Life After College: Starting the Online Job Search
As graduation approaches, there are a few steps college students can take to get started on the online job search. This will help you to set up interviews before you leave school and help you avoid moving back in with your parents. The Internet provides valuable resources for students entering the adult work force for the first time. As a member of an Internet-savvy generation, you can use these resources to greatly increase your chances of finding the right position.
Build Your Resume
Your resume is the first step in finding a job. A resume should include information about your past work experience, which will be limited. You can enhance your resume by adding things like important and relevant college courses, a section highlighting your skills and any extra-curricular activities that seem pertinent to your job search. Carefully edit and proofread your resume. Your resume should be letter perfect when you send it out, so it's worth having a second set of eyes look at the document. Don't be afraid to ask for the advice of others who have been successful in finding a job.
While many job boards will assemble a resume for you, there are also sites online that will offer you pointers in crafting your own resume. These include:
Starting The Online Job Search
Create job search accounts on all of the major online sites. Upload the resume you've carefully created, but don't stop there. Make sure to actively search the sites for potential jobs and submit an application promptly. While applying for a job online can be as simple as clicking an "email resume" button, take the extra time to create a custom cover letter for each position to stand out from the crowd. You can also craft a couple of different resumes that highlight different types of skills for different types of jobs.
Some of the major job boards online include:
- Monster: This is perhaps the great-granddaddy of all online job boards. Here you can upload several resumes and peruse jobs based on your skill set. Many hiring managers and recruiters use this site to find new talent.
- Craigslist: Craigslist isn't a place for you to put your resume. Rather, Craigslist is the digital equivalent of the "Help Wanted" section in your local newspaper. Here you can find jobs through searching in your area, with different types of job separated into different sections. This allows you to make your search as broad or as narrow as you see fit.
- Employment Guide: Search for jobs in your area or anywhere in the country using Employment Guide. The site also contains listings for job fairs where you can go and meet recruiters in person to find the perfect fit for your skills and interests.
- Simply Hired: Simply Hired employs metasearch technology to help you find the perfect job. This means that the site searches different job boards without hosting anything specifically on its own. You can save yourself a lot of time and cast a far broader net by using such a search engine for your job hunt.
- Career Builder: Career Builder offers a variety of services to job seekers, including job searches and helping you craft your resume. You can have job alerts sent to your email address based on your skill set.
Preparing for the Interview
Landing the interview is only the first part of getting a job. You will also have to sit for an interview. Going into an interview cold, without any practice, can be a recipe for disaster. Luckily there are some sites on the Web that will help you get ready for whatever your potential employer can throw at you. The job boards listed above, such as Monster, sometimes contain pointers for interviewees, as well as these sites:
You may also wish to talk to a professional interview consultation firm, such as MVP Source.
Landing the Job
Chances are good that your first job out of college won't be a dream come true. However, with some preparation and research you can at least get on the bottom rung of the right ladder. The Internet makes finding jobs that are a match for your skills, experience and interests easier than ever. While finding your first career job out of college is never easy, the Internet can certainly take a little bit of the edge off.
Related Topics
