Working the Web

On the Job Boards

You know about Monster, CareerBuilder and HotJobs. But for a more inclusive job search, try America's Job Bank. Easy searching can also be had at craigslist.org and Jobs.com. Nonprofit gigs are on display at nonprofit-jobs.org and opportunitynocs.org. Expand your network at Ryze.com and LinkedIn.com. What’s the pay? Salary.com has great salary details, as well as common job descriptions. Finally, find tips on researching companies online at learnwebskills.com and hoovers.com/free.

Make sure you are Linked In to an online network.
For those who would rather find a job than a date, the professional version of an online community like MySpace.com is LinkedIn.com. In my own recent job search, I identified a company I was interested in working for, and looked on LinkedIn to find out if anyone I knew had connections there. By having an e-mail passed from professional contact to professional contact, I was eventually linked to the hiring manager in the department I was interested in, who brought me in for an interview. While I wasn't the right fit for that particular position, I kept in contact with a manager I connected with during the interview process. That manager not only referred me to several other positions, but also became a personal contact. I gained an ally and a potential mentor. Even if you don't have a large personal network yet, you have access to one of the best networks of all. The UCLA Alumni Association has a link to its own page on LinkedIn, allowing alumni to tap into the UCLA Alumni Network (as well as the extended networks of alumni) easily. And use the UCLA Alumni Association's e-mail forwarding benefit.

Prepare electronically.
You should Google the prospective company to ensure you can answer any interview questions addressing it, but you can also Google the name of the person(s) you'll be interviewing with. If you find out that Manager Joe Smith is an avid runner, and you are a triathlete, you now have a leg up (pun intended) on the competition. And Google yourself to make sure that when a manager Googles you, he or she won't find anything that will work against you. Blogs can be dangerous when searching for a job. If you reveal how much you hate your current job, Joe Smith will think that you’ll publish your feelings about his company and about Smith himself. Employers also won’t want to bring a person with too much drama into the office. When I was asked for a writing sample for the position I just landed, I told the interviewers to "Google me." I knew ahead of time that they'd find three Heather Goyettes: me, a librarian/ runner who likes Harry Potter and a 3-year-old girl. Luckily, I can't be confused with the little girl, and the runner has good taste in books.

Published Jul 1, 2006 12:00 AM