by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
Here are the keys to successfully navigating your next job search on the Internet. Follow these simple Internet job-search rules and guidelines and you should achieve success in this strategic tool of job-hunting.
- Do utilize all the job-hunting tools the Web offers beyond job boards.
- Don't expect the Internet to be the magic elixir that gets you a new job... employers find new hires through referrals more often than they find them through the Internet.
- Do be sure to use all possible job sites, including the general job sites, as well as industry-specific sites, geographic-specific sites, and job-seeker-specific sites.
- Do take advantage of all the features each job board offers you, including posting your resume, searching (or browsing) for jobs, and registering for job search agents.
- Don't be passive in your job-search. Do post your resume and apply for jobs, but then don't just sit back -- follow-up with each potential employer.
- Do take advantage of all the resources on the Internet to conduct company research. See our Guide to Researching Companies.
- Don't spend all your job-hunting time online. Integrate your Internet job search into a comprehensive job-search campaign that devotes plenty of time to traditional job-hunting techniques, such as cold-calling , developing a great resume and especially, networking.
- Do pay close attention to each employer's or recruiter's instructions for submitting your resume in response to a job posting. Should it be sent in the body of an email, emailed as an attachment, pasted into a form? What type of resume?
- Don't respond to job postings that you aren't qualified for -- you're just adding to the clutter employers need to sift through -- and you're just wasting your time and the employer's time.
- Do consider putting one or more versions of your resume on the Web, giving employers 24/7 access to your credentials. And do consider developing a Web-based portfolio. Finally, do make sure you submit your Web pages to key search engines.
- Do go directly to each employer's Website and browse current job openings, review the employer's requirements, and apply to each employer directly. See our Quintessential Directory of Company Career Centers.
- Do know key strategies for sending email cover letters.
Do read our annual report, Quintessential Careers Reports on the State of Internet Job-Hunting.
Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.
Read all our job-hunting do's and don'ts articles for job-seekers.
