Online job hunting

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July 11, 2009

By Greg Bott / guest columnist The Meridian Star Sat Jul 11, 2009, 11:12 PM CDT

A job is something you do for a paycheck. A career is getting paid for your passion. We would all like to do the latter. I'm thankful that I get to do my passion--helping people use technology to better their lives, be it professional or personal. Finding the right job or career is a big step towards bettering your life and the lives of those that depend on you. The Internet can be an effective tool to assist in that quest.

Unless you are Internet-averse, you've heard of either Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com (if not, you have now). They are the eight hundred pound gorillas in the online job board industry. They both offer free uploads of resumes and charge employers for various methods of accessing job seekers. What you might not know is what else is available and how to best attack the job market as a seeker or as an employer. I've mostly been on the employer side of Monster et al, but I've also experienced the seeker side and I'll offer up my free advice.

1. BEFORE you start your resume--get rifle-shot focused on exactly what you want to do for a career. Writing a resume is much easier if you know where you want to end up. It doesn't change your work history, but it helps you present it with purpose and clarity.

2. Write a solid resume AND a basic cover letter. (Start with a template, Google "word resume" or go to http://tiny.cc/5U2Vr ). Ask a friend who knows you and writes well to review your resume and prototype cover letter.

3. Prepare two to four people to give meaningful recommendations when employers call. Write a recommendation letter for them and ask if they agree with the letter. Don't wait for them to write one for you. If you're honest about your skills and benefits most people are happy to sign a recommendation written for them.

4. Utilized LinkedIn.com. Who you know is still very, very important. I covered LinkedIn in a previous column.

5. Post your resume discriminately. If you’re an executive, consider NOT posting on Monster.com or CareerBuilder. Instead, gather feedback from other people in your industry to see what job boards (if any) will not cheapen your resume. Two popular executive job boards are TheLadders.com and 6FigureJobs.com.

6. Search and apply for jobs that match your industry, experience, desire, and salary history. Be sure to write a custom cover letter that highlights how your experience and skill set match the specific job needs of the employer.

7. FOLLOW UP! After you've completed the steps above you may be one resume in a thousand. Literally. Now it's time to use your connections to find someone you know in that company, follow up with a phone call, or, if appropriate, a visit to drop off a hard copy of the resume. Landing a job is often more about your persistence, availability, and timing than it is about your skill set, education or background.

Three other very helpful sites in the job search are Indeed.com, SimplyHired.com, and HotJobs (hotjobs.yahoo.com) . Indeed and SimplyHired are essentially a superset of the jobs available on CareerBuilder and Monster. I'd start my search there. HotJobs has also begun including job listings from outside its own paid listings.

Finally, there's CraigsList (Craigslist.org). On the employer side, Craig's list is a no-brainer. Posting a job costs between $0 and $25, compared to more than $300 for Monster and CareerBuilder. Craig's has a large amount of traffic and boasts job finding effectiveness that rivals the big three (Monster, CareerBuilder, and Hotjobs).

Bott Technology Solutions helps small to midsize businesses with computer technology needs and may be reached via e-mail at gregbott@bottinc.com or at 601-616-8509. Greg’s professional experience includes consulting for Price Waterhouse’s Strategic Consulting Group, working as a Program Manager for Microsoft Corporation, and serving as Chief Technology Officer for several companies. He has a Master of Science in Software Engineering degree from the University of Texas and has presented at technical conferences across the world. He has published over a dozen works including the Microsoft Press Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure textbook, Customizing SharePoint, and the Microsoft ASP.Net Security Operations Guide.

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