By Averyl Hill         JobsInME.com

Part I of a Three Part Series:  Resources

Get Ready

It’s a great time to be a job seeker! Back in the old days (less than ten years ago), people would have to order yellow pages from the towns they were researching or set up shop in the library and write them down. There was no method to send a letter and have it be received the second it was sent. Job listings were limited to newspapers and other print venues, as opposed to new jobs going “live” online 24-7. Employers couldn’t view your resume unless you had sent it to them directly.

Conducting a job search online is fairly easy and very powerful if you know the rules and understand a few things about how to manage your online image. Before I talk about email etiquette, and tricks for making your online resume get maximum page views by employers, I want to cover a few basics to lay a solid foundation.

Get an Email Account

You must have a professional sounding email address. Don’t use names like “partygirl” or “insaneposse.” Simply using your name is great, unless you want to stay in stealth mode. If you want to be creative, make an address specifically designed for your job search. For example, you can use hireyournamehere@youremail.com or marketingpro@email.com. Permanent email accounts such as Yahoo! are recommended because even if you change Internet service providers, you won’t have to worry about missing an email in response to a resume you sent out prior. Additionally, you can check your mail from any computer with internet access.

Get Organized

Creating folders in your email program to manage outbound and inbound emails, addresses, and messages sent helps you to avoid emailing the same contact twice. Saving frequently visited web sites into your “favorites” makes it easier to revisit the same sites daily, and keep track of your online resources.  Some web-based email programs don’t automatically save your “sent” mail, or they delete your “inbox” if it exceeds their maximum limit for space it takes up on their servers. You can set up your web mail to be received in Outlook Express (which saves it to your computer), print them out, or for AOL users, set up your mail preferences to save your mail to your offline filing cabinet.  

If you are using a borrowed computer, set up your files on the server of the web based email. As for book marking your favorites, that won’t be an option. What you can do is place all of the links in an email and send it to yourself. The next time you log in, simply open that email and click on the links.

Refer to the “help” files associated with your program for detailed step-by-step instructions on setting up a file management system.

Get Access

I’ve heard from many job seekers that they can’t search online because they lack a computer, or they don’t have an Internet account. Since you are reading this, you are online, but you may not be aware of the resources out there if you are surfing from your friend’s house, or have to fight over who gets to use the household computer next.  Because it’s almost impossible to conduct a successful job search without going online, I’ll point out some free and for-a-fee resources available to the general public:

• Maine CareerCenters
  (www.mainecareercenter.com): 
  Here you have FREE access to computers to conduct an online job search, and counselors on hand to assist you. With over twenty centers throughout Maine, it’s easy to take advantage of this state sponsored resource.

• Cyber Seniors
  (www.cyberseniors.org): 
  You may be retired, but you want to go back into the workforce. Maybe you never had to use a computer and now you feel out of the loop. CyberSeniors.org Learning Centers present computer classes uniquely designed for the needs of older adults at low or no cost. You can also surf the net from their cyber café on 15 Free Street in Portland.

• Your Local Library
  (www.mainelibraries.org):
  The Maine Library Association “endorses a position of full and free access to the Internet in libraries.” Internet surfing policies vary, so check with your local branch.

• Cyber Cafes: 
  For a fee these cafes will give you timed access so that you can sip a latte while looking for work on the net. Check your local phone book for listings.

• Kinko’s
  (www.kinkos.com): 
  For $12 hour you can rent your own workstation at your convenience, any time of day or night, since they are open 24 hours daily.

Everyone knows that you can find job listings online. Not everyone knows how to turn them into job offers. Once you’re ready to go online, you’ll need a killer Resume…

Next in the Series: Resumes