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Making Sense of the Internet Job Search... Fine-tune your job search and save valuable time!
Author: Edward B. Toupin
When I first started job hunting on the Internet, I would spend countless
hours searching for anything and everything. I would search one site, then
jump to another, and search some more. One of the most frustrating things
about job searching on the Internet is that most of the same job postings
are duplicated across hundreds of job search sites! It's like having three
hundred Houston Chronicles from the same day on your desk!
--- Why so many? ---
Monster.com (http://www.monster.com) and Headhunter.net
(http://www.headhunter.net) contain numerous newly posted job opportunities.
Out of those opportunities, the webmasters of a hundred or so telecommuting
sites search for work-at-home jobs and post those jobs on their sites. Out
of those jobs, numerous career-specific site webmasters extract work-at-home
jobs in their career categories. In a matter of minutes, one job is
duplicated hundreds of times on various sites.
Another place to search for opportunities is in the USENET newsgroups. The
newsgroups have hundreds of jobs posted from various recruiters and
employers. But, many of the smaller posting sites go to the USENET and post
those jobs on their sites as well. Again, the same job posting is
duplicated numerous times.
You could spend an entire week hunting for jobs and see the same job posted
60 times on 100 sites!
--- I'm over here! ---
Numerous companies don't post their jobs because they don't want to be
inundated by unqualified resume posters. Instead, these companies search
for resumes on various sites. To make sure that you're seen, post your
resume on several job sites and update it often!
The easiest way to do this is to create a text version of your resume as
follows:
1. Create your professional resume in your favorite word processor. Make
sure it's correct and all spelling and grammatical errors are resolved.
2. Export the resume to a text file.
3. Edit the text file and, for each "paragraph," remove all internal
carriage-returns. If you look at it in Notepad with word-wrap turned off,
each paragraph should be on a single, long line. Since many sites
automatically word-wrap your text, this will prepare the resume for proper
formatting.
4. When you post the resume, simply paste it into the resume site's entry
form.
It's a good idea to keep the resume's length to about two or three pages
since many sites don't accept anything more than 8,000 to 12,000 characters.
If you're concerned about leaving out important job-related talents, add a
short section at the top of the resume that lists the information (e.g.,
ASP, ODBC, CORBA, etc.) This will provide the needed keywords for the
search while minimizing the length of the resume.
Some of the better posting sites include:
* Monster.com
- http://www.monster.com/
* Headhunter.net
- http://www.headhunter.net
* Guru.com
- http://www.guru.com
* Ants.com
- http://www.ants.com/ants/
* CareerShop
- http://www.careershop.com/
* Employment911
- http://www.employment911.com/
* Net-Temps
- http://www.net-temps.com/
Don't be surprised if you're already posted on some of the sites. Believe
it or not, many of the larger search sites also own and operate some of the
smaller sites. This way, they have various front-ends to attract
individuals while using the same core data. The important point here is:
don't waste time posting to every site you find---target your postings for
the greatest exposure.
Once you have it posted, make sure that you update the resume at least once
a month. I noticed that when I edit my resume and update it, I get a few
hits from various companies and recruiters. This happens because the resume
is raised to the top of the stack again. If you notice that your hits are
decreasing after an update, delete the old account and start a new one on
the target sites. This will give recruiters and potential employers fresh
meat to go after when they search for candidates to fill their positions.
It's also a good idea to post a resume on your Web site. It doesn't have to
be promoted to any search engines, but you can send the URL to prospective
employers so they can see your experience. I broke my resume up into
several pieces (i.e., Education, Experience, Skills, etc.) and created an
e-book style presentation. I also added some of my work in a Samples
section for their review. This way, potential employers can see my resume
without having to download a lengthy document.
--- The Search Methods ---
One definite way to reduce the amount of time you spend searching is to
visit "meta-search engines." A meta-search engine is one that provides a
front-end to search several other search engines. In other words, when you
type in a keyword, the engine searches other sites in parallel and returns
the results to you. Some of the more relevant keywords I've successfully
used with meta-search engines include: freelance, telecommute,
telecommuting, telecommuter, , work at home, work from home,
telework, off-site, offsite. The keyword includes any keyword
that would apply to your field or any field of your choice.
Some of the more popular meta-search engines are as follows:
* JobSleuth
- http://www.jobsleuth.com
* Job Search Engine
- http://www.jobsearchengine.com/
* Wanted Jobs
- http://www.wantedjobs.com/
* JobVertise
- http://www.jobvertise.com
These meta-search sites reduce the number of different sites you'll have to
visit by bringing the results back to you. Note that JobVertise is not an
actual meta-search engine, but it is updated from several different
locations periodically.
Another group of time-wasters are "centralized databases." A lot of sites
like JobVertise and Wanted Jobs allow smaller job sites to provide a search
mechanism into their databases. What this means is that you could hit 20
sites and perform a job search, when in fact, 12 of them are using the same
source database!
--- Using a Tool ---
I use two great tools for searching and managing information on the Web ...
especially for job searches. One is a search tool called Copernic
(http://www.copernic.com) and the other is an organizational tool called
Correlate (http://www.correlate.com).
Copernic is a meta-search engine application that runs on your local
computer. It allows you to select a category and perform a search on
numerous search engines simultaneously. The results are placed in an
ordered list of items so that you can select which site to access with a
simple double-click. For job searching, this tool is invaluable! When you
search in the "Job" category, duplicate job postings are grouped together in
the results list eliminating the need to manually filter the results.
As for Correlate, it allows you to organize information in a tree structure.
You can group items by category and add links to perform organized searches.
I use this tool for articles, books, promotions, and job searches on a
regular basis. When you find a job that interests you in Copernic, you can
drag-n-drop that posting into Correlate!
--- The Presentation ---
Once you locate a matching job opportunity, send them a cover letter and
your resume. The cover letter should identify the job you're e-mailing
about as well as your qualifications to perform the job. Also, provide
contact information so they can reach you for an interview.
Using Correlate, or some other utility, keep track of the jobs you apply for
and which ones reply. This way you don't apply for the same job a hundred
times and you know with whom you are speaking when they contact you.
--- What's next? ---
Once you find your dream job and the employer responds, don't panic!
Converse with them, whether it be over the phone or via e-mail, and
negotiate for your position. If you land your first interview, you should
be proud. It usually takes a few tries to get it right. Don't feel
disappointed if it takes some time to get it right!
One thing to be aware of is that, if a recruiter contacts you, it's probably
not a telecommuting position. Most recruiters only work with in-house hires
and will usually not contact you again once you claim that you're a
telecommuter.
Once you do land a job, now comes the hard part ... staying disciplined!
That's a different story, but one that's very easy to master.
Good luck!
About the AuthorEdward B. Toupin is a freelance consultant, writer, and published author
living in Las Vegas with his singer/actress wife. He currently handles
technical writing tasks for various companies in New York, Chicago, and
Denver as well as imagineers and markets feature-length screenplays. ...
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