JOBHUNTING ONLINE
JOBHUNTING ONLINE
Boost your chances offinding that dream job by making the most of the opportunities online. Click here for a fresh start
Fed
up with your job? It happens to us all at one time or another, but how do
you do something about it? Most of us spend all our time chained to the office
desk, making it a struggle to get out there and look for a job.
It used to be the case that if you wanted to look for a new job, you'd have
to furtively sneak to recruitment companies in your lunch break or arrange
days off here and there - and before too long, it would be clear to everyone
that you were probably looking for something else.
The internet has revolutionised the way many people look for employment and
how many companies go about filling their vacancies. So, how do you go about
finding a job? What do you need, and how do you get started?
Looking for work
First, you don't even really need a connection to the internet. As long
as you can find a cyber-café or borrow a friend's computer with an
internet connection for a while, you'll be set. If you have a computer of
your own, you'll need a modem and an internet account.
There are lots of different ways to look for work on the internet, and they're
all similar to how you might do it without using a computer. You can put
the word around among friends and acquaintances, you can visit an agency,
read job adverts, or approach a company directly - all from the comfort of
your computer.
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Ads
and agencies
One of the best ways to start is to look at lots of different job agencies.
Some websites really can save you a lot of time - important if you only have
occasional access and want to make sure your details reach as many employers
as possible.
JobSite, for example, will pass your CV on to dozens of different agencies. If you have your CV on a floppy disk, half an hour in a cyber-café should be enough to get it sent out. All you have to do is fill in a basic form, then copy and paste your CV on the page and click the Send button.
Marc Bain, a network consultant for a company near Cambridge, used this system to find his current position. "It was almost too easy," he says. "I used JobSite and that registered me with tons of agencies. Lots of them got in touch and one even got me my current job."
However, applying for jobs online doesn't necessarily mean you can throw
out that good looking copy of your CV, as Marc explains: "The only downside
was that I could only submit my CV in plain text, so lots of agencies got
in touch with me to get a better copy. It would be better if you could submit
via Word or Wordperfect."
That gripe aside, Marc would certainly use the internet again, both to save
time and to have access to a wider range of jobs than just using one agency.
Let the job find you
While JobSite acts as a clearing house, sending your details to lots of agencies,
there are other approaches too. Some websites, such as The Guardian's
are collections of the job adverts that appear in newspapers, while others,
such as PeopleBank, take you through a questionnaire, which should mean that
it's easier to match you with the requirements of their clients.
Sending
your CV to lots of people at the same time, or searching adverts for key
words that match your skills is certainly a boon - but it's mostly a time
saver, rather than a critical advantage in the hunt for a new job. Nevertheless,
these are probably the most useful aspects of internet job hunting for many
people.
Where online job searching can really score, however, is in the immediacy
with which you can find out about new jobs. Sites like The Guardian and
JobSite can be customised, so you can be alerted automatically when a suitable
position appears, giving you a head start over those without regular access
to the net. Some sites will flag suitable jobs the next time you visit, so
you'll have to come back regularly, while others will send you an email -
so you need an address you can check, preferably not at your current
office.
Seek and you shall find
Does all this use of technology mean people are excluded from the best jobs
because they're not on the net at home? Possibly in the future, but thankfully
not just yet. For while there's a legitimate concern for people being cut
out of the market, a large number of the jobs that are advertised online
are targeted at people in middle to upper income brackets, and in professions
where people are likely to be computer literate.
You won't, for example, find many jobs on building sites, or as a delivery driver,advertised online just yet. That's not to say that it's all computing and senior management, however. There are lots of different types of job advertised, including media, marketing, catering, secretarial, public sector and teaching positions.
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JobSite
 www.jobsite.co.uk Sends your CV to dozens of agencies around the UK Jobs Unlimited www.jobsunlimited.co.uk All the jobs advertised in The Guardian Reed Online www.reed.co.uk One of the UK's biggest agencies,mostly for secretaries and temporary staff. PeopleBank www.peoplebank.com Create your CV online by filling in a detailed questionnaire Top Jobs on the Net www.uk.topjobs.net The emphasis here is on professional,technical and managerial posts Jobworld www.jobworld.co.uk Mostly computing ,marketing and accountancy jobs,with salary calculator |
Horses for courses
The best solution when you're looking for a new career is probably to treat
the internet lust as you would any other job search medium. Use all the options
that you can find, registering with agencies, signing up for email alerts
when suitable jobs appear and regularly checking databases of jobs.
It's also worth looking at companies that you might want to work for, as many now have information about vacancies on their websites. In some professions you might even want to use a website of your own as an extended CV. Graphic artists or photographers, for example, could have samples of their work online.
If you do happen to have your own website you could simply have an online version of your CV ready for downloading - but if you do that, make sure it's saved in a format such as .RTF (Rich Text), which can be opened with just about any word processor. And make sure there's no other content on your site that could put prospective employers off.
Means to an end
Remember, there's no one solution to your employment needs. What works
for some people may not be the best solution for others.
Another internet job hunter, Jason Flight, explains: "Websites are sometimes just useful as a gauge, to see what sort of jobs are out there. In the end, I prefer to send my CV via email to employment agencies and let them do the donkey work." Whether you take Jason's approach or hope to find your job directly through the net, remember that ultimately, it's just a means to an end. All the technology the internet has to offer may make it quicker and easier to track down your dream job, but it's still up to you to write a great CV and turn up at the interview without a stain on your shirt.
Start with a fairly specific search.Be prepared to make
your search broader by entering a wider geographical area, for example,
if you don't get many results