If
confidentiality and privacy concerns are not issues for you – and if your
goal is to get maximum exposure – you can post your ASCII resume on high
traffic Web sites like those listed on the right.
If
you are looking for a local job (i.e., you're not willing to relocate), post
your resume on local job sites. To find local job search sites, go to a search
engine like www.google.com and conduct a keyword
search using the wordjobs plus the state where you want
to work as your search criteria. For example, if you're looking for jobs in Oregon,
your search criteria would look like this:
Industry
and job-specific niche sites are easy to find with any search engine. Use
the keywords job site or jobs, plus the profession, job
function, or industry you're interested in. For instance, if you're
looking for resume posting sites that specialize in marketing jobs, your search
criteria would look something like this:
In addition, you can post your resume directly on most company Web sites. Simply
look for the company's "jobs" or "career" section on the corporate
site, and follow their submission directions to the letter.)
Customize
Your Cover Letter for Each Job
Your
cover letter can play a key role in your job search, so make sure it's done right!
In addition to personalizing it for each employer (date, company name, contact
name, etc.), your cover letter should be "tweaked" to include your
most relevant keywords and accomplishments.
Cover
Letters provides
helpful advice on cover letter writing.
Most
popular job search sites offer free job
search agents that are programmed to "find" jobs for you based on
your specific keyword criteria.
For
example, at FlipDog you can set up as many asfive JobHunters to
track down jobs that match your keyword requirements. Once a JobHunter
is set up, FlipDog will automatically (and continuously) send you all job opportunities
that match your criteria.
Before
setting up a search agent, take the time to properly define your keyword
criteria so that you won't be bombarded with non-relevant job leads. It takes
a bit of patience to find the "right" keywords, but the quality of your
results should prove to be worth the effort.
Research
Your Field: Career Intelligence
If
you haven't done so already, it's time to learn everything you can about your
profession or the industry you're interested in.
Who
are the primary employers and their competitors?
What is happening in your industry? What
are the market trends?
What
is the
long-term outlook?
Which
companies are growing, expanding, downsizing, or hiring?
Knowing
what's happening in your profession will help you make more intelligent job search
and career decisions.
If
privacy and confidentiality are not issues, you can launch your job search
by using a specialized "blasting" service to forward your resume electronically
to employers, recruiters, and job search sites.
This "shotgun" approach gets your resume into thousandsof
resume databases all over the Net. Costs typically range from $49.99 to $199.
Get an instant price quote.
If
confidentiality is an issue, be sure to follow the guidelines in Confidential
Job Searching before distributing your resume.
Distribute
Your Resume to Targeted Recruiters and Employers
With
targeted resume distribution, your resume is e-mailed to hundreds or thousands
of contacts based on criteria such as:
Savvy
job seekers use every tool available to expedite their job search efforts.
Check out Jumpstart
Your Job Search's Networking Center
for networking
resources, methods, and "how to" articles.
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