Six Mistakes Job Hunters Make Using the Internet In Their Job Hunt
By Deborah Gallant
If you are looking for a job in this economy, you may think you have totally mastered the Internet thing if you are an active email user and know how to post your resume on the big job boards.
Wrong! Many job-hunters are making errors of judgement about how they use the Internet and these mistakes can really harm your chances of finding your ideal job.
1. Your Email Account. You certainly know that you need an email account that is dedicated to your job hunt. But is it giving the right impression? Your professional email address MUST contain your full first name and last name. The ideal email address would be at your own domain (register the domain online and set up your email right at your registrar.) Next best is using one of the major mail providers like hotmail or gmail or live.com. If possible, do not use an email address at your ISP (like AOL or Earthlink).
2. Signature File. Your professional email address should be run through an email management program like Microsoft Outlook and you should set up a signature file for your email. Include your full name, your phone number, email address and a line or two describing your industry or career. Make it as easy as possible for potential employers to reach out to you.
3. Attachments. The best way to send your resume online is as an attachment to your email in Adobe PDF format. You can easily download free conversion software that easily lets you save Word documents as PDF files and that ensures that your formatting will stay intact when you send it.
4. Trolling the Job Boards is Not Productive Use of Time. Job hunters who spend countless hours on the Internet searching all the job-listing sites are fooling themselves if they think this is a good use of their time. Use the Internet as a research tool to look into companies and individuals who may be able to open doors for you. Find events to attend for networking. Be realistic about those job boards. Very few people progress from a listing on a job board to an interview and a job. Many positions are filled even before they are posted or will be filled internally. You can post your resume, but most people will only ever hear from the big insurance companies or others who are constantly recruiting for commissioned sales positions.
5. Consider having a simple website to showcase yourself. For a minimal investment you can use a do-it-yourself templated system and include your portfolio, testimonials or references, things you have written, your full curriculum vitae. If you registered your own name as a domain name, you can then tie together your email and website address.
6. Connect with colleagues using online networking sites. Linked In is the most popular business networking site and lets you connect virtually with people you have worked with in the past, activating the power of the Internet’s reach for career opportunities.
Deborah Gallant is the Business Coach Who Gets the Internet. Her firm, Web Power Tools, provides affordable website design & development tools for service professionals. Visit their website (http://www.WebPowerTools.com) for a free 30-day trial and a free copy of “Five Steps to Finally Getting Started with Internet Marketing”.
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