Website Review

ASSOCIATES (2006, March, v. 12, no. 3) - associates.ucr.edu

*The Job Search and the Web*

Michael D. Brooks
Saint Joseph’s University
Francis A. Drexel Library
Philadelphia, PA

It’s that time of year again. That time when high school and college students begin making preparations for obtaining gainful employment upon graduation or for the summer. This influx of additional applicants into the workforce makes looking for a job a more competitive endeavor for all involved. However, the Web can make preparation and searching less tedious. There are thousands of sites with information from interviewing techniques to resume and cover letter writing. I’ve included just a few of those sites in this issue’s article as a starting point for the serious job-seeker.

When writing a resume, here are a few things to remember: Most resumes are looked at in about 20 to 30 seconds. Employers are busy and they get so many resumes that they don’t have that much time to spend reading through them. Resumes should be one page, but two are acceptable--especially if you have a lot of position-specific experience. You will want to "tailor" your resume to fit the job you're applying for.

The following resume Websites are good for beginners or those seeking to refresh their resume writing skills:

http://www.usatoday.com/img/content/flash/resume/frame.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/money/jobcenter/workplace/firstjob/2002-11-08-resume_x.htm
http://careerplanning.about.com/od/resumewriting/
http://jobsearchtech.about.com/od/resumes/l/aa070599.htm

You will also want to use action verbs such as: performed, accomplished, developed, instituted, taught, supervised, managed, etc. These sites are devoted to nothing but action words for resumes:

http://www.seekingsuccess.com/articles/art110.php3
http://www.enetsc.com/ResumeAction.htm
http://www.jobweb.com/Resumes_Interviews/resume_guide/action.htm
http://www.resume-help.org/resume_action_words.htm

For those seeking to change careers, the following list of sites should prove useful in getting started—especially if you’re concerned about being a bit too, ahem, old:

http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/womensresources/a/careerchange.htm
http://www.quintcareers.com/career_change_resources.html
http://www.quintcareers.com/career_change-dos-donts.html
http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/change/20060105-capell.html
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/careeradvice/?rd=1
http://www.google.com/Top/Business/Employment/Careers/Changing_Careers/

Looking for a consummate guide of sample resumes, cover letters, and tips on how to write yours? The University of Tampa has the following PDF (you’ll need Adobe to read it) comprising a nice collection:

http://www.ut.edu/studentlife/careerservices/coverResumeGuide.pdf

If you’re looking for library-specific work, the following sites could be useful:

http://www.liswiki.com/wiki/HOWTO:Apply_for_a_library_job
http://www.liscareer.com/index.htm
http://www.becomealibrarian.org/
http://www.becomealibrarian.org/DistanceEdComparison.htm

The following search engine is dedicated to job searching:

Indeed.com (http://www.indeed.com/).

The preceding sites are not a definitive list, but they are good places to begin. Good Hunting!