Online Job Searching

Searching for a job has come a long way. Back in the day, folks hit the pavement, door to door, filling out application after application and trying to be the first to grab the classified ads as soon as they come off the printing press.

In recent years, a person applying for a job online would have to type their life story in little character spaces after character spaces, question after question, and job application after job application.  Fortunately, today some companies are realizing what a waste of time and resources that is and are just satisfied with an uploaded resume.

Employment agencies have made it easier to register with their company to fulfill their clients’ job orders as well with just an uploaded resume and online testing from the comforts of home.  Some agencies send their candidates directly to the clients without ever laying an eye on the candidate.

Online job boards including those sponsored by local, state, and federal government make it easy for the applicant to post their resume with specific key words so that prospective employers can browse for potential candidates to call in for an interview. 

However, multi-level marketers, marketing and sales companies, and scammers also browse resumes and contact unsuspecting and desperate job seekers with no intention of offering them a true employment opportunity.

Here are a just a few recommendations when searching and applying online for a job:

• When posting a resume online to be viewable by prospective employers, only include e-mail address and/or phone number.  Do not include middle initial/name or any type of mailing address.  

• Apply electronically for a position directly to the company.  Some job boards will post a position saying that it’s with XYZ Big Company but when it’s time to submit an application or resume for the particular position, the link to apply is still on the job board site.  Go directly to XYZ Big Company’s website and search for that position on their employment or career page.  If it’s listed, apply directly on the company’s website or to whatever link XYZ Big Company provides on their website to submit an application.  If the job isn’t listed, let it go.  Only time to apply for a job with XYZ Big Company and it’s not on their website is through a bona fide employment agency – especially those with which you have registered.  Applying for a position online is time-consuming.  You can take a chance and apply for the XYZ Company job from the job board, but get ready for an onslaught of marketing e-mail messages about training, more jobs to apply for, and most likely no interviews out of any of it.

• Be careful of e-mail messages or phone calls from so-called agencies talking about they saw your resume on such and such board and that they have a position for you based on your resume and credentials.  If they ask for the last four digits or all nine digits of your social, don’t give it.  If they want you to sign a contract and fax it back to them, don’t sign it.  If they want your full name including the full spelling of your middle name, don’t give it to them – especially if you don’t usually use it in the course of personal or professional business.  Granted some industries such as healthcare, government or insurance companies may need this information to conduct various types of background checks, but do not give that information to these agencies WHO CALLED YOU out of the blue based upon your online posted resume and especially if you haven’t had an interview with anybody.  Check out the agency and get back to them (if proven they’re legit).  Some of these agencies have been found not to pay the employees that they have contracted to work with another company. The agency will receive their money from the company, but may seem to forget to do payroll or have some type of payroll issues.  Then some of these agencies aren’t agencies at all and just looking for information to conduct identity theft.

• Please beware of applying for a job on an online list where’s it’s free to register and post that something or somebody is “wanted” or “needed.”  Some legitimate companies are turning to these lists for recruitment cost savings but there are individuals and bogus groups that may use this type of advertising to lure in folks to conduct criminal activities. 

• Do not go to an interview without verifying that the company is legitimate and that the address pans out to be the company’s true location – this goes from any employment or career site source.

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