Moved to my own website

Finally moved to my own website (so no more posts here after this one)

www.careeralley.com

New Location

Just moved here from blogger.com (for those of you who may have seen my first two posts).  A website is in the works and will soon move to my new domain.

Last post I promised to cover Company websites with some tips as well.  I am also going to provide a list of sites already discussed in a Google Docs spreadsheet which will be posted in the “Templates & Documents” section (to the right) in the next day or so.  Lets get started.

Company Websites:

Most major firms have a company website with a “careers” or “job seekers” section typically on the first page of their website.  Most will allow you to search for open positions and post your resume.  There tends to be a higher “hit” rate on company websites (assuming there is a reasonable match between your resume and the job requirements).  I’ve listed a few tips below and some links on the right.

Tips:

• Use web resources to look for companies in your industry (or industries that interest you) such as Fortune Magazine’s “Fortune 1000“.  The list lets you view the Fortune 1000 by various categories (companies, industry, best companies to work for, etc.).
• Do research on the company prior to posting your resume or applying for a job (sites like vault.com).
• Know your worth.  Look at listings in the job websites that are similar to your current position (or positions that interest you) to see what salary is listed.  New sites, such as glassdoor.com (to be reviewed in a later blog) are also useful to get insight on companies and compensation.

A Few Company Websites:

• Walmart’s Career site link: <<== click.  Some highlights:
  • List of Careers/job types
  • Application/submit page
  • Ability to register for future logins
  • Full description of benefits and areas of the Firm
• GE’s Career site link: <<== click.  Some highlights:
  • List of Careers/job types
  • Application/submit page
  • Ability to register for future logins
  • Full description of benefits and areas of the Firm
  • Ability to search for jobs

That’s it for this post.  Lot’s to do to build the different resource link pages, tools, templates and documents.  My next few posts will be brief updates as to what has been added (either to the right or as page tabs at the top).

Good luck.

Administrative Stuff / Some Headhunters

How to keep track:

When you first start looking for a job using websites, it seems fairly easy to remember the few sites you’ve visited, the user name and password.  In reality, many job search sites have different requirements for usernames and passwords.

I’ve created a website tracking document (spreadsheet format) using Google Docs.  It is located on the right-hand side of the page under “Templates” and is called “Website Tracking Document” (very original).  Clicking on the link will load Google Docs and the template.  You can then save the template on your PC by clicking “File” (top left-hand side), “Export” and then “xls”.   Once you’ve saved the document locally, you can edit it and add your info in Excel.  If you don’t have Excel, you can create a Google docs account for yourself (it’s free) and upload the document to Google Docs (only you will have access unless you select the share option).

I will add additional templates in the next week or so.

How to contact me:

If you would like to contact me, you can send an email to the email address listed at the top right-hand side of the page.   

Headhunters & Executive Recruiters:

First, a quick (unofficial) definition of “Headhunter“.  According to several website definitions, a Headhunter is “an employment agency or individual that seeks out individuals for employment opportunities”.  Unfortunately, the other definition of Headhunter is: “a savage who cuts off and preserves the heads of their enemies”.   The second definition is not a coincidence, and while the vast majority of headhunters are seasoned professionals who will work with you to help you find another job, there are a few who are savages as well.  Depending on the employment agency, headhunters tend to specialize in specific industries or job categories.

Executive Recruiters tend to specialize in higher end jobs ($100k and up), although this varies depending on industry and market.  Wikipedia provides a very comprehensive definition of recruiting and it is worth a look click here ===>> Wikipedia Recruiters

For this post, I’ve listed 2 employment firms (next post will be some Executive Recruiters) which have a broad range of jobs.  These will also be included in “Links to Employment Firms” on the right which I will post in the next few hours.

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Kforce Professional Staffing:

This site is well done.  There are drop down menus for Specialty and Location (you can select more than one by holding the “Control” key as you select each item.  There is also a free form Keywords field which will help you narrow the search.  The site gives you the option of “signing up” (much as you would with the job search website) or searching for jobs and applying directly for those that interest you.  As with most job search / employment agency websites, there will be a wide range overlap in terms of services offered.

Spherion

Very similar (in terms of services) to Kforce.  This site also allows the option of registering versus just searching jobs.

Next to Last Word Today:

If you are currently out of work, I think it makes sense to sign up with as many sites as possible.  Please take care in terms of the sites you sign up with and the personal information you provide.  The well known sites are generally safe.  That being said, you will not want to be getting email notifications from 20 or 30 websites.  If you start the process slowly, you should be able to focus on those sites which provide the greatest value for you.

Last Word Today:

Next post will focus on Company websites and I plan to provide some information on Resumes and Cover letters in future posts as well.

Best of luck in your search!

Welcome to Career Advisor Blog!

Welcome to the launch of my Career Advisor blog. This is my very first blog (of any type), so please bear with me.  I plan to post updates 3-4 times per week.  I plan to cover the following:

• General Advice
• Posting Job Search website links (with brief reviews)
• Posting headhunter / Executive Search website links
• Tools and Templates

While this blog may have more of a “financial services” slant (since that is my background), I do believe that the most of the information provided here can be leveraged for many industries.  I’ll provide a few new job search sites and headhunter sites in each post.

In my view, there are five basic types of “job searchers” that can leverage this blog:

1. “Not Happy” - People who are not happy with their compensation, don’t like what they are doing, don’t like their manager, are past due on a promotion, etc.
2. “Worried” - People who are worried about their company (may not survive, may be taken over, etc.), worried about their job (potential job cuts), worried about their industry, etc.
3. “Career Change” - People who have just finished a degree (while working), people who want to make a career change, etc.
4. “Not Currently Looking” - People who are not actually looking to make a change, but get offered a new opportunity (through a headhunter or a friend, etc.)
5. “Job Lost” - People lose their jobs all the time for various reasons: Company downsizing, job elimination, takeovers/mergers, Company bankruptcy, poor performance, etc.

Okay, so let’s get started!  

Job Search Websites:  Not all job search websites are created equal.  Some allow resume posting, job search tools and general advise while others are offering fee based services and “appear” to be job search sites.  My general view is that you can get everything you need for your job search without paying a fee, but this is a personal choice and may be driven by the need for specialized help.  However, if you are creative and diligent you can find everything you need by leveraging the web, family and friends.

There are almost an endless number of job search websites (many of which are a waste of time).  I’ve listed 2 popular job search sites below (more to follow in future posts).

Every site is different, although most of them have the basics (which I’ve listed below, so you may want to refer back to this in later posts).  There are too many options to list them all.

What to look for on a Job Search Site:

• Resume Posting: Many sites allow 1 or more resumes to be posted.  Sometimes there are options to build your resume online, upload a Word doc or cut and paste your resume into their form (depending on the site).
• Privacy: A Privacy option (which allows you to block companies) can be very useful. Blocked companies either be companies that you don’t want to work for or your current employer (the last thing you want is for your name to come up in a search by your current employer!).
• Job Search: The job search function allows you to narrow your job search to certain criteria (varies from site to site).  Some also allow you to save 1 or more searches (with a number of options). This allows you to quickly run searches for specifics (as decided by you).  
• Job Match Notification: Some sites will send an email to you with the results of your searches.
• Other Stuff: Some sites offer career advise, resume building techniques, samples of resumes, samples of cover letters, etc.  Some free, some not.

Monster.com - 

Monster is one of the more popular job search sites.  As with most sites today, there is a free version and a premium service.  A brief overview:

• Resume Posting: The free service allows up to 5 resumes to be posted.  You can build your resume online, upload a Word doc or cut and paste your resume into their form.
• Privacy: There is a Privacy option which allows you to block companies.
• Job Search: The job search function in Monster is very good.  You can save up to 5 searches.  Email notification is available. 

Hotjobs.com - 

Hotjobs is another popular job search site.  This one is owned by Yahoo!, so you can use your Yahoo! username/password (if you have one).  A brief overview:

• Resume Posting: This site also allows up resumes to be posted.  You can build your resume online, upload a Word doc or cut and paste your resume into their form.
• Privacy: There is a Privacy option which allows you to block companies.
• Job Search: The job search (“My Searches”) function in Hotjobs is also very good.  You can save searches (can’t easily see if there is a limit).  Hotjobs also allows “job alerts” which will send an email based on your criteria.

That’s it for this post.  Next post I’ll list some headhunters and some other stuff.