Ten Online Job Searching Tips, Part One

Updated August, 2004. Originally posted: April 15, 1998, excerpted from 1st Edition, Job Searching Online for Dummies.

Part I of II

Online job searching has been around for a while now, and most people are familiar with how to find a job ad online. But an online job search takes even more savvy now than it did five years ago. Here are some tips to help you navigate this brave new world.  

1. Protect Your Resume Privacy

Yes, you do need to circulate your resume. But how you circulate your resume online can have serious consequences, so think hard about privacy issues before you post or email your resume.

Before you post your resume to any online database, you owe it to yourself to check, check, and double-check the company or organization hosting the Web site or database. An even more important check for you to make is to determine exactly how much control you will be able to maintain over your resume after you have sent it in. Most job sites allow you to "anonymize" your resume, or post your resume privately. There are various forms this can take, so be sure to read about "private posting" at each site you are interested in.

If you haven’t thought about resume control before, consider this: if anyone can see your resume on an online database, then your information such as your home address, phone number, and detailed work history is "out there" for anyone with a Web connection to view. "Anyone" can include your boss. Anyone can also include private investigators and in some cases fraudsters who want to con you.

I am happy to be able to tell you that resume databases use much more sophisticated technology than they used to. Nowadays, you have every right to demand that any database where you post your resume is protected by a password that only credible, pre-screened employers and recruiters have received. But even a password-protected database doesn’t guarantee your complete privacy. For full resume privacy, you also need to be able to decide who sees or receives your resume.

The optimal resume database, in terms of privacy, is what is called a candidate-controlled resume database. In a candidate-controlled resume database, you are asked when and if you want to release your resume, and to whom. When you do choose to release your resume, it only goes to one employer at a time. If you post your resume online, this is the only way I recommend that you do so.

Something else to think about is the matter of collaborative agreements between resume databases and other businesses. The collaboration issue is a critical one. Sometimes resumes are "shared" between databases. If your resume is shared with an open database without your knowledge, that would be a pretty negative experience for you. The sharing could leave your resume hanging out there in the open. Always ask the managers of a resume database if your resumes are shared or exported to any other resume databases. In researching the 2003 Job Search Privacy Study, I found that the test resumes I and others had posted were in fact shared without permission. Don't let this happen to you.

2. Practice key job search skills on yourself first

By all means e-mail your resume to yourself at few times before sending it off to a job lead. Practice e-mailing your resume until you feel absolutely confident of your actions. If your test e-mail isn't working out, tweak your resume until it does work out. A big advantage of e-mailing yourself is that you get to see how your resume looks after an e-mail journey.

In your job search, be prepared to come across all sorts of online forms. As of this writing, you will probably encounter at least two types of forms. One type of form is a resume fill-in form. In this kind of form, you have to tediously, screen by screen fill in little bits of personal information. These kinds of forms take about 15 to 30 minutes to fill out.Many job applicants make careless spelling errors on online forms. Unfortunately, the errors still count against you, so be patient and be precise.

Another type of form is a copy and paste form. This is where you can paste your entire resume into one space. This can be a real time -saver for you, so take advantage of these forms when you come across them.

Be aware that some corporate sites want you to take some sort of test along with your resume application form. I despise these online skills and personality tests, but they are becoming the norm. Don't be surprised to find them lurking about 10 screens or more into your resume application form. Before you answer any personal questions, though, be sure that the test form is for real. Is this a fake site that is "phishing" for your information? If it is a legit site, are they using a secure connection? If not, skip it. Use caution and good sense.

3. Get your e-resume in order

During your online job search, you will discover that employers are very particular about exactly what kind of resume they want to receive. Employers may want an e-mailed plain text resume. Or perhaps one employer may request a faxed scannable resume. Or employers may ask you to snail-mail a formatted paper resume.

Save yourself the hassle of worrying about which employer needs what type of resume. Before you even start your job search, I recommend that you get one very flexible version of your resume completely perfected and finished. At the minimum, create a basic resume that: Looks good printed on paper Looks good in plain text (in an e-mail message or on a resume database) Is scannable If you just have this one printable, e-mailable, scannable resume, you won't need to scramble around every time an employer asks you for a particular format or style of resume.

4. Use your Web site cautiously

I used to say that "if you have a personal Web page and you're not using it as an instant resume referral center, you're missing out on a big opportunity." Well, times have changed. I strongly recommend that you do not post your resume on your personal Web site. If you do, it will get "spidered" and picked up by search engines and all sorts of different databases. That's the last thing you want.

Also, be careful about what your current employer publishes about you on the Web. Some employers put newsletters online that contain way too much professional information. Database companies compile this material and literally sell access to the information to companies and recruiters. For example, the Eliyon database does this.

Many a job searcher has found themselves surprised when they discover how much Web information recruiters have access to. It can be quite disconcerting to a person when they realize this. Be proactive -- keep your information off of Web sites, and especially your own.

One teacher who contacted me actually had found a transcript of a board meeting where her contract was discussed. The fact that she was not renewed was in the transcript, and was put on a Web site. This information then spidered and captured by Google.com, where any employer who looked up this teachers' name found the board minutes. Again, be proactive. Keep information off the Web whenever you can, and be proactive about asking sites to remove information you find counterproductive to your job search.

5. Use industry buzzwords skillfully

For your job search, making sure that you know the current "inside" lingo of your chosen profession is a big plus on many levels. A hiring vice president who works at a multi-billion dollar recently company told me that the company she works for is so large, that they have practically developed an entirely new language revolving around particular skills and jobs.

The company's language is revealed in their job postings, and it is especially evident on the company Web site. You can bet that when the VP that I talked to goes looking for a hire, she notices those candidates who have her company's internal lingo in resumes, cover letters and follow-up notes.

Take the cue. As you click through online job ads in your job search, keep a list of industry-related words you come across. Job advertisements and corporate Web sites are great hunting spots for "insider's" buzz words.

Pam Dixon is the author of seven books, including the award-winning Job Searching Online for Dummies.