Site FeedJob Search Tools and Resources Blog. Here you will find links to articles and job search related web sites, as well as tips on finding your next job. Be sure to also check out the job search support discussion group on Jobfiler.com.
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11/01/2003 - 11/30/2003
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04/01/2004 - 04/30/2004
05/01/2004 - 05/31/2004
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10/01/2004 - 10/31/2004
11/01/2004 - 11/30/2004
12/01/2004 - 12/31/2004
01/01/2005 - 01/31/2005
02/01/2005 - 02/28/2005
11/01/2003 - 11/30/2003
12/01/2003 - 12/31/2003
01/01/2004 - 01/31/2004
02/01/2004 - 02/29/2004
03/01/2004 - 03/31/2004
04/01/2004 - 04/30/2004
05/01/2004 - 05/31/2004
06/01/2004 - 06/30/2004
07/01/2004 - 07/31/2004
08/01/2004 - 08/31/2004
09/01/2004 - 09/30/2004
10/01/2004 - 10/31/2004
11/01/2004 - 11/30/2004
12/01/2004 - 12/31/2004
01/01/2005 - 01/31/2005
02/01/2005 - 02/28/2005
The Job Files
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Job Search Tip: Getting Started
Basically, if you are fresh on the market, your job search should be treated like any other critical project you've been assigned. You need to first take a step back and look at:
(1) what your goals are (I know, get a job, but what kind of job? what industries are you interested in? how much are you looking for by way of salary, benefits and other compensation?
(2) what materials do you have to work with?
- is your resume up to date and targeted specifically for the type of job you are seeking?
- is it formatted properly and available in various file formats (.doc, .pdf, html)
- are your references in order?
- have you ever had them checked to ensure that they are saying what you think or hope they are about you?
- develop and practice your elevator speech. That is, what do you say when you first meet a potential networking contact. Try to improve on "hi, I'm unemployed", with something along the lines of "Hi, I'm (name). My background is in X and Y. I'm currently looking for new opportunities in the field of (field). If you know of any opportunities, or anyoen in the field who might be willing to speak with me about my search, here's my card."
(3) networking
- what groups do you (or could you) belong to
- have you touched based with all of your professional contacts, including ex-employers, to let them know you're looking
- do you have a personal calling card and a website where people can go to learn more about you and/or contact you?
(4) other resources
- have you engaged any recruiters to help you in your job search efforts?
- if you were laid off from your last position, did your company offer any outplacement services, and if so, have you looked into what they can do for you?
- have you considered the services of a private career coach to help you in your efforts
(5) other things to consider
- are you easy to get a hold of? do you need additional communication channels (email, web, cell phone, etc.) to facilitate the ability for recruiters and employers to contact you?
- if you are posting your resume or your email address anywhere on the web, I would strongly suggest getting an alternate email address specifically for this purpose. That way, if it ends up getting overwhelmed by spam, you can discard it and move on.
- I'm sure there's more, but this is all off the top of my head :)
Answering these types of questions will help you to define what you need to do, and if you're using Jobfiler, which Action Items should go on your list.
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Can You Profit From Online Networking?
(From the February 2004 issue of PC World magazine)
Social networking sites are hot. And they can be useful business tools.
It's not what you know, but who you know. A cliché, sure, but it's true. Whether you're pounding the pavement for a new job or looking to hire a reliable contract employee, the wider your social circle, the better your chances of hooking up with someone who can help you out. But what if you've called, e-mailed, met, followed up with, and all but sent singing telegrams to everyone you know on the planet, and you're still coming up empty?
If the folks at Ryze, LinkedIn, and other social networking sites have anything to say about it, your next step--or better yet, your first--will be to fire up your browser and start schmoozing. Fueled by a stagnant job market, online social networking is an idea that's generating some buzz among job seekers as well as other users. At least a dozen new networking sites with names such as ZeroDegrees.com, Tribe.net, and Spoke.com have cropped up in the past year alone.
Like Friendster--the breakout hit in social networking--the sites are based on the "six degrees of separation" principle (that's right, the same one that places actor Kevin Bacon at the center of humanity). But unlike Friendster, which is dedicated mostly to finding a date, many of the latest sites have a business focus.
Here's how it works. You join a site by creating a personal profile that includes whatever information about yourself you want to share with untold numbers of strangers--er, fellow members of the site. (None of the sites I examined list your contact information directly on the site without your permission, so your privacy is somewhat protected.)
The next step is to e-mail your friends and associates, inviting them to set up their own profiles. Each person who accepts your invitation to join then becomes a member of your personal network, and thus is one degree away from you.
Read entire article here
As online networking becomes more mainstream, there are a couple of social networking sites which are worth keeping an eye on:
TheSquare.com
Ryze business networking
https://www.linkedin.com/
Monday, June 28, 2004
Working Wounded: Reader Response to How to Approach an Overqualified Job Candidate
ABCNEWS.com : Working Wounded: Reader Response
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Traveling Contractor Jobs
Roadtechs (aka RoadWhore): The Interactive Site for the Traveling Contractor
Saturday, June 26, 2004
Liver and Cheese
Three handsome male dogs are walking down the street when they see a beautiful, enticing, female Poodle.
The three male dogs fall all over themselves in an effort to be the one to reach her first, but end up arriving in front of her at the same time. The males are speechless before her beauty, slobbering on themselves and hoping for just a glance from her in return. Aware of her charms and her obvious effect on the three suitors, she decides to be kind and tells them, "The first one who can use the words 'liver' and 'cheese' together in an imaginative, intelligent sentence can go out with me."
The sturdy, muscular black Lab speaks up quickly and says, "I love liver and cheese."
"Oh, how childish," said the Poodle. "That shows no imagination or intelligence whatsoever."
She turns to the tall, shiny Golden Retriever and says "How well can you do?"
"Um. I HATE liver and cheese," blurts the Golden Retriever.
"My, my," said the Poodle. "I guess it's hopeless. That's just as dumb as the Lab's sentence."
She then turns to the last of the three dogs and says, "How about you, little guy?" The last of the three, tiny in stature but big in fame and finesse, is the Taco Bell Chihuahua.
He gives her a smile, a sly wink, turns to the Golden Retriever and the Lab and says .......
(GET READY FOR THIS......)
"Liver alone. Cheese mine."
Friday, June 25, 2004
A dog at work unearths a good office atmosphere
For those of you who have a job, today is "Take Your Dog to Work" day!
Read more:Half Moon Bay Review
Pet care expert, magazine columnist and radio and television pet care personality, Miss Fido Manners believes it is necessary for dog lovers to practice their petiquette when bringing their furkids to the office to celebrate Pet Sitters International’s Take Your Dog to Work Day on Friday, June 25th.
PRESS RELEASE: Miss Fido Manners Discusses How To Bow Wow Corporate America on Take Your Dog to Work Day
Got Domains?
If money is tight and you happen to have any extra dictionary or three letter domain names you aren't using, perhaps you might want to consider selling them on Greatdomains.com, a Verisign company. Domains range from 5k to over 200k. I recently put a three letter domain name for sale on the site. If you can guess which one it is, and what I originally intended the site to be about, you win a *fabulous prize! Contest ends 7/31/04.
*Blockbuster gift card. Contest is only for residents in the U.S., in case of tie, the first person with the correct answer wins. Regarding site intent, the person with the closest answer will be deemed the winner. Submit your guesses to us via Jobfiler's contact form.
Thursday, June 24, 2004
What is this world coming to?
Did you see the news? COMDEX is cancelled this year, for lack of participation.
They went from over 200,000 attendies in 2000 to less than 50,000 last year.
Wake me up when it's over.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
The Interviewable Resume
It is rumored that the only word William Shakespeare wrote on his resume was "Available." We’ll probably never know if that is true. But it raises an interesting question. How much information is too much and how much is too little when dealing with resume copy?
The resume is a vital piece to any job search. As companies scramble to find the ideal candidate, they use the resume to screen candidates. Done right, a resume builds an instant connection with the reader and helps steer the course of the interview in your favor. If you submit a resume that piques the curiosity of the reader, he or she most likely will ask questions based on the information you provided on the resume as opposed to relying on a pre-packaged questionnaire. That’s how you know you have an interviewable resume, when it assists in shaping the course of the interview.
The challenge is how does one create an interviewable resume, one that isn’t boring or sterile? How does one write a resume that motivates the reader to give you a call?
read more
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Earn a couple extra bucks
Get Paid Free Cash for Reading Emails
This site will pay you $3.00 just for joinging, and you can earn up to $500 by completing various offers. I joined a few weeks back, and have already earned a couple bucks without committing to anything or spending any money. If you've got some extra time on your hands, why not check it out?
Monday, June 21, 2004
Job search site specifically for the mature workforce
Find "Senior Friendly" Employers in your area that WANT to hire seniors.
SeniorHelpWanted.com professes to be "the internet's premiere source for mature workers seeking employment". Jobs listed on SeniorHelpWanted.com range from top-notch executives to part-time laborers to work-at-home and everything in between. And you don't have to be a senior to use Senior Help Wanted. We encourage well experienced, mature working adults of all ages to register and utilize this web site.
You can search their jobs database without applying for membership, and registration is free.
SeniorHelpWanted.com
Sunday, June 20, 2004
RepLocate - Find Sales Reps and Manufacturer Reps or Search for Lines
Here's a site specifically for sales rep jobs. Looks like they have a number of opportunities available there. RepLocate - Find Sales Reps and Manufacturer Reps or Search for Lines
Saturday, June 19, 2004
Pet Peeves
Today I visited RecruiterDIRECT and performed a simple jobs search for the word "web". A whopping 20 results came up, some of which sounded bogus like "Nominal Work and High Comissions" and "Work At Home Advisors" in the job title. More annoying however was the fact that, while you can search jobs on this site without registering, they won't let you see any details of the posting until you register with their site.
Privacy issues aside, I see no reason why they require registration in order to VIEW a job listing. Obviously they could structure the site to capture my information at the point where I applied for a job through them (providing they ever have a listing worth applying to. Web sites that require users to register without a darn good reason is a pet peeve of mine.
Furthermore, it looks like they are making their money from their RESUME BLAST service (which is, of course, another pet peeve - who in their right mind would pay to have their personal information spammed out to Lord-knows-who, and actually have the optimism to think that is an effecive job searchj strategy?!!)
So, buyers beware. This is one job site I definitely do NOT recommend.
Friday, June 18, 2004
'Workover': How Do You Find a Real Job?
'Workover': How Do You Find a Real Job?
Bob Rosner
ABCNews.com - June 16, 2004
Most of us go crazy if our job search lasts three weeks. REAL JOB, who lives in Los Angeles, has been looking for a permanent job for three years. We'll introduce you to him below and next time you'll see the results of our workplace "workover."
Let's begin with REAL JOB's initial e-mail: "I have been searching for a full time job now for three years. During this time, I have worked with 18 employment agencies; half of them have gone out of business. I have a fine résumé with stable work history, great office skills, a great attitude and a very professional office appearance. Still, I work as a temp, sending out lots of résumés. What I want is someone who will tell me how to get my cover letter and résumé read by the hiring manager."
Read more...
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Don't waste your time
This site has an annoying requirement that you must register in order to search jobs. I've bookmarked the search page directly so that folks can search jobs without registering: IT Jobs - US Job Search
The truly abysmal thing about this is that their Job search is powered by Job.com as an affiliate program, so there really is NO VALUE in visiting this site at all, unless you want to register to be contacted by them on a sales pitch. BEWARE!
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Java Jobs
For the Java programmers out there, here are some java specific job sites that may be of interest:
JavaJobs.com
Java Jobs on ComputerWork.com
Java Jobs Online
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Reactor Jobs - Energy and Power Plant job postings
Ever wish you could have a job just like Homer Simpsons? Well now you can! Check out these Energy and Nuclear Reactor Power Plant Jobs.
Monday, June 14, 2004
Sunday, June 13, 2004
Saturday, June 12, 2004
College Grad Job Hunter - Entry Level Jobs for College Students and Recent Graduates
College Grad Job Hunter - Entry Level Jobs for College Students and Recent Graduates
Friday, June 11, 2004
HR Connections - Your Home for the Best HR Jobs on the Web
HR Connections - Your Home for the Best HR Jobs on the Web
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Free Resume Tool makes it easy to create and publish your resume online
While most resume services seem like a bit of a scam to me (well, maybe not a scam, but the fact that they charge money to review your resume makes me very wary), 10 Minute Resume.com is a site which offers you the ability to create your resume online for free, and outputs your resume as a word document, pdf or web page. As long as you don't use their fax service (which does cost money), 10 Minute Resume.com can be a useful tool in your job search arsenal.
Monday, June 07, 2004
Preparing for the Interview
So you finally got that phone call you've been waiting for, and you're scheduled to interview next week for the job of your dreams. Don't miss this opportunity to read A Crash Course in Interview Preparation.
Sunday, June 06, 2004
Earn a few extra bucks while you're looking for your next job
I was skeptical at first, but this actually works. You can earn extra cash by taking free surveys, or by reading emails.
As long as you give out a disposable email address (not your primary home or work email account) and you don't mind clicking on some links to indicate you've read the emails, this is a good way to spend a few moments here and there for some extra cash. Just be sure you don't sign up for anything that requires a credit card or costs you any money.
You can also earn extra money by holding a virtual yard sale on eBay or Amazon. Sell your unwanted items, pocket the cash - it's easy. Here are some additional resources:
Saturday, June 05, 2004
USATODAY.com - Jobs growth unexpectedly strong in May
Businesses added an unexpectedly large 248,000 jobs in May, according to a government report Friday that confirmed a strengthening economy that's likely to bring higher interest rates soon.
The May figure exceeded analysts' expectations for 216,000 new jobs and followed an upwardly revised 346,000 jobs added in April and 353,000 in March.
But because tens of thousands of unemployed workers are renewing their search for work as the labor market improves, the overall, seasonally adjusted civilian unemployment rate did not improve from April's 5.6%.
USATODAY.com - Jobs growth unexpectedly strong in May
Friday, June 04, 2004
AP: Women Workers Must Fight for Salaries
NEW YORK - As the economy improves and job prospects brighten, more employees will be asking for higher salaries at the bargaining table. But women will have to learn to negotiate more often — and more aggressively — than they're used to doing in order to get their dues.
Yahoo! News - Women Workers Must Fight for Salaries
Thursday, June 03, 2004
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
The Best Places to Live: Compare the Best Cities & Small Towns for You!
This is one of my favorite job related web sites. If you're open to relocation, why not figure out the best spot for you, at FindYourSpot.com. Site features a multi-part quiz where you rate what's important to you, then it returns with the top places to live in the US, based on your preferences. You can then search jobs in those areas using their FlipDog interface.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Tri-State Jobs (New York,New Jersey,Pennsylvania,Connecticut)-Employment, Careers, Resumes in NY, NJ, PA, CT
Tri-State Jobs (New York,New Jersey,Pennsylvania,Connecticut)-Employment, Careers, Resumes in NY, NJ, PA, CT
