Job Search Workshop
Online and Print Resources Master the techniques for searching and applying for jobs online
Goals of Workshop
• To demonstrate some of the many resources that list current job openings • To demonstrate the challenges and methods for applying for a job online. • To present some of the resources online and in print that provide information about resumes and cover letters.
Preparation is the Key To Success
Alexander Graham Bell
Know The Job Search Vocabulary In the Electronic World!
• • • • • • • Scannable resume Plain Text resume Video Resumes Web 2 Communities Guerilla Job Search Tactics E-Resumes Resumes and E-Mail
Rule #1 for a successful Job Search!
• Do Your Homework!
Rule # 2
• Network!
Rule # 3
• Prepare a resume so that you can refer to it when you are completing an online application on the Internet or at a Kiosk
Research the Industry or Company
• • • • • Hoover’s (Database – in library only) Reference USA (Database- home access) Company’s Web Site (Internet) Company’s Annual Report (Internet) INFOTRAC’ s Business databases (home access)
Job Information and Job Banks
• Boston Works (Boston Globe Online and In Print) • Career Builder (Online) • Job Find ( Boston Herald Online and in print) • Job Quest (Online - Comm. Of Massachusetts)
• On site Job Kiosk • Via E-mail • Online Job application
• Advance Auto Parts • Batteries & Bands • Best Buy • • • • • • • • Blockbuster Borders Circuit City CVS Family Dollar Finish Line Hollywood Entertainment Kroger Lowe’s Companies
Nordstrom Pet Smart Sears Six Flags Southeastern Freight Sports Authority SuperValue Target Toys “R” Us Universal Studios Wal-Mart
• Pay attention to job site’s application specifications about whether the resume can be sent as a word document or plain text • Prepare your cover letter in advance and cut and paste it into E-Mail • Proof read your cover letter. Do not rely on “spell check”.
• Include the title of the position you are applying for in the subject line of the message. • Be sure that your email address/screen name has a professional tone • Many employers do not accept attachments. Paste your resume into the body of the email. Use simple font and remove fancy formatting. • Send the message to yourself first to test that the formatting works.
• Have your resume and cover letter prepared online so that you can cut and paste text on to the job application site. • Devote enough time to completing this task – these applications are lengthy.
Caution on Using Online Job Application Sites
Before you apply for a job online: • Always look at the home page of the company - note the web address • Make sure you are on the “official” company site when you are applying for a job. • Read their privacy policy regarding personal information e.g. SS #’s
Scannable Resume
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/p_scanres.html
• Left justify the document • Avoid puncuation as much as possible • Avoid verticle and horizontal lines, graphs and boxes • Use white or light colored paper and provide a laser-printed original • Do not fold or staple • Place your name at the top of the page on its own line
Scannable resume (cont)
• Use standard adress format below your name • List phone # on its own line • Use only abbreviations that are familiar in your field of study • Use more nouns that verbs • Use standard type faces such as Times new roman
Scannable Resume (cont)
• Use font size 10 to 12 points • Avoid fancy font styles such as Italics, underline and shadows • Boldface and capital letters are acceptable as long as the letters don’t touch each other. • Provide white space between words, Don’t use parentheses between area code and tel #
Scannable Resume (cont)
• Avoid using special characters such as bullets • Mail in a 9.5x12 envelope • Never send your traditional resume with your scannable resume. The employer might scan the wrong resume. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/p _scanres.html
Plain Text Resume
How to Create a Text Resume to Send in E-Mail • To create an ASCII resume with line breaks for pasting into an email message, follow these directions: • Open your MS Word formatted resume (the traditional version). Make any changes, such as adding a category devoted to keywords. • Change the margins for the entire document to 1 inch on the left and 2.5 inches on the right. (This will shorten the line length and enable most email programs to view the document without scrolling repeatedly to the right and left.) • Change the font to Courier 10 pt for the entire document.
Plain Text Resume
• Save the file, using a DIFFERENT file name, such as resume4email. Click File, Save As. Choose Text Only with Line Breaks, then click Save. • Open the Windows text editor program, Notepad, to clean up the new file. Make sure that bullets converted properly, add space between paragraphs to improve readability, and eliminate gaps within lines caused by tabs or indents. • Save the changes in Notepad by clicking File, Save. • Before emailing the resume, it's a good idea to check and see how it holds up. Open Notepad, then copy and paste the file into an email message. To get an idea of how the resume will look once delivered, send the file to both yourself and a friend who uses a different email program.
Job Search Resource Blog
• http://www.jobsearchchatter.wordpress.com