Internet Job Search Do's and Don'ts

Don't use services that charge a fee. Most Internet services for job seekers are free and those that charge a fee generally do not provide any extra value for the cost.

Do utilize web sites with both resume banks and job banks. This allows you to post your resume for potential employers to review and gives you the ability to actively search for available positions.

Don't expect employers to come to you. Actively search job banks on a regular basis. Most employers don't post positions on a daily basis, but will post about once a week.

Do view lists of companies that post their positions on each web site. This will give you a good idea of the types of industries and the size of the companies that will see your resume.

Do post your resume to three or four carefully selected web sites. Review several web sites to see what companies and industries utilize each site, and choose a few that focus on your area(s) of interest. Most web sites have easy to use forms with step-by-step instructions that allow you to either type your resume or paste your resume from another software program. Most sites will also require you to register for a password even though they don't charge a fee.

Do include your name, contact number, and e-mail address (if you have one) when posting a resume online.

Do search web sites for other resources that may be available to job seekers. Most sites that have resume and job banks also provide other services that can be extremely helpful in your job search, such as articles containing information on current employment trends and interviewing advice, salary surveys, relocation assistance information, and links to company web sites.

Do search the World Wide Web by using popular search engines such as Yahoo, Alta Vista, InfoSeek, Lycos and HotBot. One of the easiest ways to use these search engines is to target specific companies you would be interested in working for and searching for those companies' web sites. Most large companies have listings of available positions on their home pages.

Do review any help functions prior to beginning your search when using general search engines. This will tell you how to best utilize the search functions for this particular search engine. Some general tips are:

• Change number of responses per page to the maximum amount available.
  
  
• Most search engines require Boolean operators; the three most common and most helpful Boolean terms are "AND", "OR", and "NEAR". And will retrieve items containing all the words you entered, Or will retrieve items with any of the words you entered and Near will retrieve items with all the words if they are close to each other (usually within 25 characters)
  
  
• Search for Job Titles, Skill Sets, Companies, or Industries.

Don't give up! Effectively searching the Internet takes practice. Experiment with different web sites, types of searches, and search combinations to get the results you are seeking.