The Internet is like having the greatest library at your fingertips. You don’t need a library card and you don’t even have to leave home. On-line research into job openings is the easiest way to gather a lot of information about companies and career choices. It is almost too good to be true, and it can be. There are over 50,000 job related job sites with more being added every day. A job seeker could spend months on research using the Internet and not be any closer to getting a job as when they started. Over 95% of job seekers apply for jobs on the Internet, but less than 3% actually land jobs that are posted on the largest websites. Source: U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
The Internet (Web) is constantly changing and a lot of the information is not up to date. Job postings posted at company Web sites are only as up to date as the maintenance of the Web site. That being said job postings are great for research. You can learn key words, typical salary ranges, and job requirements which can help you to “power up” your resume. This kind of research can help you clear up any fuzzy logic you have about the kind of job position you want to target.
Targeting is a key concept. If your attitude is that you just want a little income to supplement your retirement, then you may want to target driving a limo or some other low income, low responsibility type job position. If on the other hand, you want to use the life skills and your God given talent to make a difference, it will require more research and thinking on your part.
One of the best places to start is at your Church, Synagogue or Mosque. Is there an active job support on-going at your place of worship or in your faith community? Do they help place people in jobs with employers? Think about it. People that attend these groups are pre-qualified, so to speak, and they can help you determine which job sites are the best based on recent experience.
In the two groups that I lead in Northern California, the members all give thumbs up to Linkedin and Craigslist. Linkedin is emerging as the “go to place” for researching companies and finding old colleagues to network with. Craigslist.org is a no-frills site and is used in all kinds of research from used power tools to the number of yard sales in your neighborhood this weekend. Both sites can be used at no cost for most people. One of your first tasks is to get your Linkedin profile up to date. This simple effort is going to help your networking immediately. You will be surprised about all the former colleagues and friends that you can reconnect with through this simple exercise.
John R. is a good example. He has not had to look for a job in 30 years. John started filling out his Linkedin profile and made contact with a former assistant from a job that he had several years ago. That person replied immediately; glad to hear from John after such a long time. And knowing John’s skill set, he asked John if he knew anyone that would be a good candidate for a job opening at his current company. John replied that yes he knew someone. John himself was interested. And guess who the hiring manager is? This general manager is also John’s old assistant.
Real research and the real inside scoop on job openings still comes from first hand contact with a live person who works at a targeted company or knows someone that works at that company. Linkedin is a great place to research jobs and people working your target market. www.simplyhired.com is closely affiliated with Linkedin, so both websites are good places to research jobs.
If you are going to post your resume on a job board, be careful not to disclose too much personal information. Identity theft is a real threat. Take your home address off and use an email address that is one that you use just for your job search. Use the power or key words from your research and put them all in your resume. To make sure the search engines find you put in a paragraph titled “Keywords” and list all of the power words from your research. If you are still working and there is a chance your current employer could find out that you are planning to leave; use generic names for your company and your name.
www.Indeed.com is another useful site that people in my groups use to target companies and job positions within the persons target geography. If you know that your will never move and that you are not willing to commute more than 30 minutes; limit your research to this geography. On the other hand, if you have always wanted to move to another area, this is your opportunity. Target that geography. Target that job position. If your first goal is to determine what job to target try using www.wetfeet.com. Wetfeet will provide insightful profiles of companies, careers, and industries to guide you toward finding the right career, the right industry, the right company, and the right job for you.
Many sites charge fees to belong and access their services be careful, talk to your networking group to learn the pros and cons from the various web site. Many sites are targeted to support certain professions, such as www.dice.com for high tech and IT professionals. Biotech professionals can research at www.biospace.com. Healthcare workers can research at www.healthcareerweb.com. Hospitality workers can research at www.hcareers.com. Research government jobs at www.usajobs.com. Non-profit jobs can be found on www.idealist.com.
The best place to start using job boards and to get you started on the process is to use the volunteer job boards. Do something worthwhile as a service to others. It will help you to clarify your thinking regarding values and purpose while providing a service and learning how to use job boards; go to www.taprootfoundation.org/. Good luck with your job search and remember that the job boards are best used for research. Once you start to brainstorm your next job position, refine your research and target the job sites that specialize in your demographic. The Internet is a great resource; the world’s greatest library is at your fingertips. Use it wisely to build your job search plan.
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