Posting your resume on the Internet

Tuesday, March 3, 1998

Posting your resume on the Internet

EMPLOYMENT The web can help you find a job if you put in some
effort

By Brian Krueger

University Wire

Internet resumes are a different breed from the "typical" paper
resume. Most paper resumes are verb oriented. But Internet resumes
need to accomplish a different purpose, since they function best in
searchable format. And employers don’t search for verbs, they
search for nouns. Nouns are the keywords, or "buzzwords," that
employers look for in prequalifying potential candidates.

In preparing your resume for posting on the Internet, be sure to
first examine your resume from the perspective of searchability.
Even if the resume is not initially keyword searched, it may find
its way into an employer or general resume database beyond its
initial posting location. In constructing your Internet resume,
consider the view from the other side of the desk and what you
would typically look for in searching for a candidate such as
yourself. If the proper keywords are not already included, revamp
your resume to a specialized format that includes a separate
"keyword" section.

If you initially formatted your resume with a word processor,
make sure you save it in text (ASCII) format. Then double-check all
formatting (especially if you used columns) to insure a clean look
upon printing. Your resume is then ready for posting.

The default standard for posting your resume is ASCII text
format, which generally allows for greater searchability. However,
with the greater usage of the Web, HTML (hypertext markup language)
format is also growing in acceptance. The benefit of HTML is the
flexibility with regard to graphics and overall presentation
format. You can create a web site all your own, complete with your
fully formatted resume. And many e-mail packages (such as Netscape
Mail) are now HTML-enabled, allowing for full formatting within the
body of the message. To quickly generate your own HTML resume, go
the Resumix site at http://www.resumix.com, where you will have use
a fill-in-the- blanks form to help you in constructing.

In order to understand Internet postings, it is important to
note that there is more to posting your resume than just placing it
on a Usenet Newsgroup, then sitting back waiting for the phone
calls (or e-mails) inviting you to the interview. Although most
"passive postings" such as this take little time to initially
generate, they are also less likely to produce positive results.
The best results are achieved through both passive and active
posting.

Passive posting includes posting to all of the "usual" sites,
such as (in order of importance) the misc.jobs.resumes Usenet
Newsgroup, Online Career Center (http://www.occ.com), E-Span
(http://www.espan.com), and Monster Board (http://www.monster.com).
Make sure that you post directly from the e-mail address you are
most active with, since many employers will respond directly to
that address. The key with any such passive postings is the use of
an informative subject line. You will need to state clearly and
succinctly your objective in 80 characters or less. Forget your
English grammar class and simply force as many keywords into the
subject line as possible. And unless you want to almost guarantee
your resume won’t be read, don’t put the words "entry level" in the
subject line. Very few employers are searching the Internet looking
specifically for entry level.

Active posting involves surfing individual employer postings or
job postings and responding directly with an e-mail resume. This is
actually a much more productive method, since it is more direct and
personal. It also provides you with the opportunity to add
additional comments that relate to a specific employer. And you
also have a contact point for later follow-up.

When posting your resume passively, you truly have no idea who
has viewed your resume, when, where, how or why. You are literally
waiting for them to contact you. For all you know, your resume was
never viewed by anyone, or if it was, it may have been printed,
reviewed, entered into a database and searched consistently, while
still producing no direct contact. All you know is that it has
generated no interviews. There is nearly absolute lack of
control.

But by posting your resume actively, you always have a point of
reference. Since you were the one who made the initial match of
your background to the employer and its requirements, it’s up to
you to take the contact to the next level. Because of your initial
contact, you will always have an avenue to follow and a reference
point to return to. Don’t expect that merely sending an e-mail will
generate a job offer. Or an interview. As with any employer
contact, it will typically require multiple contacts before you get
past square one.

Resume posting on the Internet is ideally suited for those who
are seeking more technical professions, such as computers or
engineering. But remember that the supply side in these areas is
also very crowded with experienced candidates. So if your
background is non-technical, you will actually be more of a
standout on the Internet. And don’t ever be shy about publicly
proclaiming your availability. Discretion will come later in your
career. For now, the more people who are aware of your
availability, the better.Krueger is a hiring manager for Keane,
Inc. He is author of "College Grad Job Hunter"
(http://www.collegegrad.com/

book, $14.95, Quantum Leap Publishing, 1-800-346-1848) and
webmaster for the College Grad Job Hunter web site
(http://www.collegegrad.com).