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On-Line Job Postings Add Speed and Efficiency to Job Search
Some Tips on Modern Job Hunting
by Beverly Mowery
Only a few years ago, information technology professionals seeking employment were juggling multiple offers and demanding significant signing bonuses from the lucky company that snagged them. This feeding frenzy did not last, and with the implosion of numerous dot-com businesses and an increase in international outsourcing, hiring turned back into a lean, selective and competitive process.
Employment in the information technology industry has been declining since reaching peak levels in 2000, with unemployment in the field going from 1.9 percent in 1999 to 5.9 percent in the first two quarters of 2003, according to the Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology. As a result, a large numbers of job hunters have turned to online services to help them promote their skills and find companies that have openings.
Most people beginning an online job search first consult major job boards, but many more positions are available that are listed only on corporate, newspaper and specialty Web sites. Web sites focused on a specific industry, as well as local and regional job search sites, can provide a more time-efficient solution for those with solid skills. Other sources for jobs include corporate press releases, trade publications and business journals that cover new products, industry trends and mergers and acquisitions.
Managing online job searches can be time-consuming, but candidates must keep careful records of where they submit their resumes and control how they customize the documents, according to industry recruitment personnel. Hiring companies quickly recognize candidates who are natural matches, and they are not as interested in looking at resumes that have been shot-gunned across the Web or that have version numbers in the file name.
“It is tempting to go to every job site you can find and post your resume. Focus on quality, not quantity. ... Choose sites that other people working in your profession have had good luck with, and post only to sites that mask your contact information,” recommends Pam Dixon, author of Job Searching Online for Dummies, in an article for the Privacy Rights Clearing House.
Job seekers should consider the privacy and security issues concerning the information they are posting and be very selective of which sites they use, limiting their options to those with good privacy practices, explains Dixon. Just as companies are not as interested in people who broadcast their resumes to unlimited sites, job seekers should be aware that general job postings advertising large numbers of jobs are usually less relevant than those advertising a specific job.
Candidates should also make sure that the site they use allows them to delete their resume, and they should go back to remove the document from all sites after they have found a job, Dixon relates.
AFCEA’s online job posting (www.afcea.org/careers) service is specifically focused to the communications, information technology and C4ISR professions in both industry and government. This service enables searches by security clearance, a qualification that is in high demand by employers in the defense and security marketplaces. The site also features the technical and managerial positions that many transitioning from military careers are seeking.
The AFCEA Career Service allows association members to post resumes at no cost. Because individual and corporate AFCEA members populate the listings, the synergy between the candidates and the jobs is there, and the potential for good matches is strong, explains Nancy Temple, AFCEA’s director of support.
In addition to being targeted, the service is much more affordable than many of the others, Temple stresses. Corporate members can post individual jobs and run searches for $240 per job per month, or they can take advantage of package pricing or unlimited posting offers. One posting gives companies the opportunity to view all of the resumes or to use the customized search agents offered.
Candidates can keep their personal information confidential, and if they choose this option, potential employers will not be able to see their name, mailing address, telephone number, or e-mail address in their profile.
Because the online resume service is provided to AFCEA members as part of their membership benefits, Temple encourages members to give it a try or to pass on the information to their human resource departments. Companies or individuals wanting more information about the service can visit the Web site or contact Nancy Temple directly.
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