Find a Job Online

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The Internet is the world's biggest library, newspaper, notice board and network all rolled into one. So, as you might imagine, it's a great place to start looking for your next job. Read below for helpful advice on where to start and how to succeed.

Steps

Mastering the Search

  1. Write a comprehensive resume. Before you begin, write a comprehensive resume. This should include everything that you could ever want to include on a resume: your entire work, educational, and volunteer history, as well as highly comprehensive lists of your skills and abilities. This will save you time later.
    • Don’t worry: this comprehensive resume will be tailored into a more specific one later. Starting broad will simply save you from having to go back later and find more information.
  2. Google yourself. This will be a very important step. Employers will frequently do a search on employees. If you have embarrassing information about yourself out on the web, knowing about it beforehand will give you the chance to remove as much of it as possible and prepare to counter anything that cannot be removed.[1]
  3. Establish an online presence. Once you’ve removed all of the undesirable material from the net, you may want to replace it with the kind of things that you’d like potential employers to see. Establish a portfolio, business-related blog, or social media profiles appropriate for work.[2]
    • Creating a website is a great way to establish an online presence. If you’re looking for design or creative work, use your site to host a portfolio. If you’re more business and marketing-minded, start a blog where you can talk about your ideas and link to examples of your work as well as work you admire or would like to emulate. You can also start a profile on social media websites which are geared towards professionals.
  4. Search through job websites. Try the usual job hunting websites (Craigslist, Monster, Indeed, etc.). These will allow you to search by the industry that you’d like to work in, as well as sorting through part-time and full-time work. These websites will cover a wide variety of jobs at a variety of levels, from entry-level to higher positions.
    • Be aware, however, that many times employers will not want to go to the extra trouble or cost of advertising on websites like these. Do not treat them as a comprehensive list of all positions currently available in your area.
    • These websites are also full of scammers and fake postings. Be extremely wary of all postings you see.
  5. Browse government websites. If you don’t have luck with the broader job websites, try various government resources. These websites have the benefit of being very trustworthy and the jobs are usually well paid (proportional to the work involved). Oftentimes they will include benefits as well.
    • Most states will have websites similar to Craigslist or Monster where employers can post job openings. This service is intended to help the unemployed members of the state and as such are usually attached to the website for the unemployment office. These job advertisements are usually vetted by the state before being posted.
    • The state itself will usually have a website devoted to positions available with the state government. These positions can range from entry-level positions cleaning public parks or as a clerk at the local courthouse, all the way up to department directors and other high-level positions. State jobs will be particularly appealing because they almost always include at least some benefits, so long as they are full-time.
    • Federal jobs are also a possibility. You’ll need to browse the federal job openings websites. Don’t be intimidated: working a federal job may not mean working in the capital. There are usually several local jobs with the federal government, especially if you live in a big city. Federal jobs, like state jobs, will also usually come with great benefits.
  6. Make use of college and university websites. If you are currently in college or have graduated from a college, make use of the job-hunting services they provide. Many colleges will have a website where local businesses can post wanted ads but they will also have broader searching resources if you ask for help.
    • Colleges and universities will also often have positions open. These are not just teaching positions; many of the open jobs will be in maintenance or office work. Working for a college or university can be especially good for someone who was never able to attend college, as many schools will allow employees to take classes for free or reduced tuition.
  7. Check local business websites. Most companies will advertise through their own websites before advertising anywhere else. If there is a major company somewhere in your area, check to see if they’re hiring. You can also check the websites for box stores and chain stores in your area, if you want to work in retail, sales, marketing, and other related fields.
  8. Make use of social networking. Oftentimes, you will be able to find a job with a little old-fashioned networking. Ask your friends over Twitter or Facebook if they know anyone who’s hiring. They may know of positions opening at their place of employment, businesses nearby their home or that they frequent, or they may have noticed one of their friends mentioning a job opening.
    • Alumni or association groups may be good networks through which to find jobs. Email friends in associations you belong to or contact your alumni association to find out if they can help you find anything. Professional networking is one of the major benefits of belonging to such groups, so take advantage of this if you can.
    • You can also use social media websites specifically designed for professionals. Websites like LinkedIn will have job postings to which you can apply using your profile on the website. You can also use professional social sites to contact people you’re connected to in order to find work.
  9. Sparingly use staffing firms, headhunters, and recruiters. If you are desperate, you can use these to find a job but be aware that they will often lead to inferior jobs, may not be worth the money you often have to pay them upfront, or may just simply take advantage of you. If you use one, be sure that it is credible and certainly be wary of any which asks for money first.

Nailing the Application Process

  1. Tailor your resume. Once you’ve found a job to apply for, an important step will be to tailor your resume before applying. Include only the information relevant to that particular job, though try not to leave any significant gaps in your work history. This will show an employer that you’re serious about that particular position and not just applying for everything (even if you are just applying for everything).
    • If there is an unrelated job experience that you don’t want to cut out because it leaves a large gap in your history, make sure to emphasize ways in which that job prepared you for the one you are applying for. Worked as a janitor? Taught you attention to detail. Worked with kids? Taught you to be flexible and think fast. Worked in the food-service industry? Taught you to work in a fast paced environment with accuracy and efficiency. Any job experience can be altered to seem more relevant.
  2. Write an outstanding cover letter. This will get you surprising far, so don’t neglect it. People will often write generic, boring cover letters and employers will quickly get tired of reading them. If you write one that stands out, you’ll be much more likely to get noticed.
    • Make sure that the letter is specifically targeted towards the job you are applying for. If it’s for a particular company, refer specifically to that company’s goals and mission and talk about how you fit into that larger picture. If you have experience with the company, outline how that good experience has led you to want to work with them.
    • Try to match the language of the advertisement. If they sound like a quirky company, sound quirky. If they sound like they want serious dedication, sound very dedicated. You want to sounds like an employee that would fit in with their particular work environment and “brand”.
  3. Apply quickly. Be timely in applying for positions, don’t scoot in at the deadline. This will show that you are on top of things but also help you to be higher up in the pile of applications to review. Employers will often be tired of reading applications by the time they get to the bottom of their pile, so you’ll have to do more to stand out if you apply too close to the deadline.
  4. Reply quickly. If they email or call you asking for more information or offering you an interview, respond as quickly as possible. This will show that you are interested, dedicated, and timely... very important qualities in any employee.
    • If they offer you an interview or the job but you are waiting to hear back from another potential employer, you can try delaying tactics but these will not work for long and they may not leave the best impression. Ask for an interview a day or two later than what they offer and tell them you have a previously scheduled appointment, like a doctor’s appointment for yourself or a family member.

Tips

  • Setting your Facebook and pictures to be private is also a pretty good idea as well as untagged yourself from undesirable public pictures on friend’s profiles. You may want the world to see you totally nailing that keg stand, but it probably isn’t in your best interest.
  • Use a fake name on your main Facebook page. An example would be changing your last name to your middle name (Annie Marie instead of Anne Johnson), or listing yourself only by a two-part nickname (Blue Bear instead of Pete Williams). This will keep your Facebook from turning up in Google searches when an employer searches for you.
  • Look for keywords and phrases in the advertisement and add them to your resume and cover letter. This will especially come in handy if you are applying at a large corporation which will probably have to deal with lots of applications. Many companies use software to sift through resumes and cover letters. Using terms which appear in the advertisement (such as self-starter, motivated, energetic, or dedicated) will increase your chances of the software noticing your application.
  • Target jobs, rather than just applying for everything and hoping for the best. You will have a much better chance of getting a job that you are fit for. Especially don’t apply for multiple unrelated positions with the same company, as this will make you look unfocused. Targeting positions will also keep you from ending up with a job you don’t really want.

Warnings

  • If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Seriously, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Let me repeat: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
  • Be extremely wary of any job asking for a lot of personal information. Be especially wary of jobs asking for your social security number. While it is necessary to fill out tax forms that are required for many jobs, try to avoid having to fill out and “sign” such forms over the internet. If possible, go in to the office or workplace and fill them out in-person. A legitimate employer will understand your concerns.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/18/online-job-search-resume-database-forbes-woman-leadership-social-media.html
  2. ↑ http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2009/03/how_to_find_a_job_online.html

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