Plaza Personnel Service Blog

HOW TO FIND A JOB USING THE INTERNET

The way to look for a job has changed a lot in the last few years.    Have you picked up the newspaper recently and looked at the help wanted ads?   That is the way we always used to look for a job.  But not any more, not in the year 2009.  If you look at the newspaper want ads you will not find many jobs listed at all.   This lack of jobs listed in the help wanted section of your local newspaper is not just a result of the current recession.   Don’t take it to mean there are just no job openings.   Employers are listing their job openings on the internet instead of the local newspaper.   So you will need to learn to use the internet to find a list of current job openings in your area.    There are lots of “job boards” specialized sites on the internet where employers can list their job openings.  Examples of large popular job boards include Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com.   Some cities have local sites dedicated to listing job openings.  Here in San Diego, CA we have Jobing.com.   Some local newspapers have their own web sites devoted to job classified ads, in San Diego the local newspapers; The San Diego Union Tribune has a site called SignonSanDiego.com.   Another very popular site that a lot of employers are using to list their job openings is Craigslist.com.    So, rather than looking at your local newspaper, or as well as looking at your local newspaper, you will need to check on the internet based “job boards” or internet based “classified ad” sites to find current openings.    Another way to search the internet for job openings in your chosen field and your geographical area is to go to one of the search engine, such as Google or Yahoo and in the search box type in your job title and your town, the search engine will list all kinds of sites listing the job you are looking for.    Once you have got this list on your computer screen you will need to click on and then follow the links to get specific information about the job you are interested in.

Another way to find your next employment opportunity on the internet is to check directly with the company you might be interested in working for by going to that company’s web site.   Let’s say, for example, you are interested in working for a big major company located in your area.   That company will have its own web site.  And on that web site, there will almost certainly be a page dedicated to employment opportunities available with the company, and instructions on how to apply.

Most likely, once you find a job listed on the internet that you are interested in, you will need to email your resume.   So here is something else you need to be prepared for.   You need to have your resume in an electronic format ready to email.   This means you have your resume saved on your computer, ready to email or you have your resume saved on a USB / thumb drive ready to email.  You may need to paste your resume to the site or send it as an attachment.  With some of the large job boards you can apply on line using their format, fill out their on line forms, in lieu of a resume. Some of the leading  sites have templates available to help you prepare your resume.

For anyone seeking employment for the first time in many years this can be quite overwhelming.    But you must know that this is how it is done.   The job market is tight and tough no doubt.  You need to use all the resources available to you.   Please do not just depend on your local newspaper help wanted pages if you need to find work.  If you do you will be severely limiting your options and missing out.  

Article written by Susan Duva

Susan is a Personnel Consultant with Plaza Personnel Service in La Mesa, California.   She has been in the staffing industry since 1987 and has personally gone thought the transition of adverting job openings in the local newspaper to advertising job openings on the internet.  

For more information about Susan and Plaza Personnel Service please see our web site at PlazaPersonnelService.com