Advice & privacy protection
for
online job hunting and resume posting |
Career Services does not
own or maintain job listing web sites.
We provide ADVICE and links as a service to Virginia Tech students
and alumni.
Search wisely.
Links that leave the Career Services web
site open in a new browser window. |
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| 1. |
February 2006 federal regulations
have an impact on employers, online job hunters, and how status
as a job candidate is determined. |
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This can explain why many employers
require all applicants to apply online on the employer's web site. |
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A good starting article, with good
advice for you, on this topic is: |
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CNN Money.com
By Anne Fisher, FORTUNE senior writer
Job
hunting online gets trickier |
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Expect to hear more about this, and
see item 8 below. |
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| 2. |
If you're on a job listing
web site (not a specific employer's site) you might
or might not have to register on the site to view jobs. |
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Some sites require you to register
to view job listings. Some don't. |
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Sites ask you to register so they can
do things like track usage and show employers data about what kinds
of job seekers use their site. |
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Registering might get you services
you want, — like letting you post your resume or get e-mail
job notices. It also might get you things you don't want, like sales
pitch e-mails, so... see item 3. |
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| 3. |
Don't register on a site or apply
for jobs without reading instructions. |
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Terribly boring advice, but so many
job seekers sabatoge themselves by not simply reading and following
instructions. |
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It will save you time (and maybe money). |
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True
story: A student registered herself as a Virginia
Tech representative and got a bill for fee-based services; the fee
notice was clearly stated on the page where she registered. |
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| 4. |
Protect your privacy before
you register or post a resume. |
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REQUIRED READING FOR EVERY JOB SEEKER! |
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PrivacyRights.org
Online
Job Seeker Web Sites: Tips to Safeguard Your Privacy |
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| 5. |
Anything online about you is
fair game for employers. |
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With the prevalence of online social
tools, like Facebook, it's becoming more common practice among employers
to see what's online about people they're seriously considering
as job candidates. It would be a shame to do everything right in
your job search — resume, cover letter, interview, and thank-you
letters — only to be dropped from consideration because of
bad judgment in what you (and others) put online about yourself. |
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Good article on this topic: |
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ABC News online
Tory Johnson: Dusting Your Digital Dirt
Your
Online Web Pages Could Cost You a Chance at a Job
March 16, 2006 |
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| 6. |
Get your resume reviewed before
you post it. |
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...and do as many revisions as necessary
before you submit it. Students too often submit resumes with bad
errors to our Hokies4Hire
system, and employers complain. |
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We'd like to help you make your best
impression. See resume guidelines,
or our Career Services Career Planning Guide booklet (free
to VT students by visiting our office). Then get your resume critiqued
through our walk-in
advising service. |
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| 7. |
Even if you posted in a resume book
for a job fair, always take hard copies to the fair where you'll
actually speak with employers (and see item 8). |
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Job fair resume books are often online
and the employer does not have access while speaking to you. Even
if the employer has a print resume book in hand, she won't waste
time looking up your resume on the spot. |
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See more about preparing
for job fairs. |
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| 8. |
Now it gets complicated. Do take
hard copy resumes to a job fair, but be prepared that some employers
may not accept them, but instead advise you to apply on the organization's
web site. |
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Sound crazy? See item 1. To comply
with federal regulations, many employers are opting to require all
applicants to apply for jobs via the organization's web site (regardless
of how else you may have applied). This does not mean the employer
is giving you the brush-off, and it does not mean the employer is
wasting time by attending the fair and talking with you. The employer
reps may well be taking note of candidates — you and others
— in whom they are interested, but they have to follow certain
procedures to comply with law. |
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| 9. |
Posting a resume in an online resume
book is passive. Use active methods too. |
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Posting your resume in an online resume
book helps employers find you, but don't count on this alone. It's
a "sit back and wait to see if anyone calls me" approach. |
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Be sure to also view jobs and apply
for specific jobs that interest you. |
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Also use other active strategies to
find both advertised
and unadvertised
jobs. |
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| 10. |
Job hunting online (as
you've probably discovered) is not about instantly finding
your dream job with three mouse clicks. |
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It is about having access to a vast
amount of information 24/7 without having to leave your chair. |
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In the pre-Internet days, you had to
find all this information on paper — a different ball game. |
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For online job hunting, you're the
consumer. Look at many sites and decide which ones meet your interests
and needs. |
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Change is constant: Sites often change
content and quality.
True story: We once linked to a site (jobs in
the medical field). A student alerted us that it had become a porn
site; NOT something we endorse. |
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Good information sources & articles: |
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USAToday.com Job Center
Sifting
through online job sites |
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WEDDLE'S is an excellent online source of advice
articles about online job searching (and other aspects of job search).
You can subscribe to a free e-mail newsletter.
WEDDLE's
Newsletter For Job Seekers & Career Activists |
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| 11. |
Not all jobs are advertised
on, or found on, the Internet. |
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Ignore hype. "Over 19,632 jobs!"
doesn't mean much unless the jobs are what you want. |
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There are web
sites for many career fields, but not all jobs are posted online,
and not all career fields are represented fully online. |
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Supply and demand of jobs and job seekers
determines whether jobs are advertised online. |
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Search online, but use other
methods too.
See pros and
cons of ways to look for jobs. |
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Be sure to use Career
Services' online Hokies4Hire system. |
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All students have an account. You
should complete your profile, upload your resume(s), publish your
resume to resume books, AND apply directly for specific jobs. |
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| Also see: |
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Job listing
web sites - general |
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Job listing
web sites - internships |
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Job listing
web sites - for specific career fields |
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Job
listing web sites - for Virginia and local jobs |
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Job listing
web sites - state sites |
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Job listing
web sites - international opportunities |
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Job listings in print |
