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Finding the Job Opportunities

Most people check out the big employment super cites, but, they are not the only, or even always the best, place to look. Smaller, more focused sites can often be much more useful to you. No matter what Website you are visiting, be sure to protect your privacy.

Employer Web Sites

If you have a list of specific employers that interest you (and, hopefully, you do!), go to their Web sites, if they have Web sites, and look for jobs posted there. The link to their jobs may be named "careers," "employment," "human resources," etc.

If you don't see anything obvious on the home page, try clicking on "About Us" (or a similar link) or the "Site Map" which should take you to a page that lists all the pages on the Web site. You can always look for a contact in the Human Resources department by clicking on a link named "Contact Us" or something similar.

Even if you don't find jobs posted on the employer's Web site, use the opportunity to collect information about the organization. Remember you are reading the organization's "party line" on their Web site, so be somewhat skeptical of the claims made. But, the more you know about the organization, the more targeted you can make your resume and cover letter and the better an impression you will make in your interviews.

Professional Association Sites

These are usually very useful for expanding your network. If they have a jobs/careers section of their Web site, you may need to be a member of the association to gain access ("Members Only"). So an association membership dues payment may be the cost of entry. Don't join an association just for access to the job postings, particularly if you aren't allowed to see those postings before they collect your money.

At a minimum, an association Web site should help you with your personal networking and staying up-to-date with what's going on in your industry. Also, look for local meetings and events, and national/international conferences for great networking.

The best (or most prosperous) have their own job boards where you can search for job openings specifically targeted for members of that association by other members, by sponsors, or just by employers who need someone with the knowledge and skills that association members would have.

The upside is that the jobs should be well targeted for you, if you meet the membership qualifications (assuming that industry or professional knowledge is required, not just sufficient money to join).

The down side with association Web sites is that, if they have a job board, it may be very rudimentary and not updated frequently. Many offering a resume posting service do a poor job of it, with no privacy protection for posted resumes so that the complete resumes (containing all contact information) is available for viewing by anyone who goes to the site.

Alumni Association Sites

Your high school, college, university, and fraternity/sorority or social club may offer career support for alumni/ae (which is usually defined as anyone who attended the school, not just graduates of the school). So, check out the school's Web site to see what services they may offer you.

They also usually have alumni directories, either printed or online, that can be excellent sources of networking contacts. If you have targeted a few companies or an industry, you may be able to search the directory to find "fellow alums" who are working in a target company/industry. Frequently, very active alumni associations even have lists of alumni who are willing to be contacted by job seekers. These can be great assistance to you - you've already got something "in common" with them, and that's a great starting point. So, these are "warm" calls, not "cold calls."
The upside of these sites is that they are motivated to help you because of their loyalty to you, and employers who post their jobs on these sites have targeted these schools. The downside is that many have not figured out that they can offer Web job search services to their alumni, so the service may be a very rudimentary (e.g. no privacy protection for your resume), or the services that exist may be overlooked by employers unaware of the opportunity they provide.

Specialized Employment Sites

The specialized sites focus on a "niche" - an industry, profession, or location, or a combination of any of those. They are smaller than the super sites, and usually that's just fine. They are serving a smaller, more selective audience.
The upside of these sites is their specialization. Typically, the specialization means the site is smaller, fewer jobs (ok) and also fewer resumes (good!). So, your resume probably has a better chance of standing out in a smaller resume database. And, some employers will only post at these sites because they are frequently less expensive than the Super Sites and their job postings don't get buried in the avalanche of postings from other companies.

The downside can be the number of job postings, which may be small. However, what matters is whether or not they are the right postings for you. At a minimum, the job postings should give you a good idea of what skills and experience employers are seeking and the names of those employers.

Regional Employment Sites

These sites focus on a specific geographic area (and sometimes also on an industry or profession). The upside on these is that the jobs should be located where you want to work, assuming that you look in the correct region's listing. The downside is that there may not be thousands of jobs listed (but there should be fewer job seekers competing for those jobs, too.

Recruiter/HeadHunter/Staffing Firm Web Sites

Sometimes you want to go through an independent recruiter or headhunter to find a job. Recruiters, who are not employees of the company for which they are recruiting, can be divided basically into 2 classifications. Know which kind of recruiter you are working with - ask them, if they don't tell you.

Categories of Recruiters:

1. Contingency-compensated recruiters.

They are paid only if they have referred to the company the person who is hired. If they refer candidates who are not hired, they are not paid for their efforts.

Their compensation is typically a percentage of the first year's annual salary, up to 30%. So they are well-motivated to help you get a big salary, but their compensation also raises the "cost of hire" for applicants they put forward, a negative factor for cost-conscious employers who may choose a "cheaper" applicant being paid the same or even a greater salary.

2. Retained recruiters.

They are paid regardless of whether or not someone they referred is hired. They are "on retainer" to find the best-qualified applicants. They do not add to your "cost of hire" if you get the job, but, typically, companies hire them only for the top jobs in the company.

Be careful using contingency recruiters. You will be aided by them only if they introduce you to an employer you would not have thought of contacting directly (by Web site, e-mail, or regular mail). When you contact the employer directly, no fee is paid to any headhunter, and persons who can be hired without a fee often receive greater consideration by employers. So, working only with contingency recruiters is a high risk strategy for most people.

Online Classified Ads

Check out the newspaper web sites in the target location to scan the online job classified ads (most will have them). Local radio and TV station Web sites may also have job postings, or links to local job sites.

Networking

According to the experts, only 10% to 20% of all job openings are advertised on the Internet or in a newspaper or other publication. So, you need access to those jobs, too. Useful resources include: professional and industry associations and societies, alumni/ae associations, association web sites, meetings/events, conferences/trade shows, member directories, committees, online discussion groups, the media and business press are also good resources, or you can consider joining a job hunting support group, or create one of your own! Also getting in touch with former bosses, colleagues, and co-workers and be helpful.