How to Get a Great Job: Web Use 101

Career

If you’re not familiar with using the Internet, you will be—your job search will teach you browsing skills fast! But here are some basics to keep in mind as you get started:

Logging In: Many job search sites will require you to set up an account and then log in every time you want to check listings. Put some consideration into creating a user name and password for these sites.

Secure passwords use combination of letters, numbers and symbols. You can use the same user name and password for every job search site to ensure you’ll remember them.

TIP: Your user name may be seen by the public, so choose something professional, just like your e-mail address.

CAPTCHA: Completely Automated Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart is the program that asks you to type in one or more words displayed as distorted images. This is becoming standard for many sites that require users to input personal information; it proves that the person entering the site is a real human being, and not a web-crawling robot used to hack sites.

Protect Your Privacy: Check each job search site (and resume-writing service or other site that requires you to enter personal information) for a privacy policy. This is a legal document that outlines how your personal information may be used. Consider that you’re typing in all sorts of information that can be used for unwanted solicitations and even identity theft.

Keep in mind that any information you post on sites, including your resume, can be found and read by anyone—so be stingy with how much you share! This includes posting any contact information for your references.

Resume and Letter Writing

In addition to an Internet connection, you’ll need software to create and revise your resume and cover letters. Microsoft Word is the most common, but there are specific programs for this. If you don’t own Word and want a standard-format resume, you can use, Google Docs, a free online service that includes a resume template. You simply type over the sample resume to create your own, without purchasing or using any word processing software.

You will also need to create PDFs. If you don’t have Adobe Acrobat and you are using a Windows operating system, you can download free software called PDFCreator.

Again, if you don’t have any of these programs, your public library can probably help.

TIP: If you are creating or revising documents at a computer outside of your home, buy a USB flash drive (also called a thumb drive or memory stick), and save all your documents onto it so you’ll always have them handy. Never save your personal document to the hard drive of a computer you don’t own!

And if you’re creating your resume while away from your home, make sure you bring (or have memorized) all the necessary information to be included, including dates of past employment.

Any additional software you might need would be for keeping your search organized, which is covered in the next section.

Work Your Plan

Aside from some basic computer knowledge, an Internet connection and a couple of software programs, you need one more thing to begin your job search: a plan. Your plan should include

1. A clear strategy on what you want in your next job and what you don’t
2. A schedule to hold yourself accountable
3. Goals to keep your job search moving ahead
4. A system for tracking what you’ve done
5. A plan for improving your salability on the job market

TIP: Your job search is like a job in itself, so make it seem like one. Choose an area in your home as your “job search office,” and keep all information, files, and supplies there, including your calendar and to-do list.

1. What Do You Want?

Take some time to think through what you are looking for. You should have a clear idea of what type(s) of positions you want and which you can realistically apply for. You should also calculate how much money you need to pay your bills and meet financial obligations (including savings) and how much you want to make. Other general “wants” might include

Location: How far are you willing to commute? Are you willing to relocate?
Does your family or personal life put any constraints on your work, such as inability to travel or need for flexible hours?
Are there any “must haves” to include in your search? These may include certain benefits, an option for working from home, or a certain level of management responsibilities.

2. Stick to a Schedule

TIP: If you are having trouble sticking to your job search, enlist a colleague or friend who will hold you accountable. Perhaps you can team up with someone in your job support network, or just a supportive friend. Simply telling someone what you plan to accomplish today (or this week) will give you a nudge to do it. If not, having that person ask you if you completed what you planned should help you stay on schedule.

Most employees today have a 40-hour workweek. If you’re out of work, that’s how much time you should dedicate to your job search. If you’re employed while you’re job hunting, you’ll have to find as much personal time as you can for your job search.

No matter what your employment situation, your first step is to figure out a realistic schedule for each day and each week that devotes plenty of time to researching, networking, and reading and answering ads for open positions. Then stick to that schedule. This can be the toughest part of any job search, but you can do it! Write your daily schedule in your calendar if necessary, or create a daily to-do list that includes your job-search steps. Or do both!

For example, in addition to a pre-set number of hours spent browsing job boards online, you might block out every Wednesday morning from 9 to 11 a.m. for research at your public library, and then dedicate Wednesday afternoon from 2 to 4 p.m. to commenting on online industry and job-search forums and blogs.

Daily Job Search To-do List

• Check your e-mail (at least twice a day)

• Respond to any employer, recruiter, or networking contact who e-mails that same day

• Check voicemail throughout the day if you’re away from your phone

• Log all jobs applied to, contacts talked to (or e-mailed), and events attended

3. Set Small Goals

Putting in the time is not the goal; getting results is. With this in mind, set specific goals for each day, week, and month. Rather than aiming for a certain number of jobs applied for—this will lead you to send applications or resumes for unsuitable fits—set goals for new research sources found, the number of in-person networking events you’ll attend, the number of telephone cold calls you’ll make, etc.

At the end of each day and each week, note your progress. Did you meet your goals? What were the results you gleaned? If you find that your goals were set too high (or too low), adjust them accordingly for the days and weeks ahead.

4. Get Organized

Your job search plan must include an organizational system. This includes the schedule (with daily and weekly to-do lists) and goals you’ve set up, along with ways to keep track of what you’ve done. This is much easier if you “log in” each activity as soon as you’ve completed it.

Keep Records

As part of your general organizational system, keep track of any expenses related to your job search. The costs of getting business cards printed, mileage and parking fees for interviews, phone calls, and much more may all be tax deductible. The IRS states, “You can deduct certain expenses you have in looking for a new job in your present occupation, even if you do not get a new job.” Note that expenses related to looking for a job in a new field are not deductible.

Later in this series you’ll get specific information on what types of records to keep, but you should be prepared from the start to record every position you apply for, every promising contact you make through networking, and every step that follows either of these.

You can keep your records electronically or on paper, but you’ll need a system that alerts you about when (and how) to follow up, and helps you remember which resume went to which company.

If you’ve already started your job search, go through every application or resume you’ve turned in and try to reconstruct what you’ve done.

Organize Your Files

As you’ll find out later in this series of articles, you’re going to end up with many multiple versions of your resume and cover letter. You’ll want to save these so that you retrieve them in the event that you get a call-back about an opening you applied for, or simply because you want to re–revise a certain version of your resume.

All these documents should be saved electronically; there is no reason to print out every version. Devise a naming system for your files that is easily scannable and understandable, and keep everything in a folder such as “Resumes.” This should be placed in another folder with any other job search documentation you may acquire.

If you prefer, you can store your resumes and letters online, using Google Documents. This free system lets you upload documents and then access them from any computer with an Internet connection anywhere.

If you find it difficult to work with a completely computer-based system, you can keep notes of which resume went to which job ad by either printing out a spreadsheet or writing it out in longhand.

5. Get Skilled

Are there skills you need to acquire in order to apply for your dream job? What about skills that may boost your income level? If you know of something that will give you an edge in your job hunt—like learning a new software program or understanding the key concepts in an emerging trend—devote some of your time to learning it. You may be able to do this by reading, by taking a class or practice exam at your local library, or through volunteer work.

Final Step: Get Connected

Looking for a job can be lonely work—especially if you’re unemployed and cut off from the busy work environment you’re used to. To stay connected to the professional world, get the support and advice you need, and get out of the house, find a job search club or a networking support group. (More on this later.) Not only will a group like this provide emotional support, you’ll be able to share advice and even your contacts with other members.

If you can’t find a group you like, consider starting your own—or you can go the online route with a group on Meetup.com, Yahoo Groups, or Google Groups. But don’t let your online relationships be your only support—you should also regularly ask friends, former coworkers, and new networking contacts to meet you for a cup of coffee or walk around the park. Discuss your job search, ask for ideas, or simply catch up on news from the “outside world.”

The Last Word

You will almost certainly revise your job search plan as you go. Once you have spent some time in the trenches looking for a job, you’ll have a better understanding of the commitments, activities, and results involved. This should lead you to add and revise goals, shift your schedule around, and tweak your organizational system. This is fine—just be sure that you are working as hard as you need to in order to find a great job!

It's time to land that job. Your library can help. (costruction worker) Image from New Jersey Works campaign designed to help in the economic recovery of the state by giving libraries the tools they need to expand services to the unemployed and underemployed.