finding on the
site?
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Is it business listings, academics, or nonprofits?
Is it just job listings or is there other useful information
to be found?
 Are the job listings dated so I know when they
were added?
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Responding to old ads is not only a waste of your time,
employers really dislike getting applications and
inquiries about jobs they filled a while ago.
If you don't see any dates, check the information for
employers posting here. How much do they pay and
how long will the jobs be posted?
How often do they update the listings.
Choosing an Online Job Site :
Questions to Think About, cont.
 Who runs this service?
Is there information about the people who run this site that I
can read?
 What's their background (recruiter, industry specialist,
someone looking for a fast buck)?
 Is there a name, address, or phone number for contacting
them with questions?
 Do I know anyone who has used this service?
 What did they use this for? How did it work for them?
 Did they like what they found?
 Do they feel it was helpful and worth the time spent here?
 If there's a fee for this service, is it worth the cost?
 What will my money get me?
 What is the refund policy?
 What promises are they making, and are these promises
reasonable?
 How do they handle complaints?
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The "Dirty Dozen" Online Search
Mistakes are:
 Posting your resume without worrying about
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privacy.
Using only the big name Web job sites.
Not prepared to distributing your resume in the
correct format.
Limiting your job search efforts to the Internet only.
Applying for jobs without meeting the minimum
qualifications.
Depending on e-mail as your only method of
contact.
The "Dirty Dozen" Online Search
Mistakes are:, cont.
 Assuming that you have privacy with e-mail and
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Internet use at work.
Not utilizing the extensive Internet research
resources to find potential employers or to stand out
from the crowd with a resume and cover letter
customized to the employer.
Sending a virus-laden "surprise" with your e-mailed
resume
Expecting someone else to do the work (the job sites,
a recruiter, your outplacement counselor, etc.).
Forgetting that a personal resume Web page/portfolio
is a business document.
Online Job Search Gadgets and
Widgets
There are widgets, gadgets, and tools to help manage your career.
Select tools that will help expedite your job search and make your
life easier. You'll be able to save a lot of job searching time, if you
Choose applications that help bring job listings directly to you and
that help you communicate faster with your contacts and
prospective employers.
 Indeed Email Job Alerts - Sign up to receive new job postings
from Indeed via email.
 my.indeed.com - Create a my.indeed account and access your
saved jobs, notes, and searches from any computer.
Create Your Resume Online
 My Future -
http://www.myfuture.com/toolbox/resumebuild
er.html
 Resumizer - http://resumizer.com/
 CareerBuilder.com
 Monster.com
 Pongo Resume – fee http://www.pongoresume.com/
Posting Your Resume Online
There are 2 basic file formats for your Internet Resume.
 ASCII text format is very plain text used to:
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Cut-and-paste into the body of an e-mail message to
send your resume to potential employers, etc.
Cut-and-paste into the resume/profile forms on Web
job sites and employer Web sites.
 HTML format turns your resume into a Web page,
viewable in a Web browser, and allowing you to add
bolding, color, and other special formatting for:
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Your personal resume Web page
Copy-and-paste into the resume/profile forms on the
Web job sites and employer Web sites that allow use
of HTML.
Make Your Resume “Cyber-Safe”
Protect your identity and your current job, if you have one.
 Remove your standard "contact information"
 Replace the contact information with an e-mail address that is
harder to trace to you personally, like one of the Web-based email addresses
 Remove your current employer's name; replace it with an
accurate, but generic, description
 If your job title is unique, replace your title with, again, an
accurate, but generic" title
Note: Taking these steps may make it a bit more difficult for the
Recruiter or potential employer to reach you, at least initially,
because of the limited contact information.
Virtual Career Fairs
 A VCF is just like a "bricks and mortar" career fair,
except that ALL of it happens online.
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Collegegrad.com http://vcf.collegegrad.com/Location/Pennsylvania/
SIFE United Stateshttp://www.sife.org/united_states/sife_teams/virtual_car
eer_fair.asp?ID=Alumni
Militaryconncection.com http://www.militaryconnection.com/virtualfairs.asp
Delawareonline.com http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?
Category=virtualcareerfair
St. Joseph’s Univ. – List of Virtual Career Fairs http://www.sju.edu/careers/alumni/careerfair.html
Personal Online Resume Websites
Online Resume Provider
 Vision Resume – fee - http://www.visionresume.com/
Example Sites
 Leanna Hoskins http://www.leannahoskins.com/portfolio.html
 Caleb Clark - http://www.plocktau.com/
 Keith Church - http://www.seaboot.com/
Online Job Search Resources
 Linkedin.com - Over 500 companies are using
LinkedIn's Corporate Solutions and many more hiring
managers and recruiters are using LinkedIn to post
jobs and source candidates for employment.
http://www.linkedin.com/
 Online Job Search Strategy 101 Workshop
http://www.wellesley.edu/cws/jobsearchworkshop.html
 Job Hunt – Great tips and articles about all aspects
of job hunting - http://www.job-hunt.org/
 Job Hunter’s Bible – great one to start with www.jobhuntersbible.com
Online Job Search Resources
 Center for Workforce information and Analysis:
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Job Seekers resources in PA http://www.paworkstats.state.pa.us/gsipub/index.asp
?docid=353
College Grad - #1 entry level job sites www.collegegrad.com
Career Hub Blog: Free Advice from Career Experts http://www.careerhubblog.com/main/2008/12/leading
edge-job-sites.html
Craig’s List for Job Hunting http://lancaster.craigslist.org/
Net-Temps - http://www.net-temps.com/
100 Hot Job Yahoo http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/HotJobs100