Kansas City KS Jobs Today Article
Starting Your Online Job Search
When you start an online job search, the first few steps are focused more on planning and preparation than on actually searching for jobs. This may seem odd, because after all you are searching for a job, right? However, just as you would not go on a long car trip without first planning the route and preparing your car, neither should you start searching for a job without planning your approach and preparing key materials.
Establish Your Job Search Goals
The first step is to think about and establish your job search goals. These goals should be a good fit for your needs, realistic, and achievable. Examples of typical job search goals might include the following:
- Find a job within 25 miles of my home
- Find a job with flexible hours
- Find a job suited to my college degree
- Find a job in an urban area
- Find a job in a suburban area
- Find a job with opportunities for advancement
- Find a job where I can learn new skills
Your goals should be unique to your own needs, wants, and dreams. In some cases you might simply want to find a part time job to earn some extra spending money, while in other cases you might want a managerial job in a professional environment. It really is up to you to determine what goals are most appropriate for your job search.
Keep in mind, too, that your goals might change somewhat as you conduct your search. For instance, your goals might be to find a job with flexible hours located within 25 miles of your home, but you find a potential job that only meets one of those goals. Are you willing to lower the priority of one goal if that's what it takes to pursue this particular job opportunity?
Many job search experts suggest prioritizing your goals before starting your search. You might assign a point value to each one, or write them down in order of importance. The value of doing this is that it can help guide your decision making process when considering one or more potential jobs.
Put Together Your Online Resume
A successful online job search requires an appropriate online resume. You will of course still need a written resume, but more and more organizations require job seekers to submit an online resume at the beginning of the application process. This approach is much more efficient for the hiring company; however, if you want your resume to be noticed it's important for you to understand how to structure a resume for the internet environment.
The best internet resumes contain the same information as a traditional print resume, but they use little or no formatting. This is hard for some people to accept, because for decades the emphasis has been on creating a resume that looks attractive when printed. In the internet environment, however, the content of your resume takes precedent over formatting, in part because most formatting does not translate correctly to the online environment.
Most experts suggest submit your online resume in a plain text format (sometimes called a text only format). This format presents your resume as one continuous document rather than a document with multiple pages, matching it with the automated requirements of many employers. It also does not include fancier elements such as bullet points, graphics, and the like. You can still list items if necessary, but using a common symbol from the standard keyboard rather than a graphic element such as a dot.
Keywords are important to an online resume because most companies screen incoming resumes according to the required and desired qualification for each job. For example, let's say you have a special certification in your field and you want to apply for a job posting listing that certification as highly desirable. You would want to be sure your resume lists that particular certification because chances are the company will automatically screen resumes to search for those key words. Remember, too, you can easily adjust your resume as needed to better match the keywords a potential employer is seeking.
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