ALT-1 Online Job Search Websites Guidelines
Online Job Search and Electronic Job Applications - The FUNdamentals
If you are just entering the job market, or if you are older and have not had to search for work for a few decades, you may find the process to be a bit daunting and quite impersonal.
The introduction of the Internet, and Online job search sites has changed the way we go about looking for a job. Both major and smaller businesses either hosts their own "Jobs" or "Employment" web pages, or they place their open positions on contracted sites. These sites may range from simple listings of the available jobs to sophisticated, online applications systems.
Positive and negative issues with online job sitesOn the applicants side, these online sites make searching for a job much easier. Once you get the hang of it, you can power through hundreds of openings in just a couple of hours. However, automated processes lack the human touch. Some of the applicant screening elements can be rudimentary and arbitrary. It is also not unusual for qualification factors listed for a position to far exceed the needs of the actual job duties. It is not unusual for a site to list a 4 year degree requirement for every single job they post. And job titles don't necessarily match with the duties of the job. Finally, some sites are not updated frequently, so they may list jobs that have already been filled.
On the recruiter's side, online sites, because they are easily accessible world wide, provide an exponential increase in the applicant pool, offering the recruiter a much bigger base to choose from. The potential exists for them to get a really top notch employee. However, this boon also means that there is a lot more information to sift through, and therefore, less time to spend on each application.
One thing that is true on both sides is the lack of personal contact in the process. It is often not until you reach the interview stage that you actually talk to a human being. A potential employee has no chance to sell themselves to the business, and the hiring manager has no chance to meet and get to know the prospective employee. As a hiring official, I know how easy it is to be fooled by a well written resume and cover letter. But it is more difficult to bluff someone face to face.
The Job HuntTreat this like a project. Gather your basic tools.Number one on your list - You need access to a computer and fairly high speed Internet connection. Before you start looking for work, you need to get used to navigating your computer and searching the web. It is very helpful if you are very familiar with the computer you will be using. Spend a lot of time with it and make it your friend.If you don't have a computer at home check with friends. They may be willing to let you use theirs for your search. If not, most public libraries have computers that can be scheduled for up to an hour. If you use library computers, you will need to become familiar with the library rules for access, scheduling and use of their computers. Since you will only have an hour, you need to be able to navigate quickly.The searchThere are as many approaches to looking for work as there are people in the world. I will outline the methods that make sense to me. You may develop your own, once you become familiar with the process.
As I stated before, most businesses have an internet presence of some sort for job announcements. Beside their sites, there are the job listing sites and the agency sites. Two of the most familiar jobs sites are Monster.com and JobDango.com. Craigslist also lists jobs by local area. There are, of course, many local and national businesses, as well as your state employment web site. It will take a bit of looking, but eventually you will develop a site list of your own.
Probably the easiest way to get started is to use a search engine, such as Google or Yahoo. Simply type the name of your prospective employer followed by the word Jobs, or Employment, in the search box and press the enter key. This will return a number of listings for you to look at. Look for the ones that specifically point you to an employment page on their corporate web site. Weeding out all the other stuff takes time to get used to. Sometimes you have to connect to the main corporate page and dig around for the hiring page. When you find these pages, bookmark them, if your at home, or copy the URL (Web Address) to a document that you can take with you, if your not. This will allow you to find the page easily again.At home, start a bookmark folder and name it something like "JobSearch". You can place all the bookmark pages in it.
Finding the sites is the easy part, navigating them and using their features can be very demanding. It all depends upon the complexity of the site and the skill of the web programmers who created them.
You will develop a feel for the pages you go to frequently, but at first, just take it slow and look around. Some sites are well laid out and intuitive. Some allow you to bounce around all over the place, reading job descriptions and other information as you please, while others are not very web navigation aware, and may keep you from getting back to where you were before. The latter will often say things like "Do not use your browsers back key." If you do, you may get a nasty message, or you may get nothing at all. The most flexible sites will let you hop around freely. Just take your time and get to know the site.
Most sites allow you to look at the available postings freely. However, some want you to register in order to even see the jobs. Personally, I avoid those. When I first hit a site, I want to look around a bit before I decide if I am going to provide them with any personal information.
Searching the jobsHere again, sites vary. Some sites simply list all their openings (or lack thereof) while some allow you to enter search criteria such as type of job, location, etc. The amount of detail some sites offer is extensive. Although the search criteria options can be helpful in screening out stuff you don't want to see. Sometimes jobs get listed in the wrong category, or have been titled incorrectly. Because of this you may want to list all jobs and determine for yourself, if they are interesting or not.There are a couple of filter criteria that are useful. It is handy to know whether a job is internal or external. It is also worth filtering by location. No need to search jobs in Chicago if you don't intend to live there.
Some sites will list all their jobs on one page, while others may break them up into major categories. Academic environments often have major category listings with no all encompassing listing. Some will break their listings into multiple pages, showing 10 to 20 jobs per page, requiring you to select the next pages to see them. Although there is a lot of variation, it is not difficult to figure out once you have been on a page a couple of times.
Applying OnlineOnce you find a job you are interested in, and you want to apply, you should be prepared with a lot of information. Be ready ahead of time. Have all your applications material ready before you start an online application process.This is important because some sites have built in time outs that will close your session after a given period. This keeps their systems from getting bogged down if someone starts an application and forgets to complete it. The best sites have save features that let you save your progress as you go and come back later if you don't or can't finish all in one sitting.
What do you needPretty much what you would take if you were going to a business to apply,- Your Name Address Social Security Number- A list of past employment with start and end dates, bosses names, phone numbers and addresses,- References, with names, addresses, phone numbers etc.- An electronic copy of your resume, so that you can upload it or copy and past it into the web form location offered.- An electronic copy of your cover letter for that particular job. Prepare this ahead of time for this job. Don't use a generic Cover letter. The one you submit needs to be specific to the job you are applying for.
Important: Read all instructions on the page before you start.
Be prepared for applications pages that are quirky. Online application forms are built using web forms technology. You may find that you are not able to use the back arrows to navigate back to a page to make corrections. Some pages have a disconcerting habit of jumping or refreshing every time you move from one field to the next. This is because they are automatically saving the data you have entered on the form.Online forms often have format and text check built in to make sure you enter things in the right format. This is important. Data that is in the wrong format will not be saved correctly in the database and may cause your application to be rejected. Some examples of format filters are requiring dashes in social security number, or not. Some forms require you to tab to the next cell and some do it for you. Read all the instructions on each page and then watch the action of the screen as you fill in the blanks. This will help you to get a feel for how things work.
Although basic web form technology is similar, the way it is implemented varies. Don't expect every page that looks the same to be the same.I often search 3 different academic sites. It is obvious from their design that they use exactly the same base software for their jobs sites. However, each has implemented their site slightly differently causing the pages to function very differently, though they look exactly the same.
I can't caution you enough to take your time. As with anything worth doing, this is worth taking your time on. Be sure that what you put on the page is accurate, spelled correctly and reflects the question asked. If you need to enter past job duties and other information, go ahead and draft that information in a word processor, polish it up and then cut and past it into the form. It's better to make your mistakes in Word than in the application.
Once you have completed the online application, read the submission instructions completely. Make sure to note any additional information you may need to provide. It's a good idea to print the web pages with instructions for later reference. Be sure that you print the original position description so that I know what job you're being contacted for later. And be sure to indicate that you want to be notified that they have successfully received your application. If not, you may never know. E-mail notification is good because it provides a record.
You will find a lot of quirks and idiosyncrasies in the various pages on the internet. But don't overlook a site just because it is difficult. It may be that the prefect job for you is on that site.
Good Hunting
