USE THE INTERNET AND EMAIL

Contrary to what many people believe, few job seekers actually find jobs online - maybe 20 percent. But job seekers tend to spend a disproportionate amount of time looking for jobs on such mega websites as www.monster.com, www.careerbuilder.com, and http://hotjobs.yahoo.com.

Indeed, the Internet can be a tremendous time waster - gives false hopes to job seekers who actually believe their next job will be found on the Internet! Disappointed, many resign themselves to the mistaken beliefs that “There are no jobs out there for me. No one will hire me!”

Smart job seekers, which should include you, understand how to best use the Internet in their job search. They do the following:

  1. Post their resume to several employment websites - both general and specialty sites. They tend to have better luck with specialty sites.

  2. Respond to job listings that best fit their interests, skills, and abilities.

  3. Spend most of their Internet time doing research on employers and jobs and responding to online application systems of companies.

  4. Regularly use email to network and communicate with employers - from job inquiries to sending resumes and thank-you notes.

  5. Move on to more productive job search activities that do not involve the Internet beyond regularly communicating by email.

As part of your job search arsenal, you need access to these two items:

  • A computer with Internet access.
  • An email address for quick and easy communication.

    • If you don't have these two basic items, you should do the following:

    1. Use someone else's computer - friend, relative, public library, or public employment office (One-Stop Center)

    2. Get an email address. Use the free email services of the three major Internet search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN): www.gmail.google.com, www.mail.yahoo.com, and www.hotmail.com.

     

    SOURCE: Adapted from Ron Krannich, Ph.D., The Re-Entry Employment and Life Skills Pocket Guide (Manassas Park: Impact Publications), page 29. Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. Copying strictly forbidden.