Understanding Four Major Ways To Look for a Position

• Through an organization’s website. Most organizations list their job offerings in a careers section on their websites and explain how to apply. If you are interested in a particular organization, start with its own site.

• Through a job site on the Internet. Job boards are sites sponsored by federal agencies, Internet service providers, and private organizations. Some sites merely list positions; you respond to such listings by email. Other sites let you upload your résumé electronically, so that employers can get in touch with you. Some job boards offer resources on how to prepare job-application materials; others do not. Among the biggest job boards are the following:

  • — AfterCollege

  • — CareerBuilder

  • 270

    — CareerMag

  • — Beyond

  • — Indeed.com (a metasearch engine for job seekers)

  • — Monster

  One caution about using job boards: once you upload your résumé to an Internet site, you probably have lost control of it. Here are four questions to consider before you post to a job board:

  • — Who has access to your résumé? You might want to remove your home address and phone number from it if anyone can view it.

  • — How will you know if an employer requests your résumé? Will you be notified by the job board?

  • — Can your current employer see your résumé? If your employer discovers that you are looking for a new job, your current position could be in jeopardy.

  • — Can you update your résumé at no cost? Some job boards charge you each time you update your résumé.

• Through your network. A relative or an acquaintance can exert influence to help you get a job, or at least point out a new position. Other good contacts include past employers and professors. Also consider becoming active in the student chapter of a professional organization in your field, through which you can meet professionals in your local area. Many people use Twitter, Facebook, and—in particular—LinkedIn to connect with their contacts, as well as to try to identify hiring officers and other professionals who can help them apply. Figure 10.1 shows an excerpt from one professional’s LinkedIn profile.

  

  Figure 10.1: Figure 10.1 Excerpts from a Professional’s LinkedIn Profile

  Reprinted by permission of Joseph Cauteruccio.

  Everything in this excerpt from Joseph Cauteruccio’s LinkedIn profile makes the argument that he is talented, hard-working, and ambitious.

  Although the photograph was not taken by a professional, Joseph dressed professionally and looks as if he’s eager to get into the office and get to work.

  The summary statement includes a paragraph describing his major responsibilities and a summary of his educational credentials. Note that Joseph also includes a number of keywords categorized under “Specialties” and “Programming Languages.” These keywords will help potential employers locate his profile more easily.

• Through a college or university placement office or professional placement bureau. College and university placement offices bring companies and students together. Student résumés are made available to representatives of business, government, and industry, who arrange on-campus interviews. Students who do well in the campus interviews are then invited by the representatives to visit the organization for a tour and another interview. A professional placement bureau offers essentially the same service but charges a fee (payable by either the employer or the person who is hired for a job). Placement bureaus cater primarily to more-advanced professionals who are changing jobs.