Internet Job Searches: Half The Time, Twice As Difficult

I have been trying for some time now to find a career with a little more meaning. I have been looking online throughout the Northwest (I define the Northwest as Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, parts of Colorado, and Taos, New Mexico.) The search is tedious and frustrating.

When I was younger, I remember job searching was a 3 step process:

1. Find open positions in the newspaper
2. Go to the hiring business and ask for an application
3. Fill out application (bonus for typing) and return to potential employer

Back then it was a very simple task and most times I would even have the opportunity to shake hands with a "personnel manager." Sometimes I would get a call back and sometimes I wouldn't. Every week a new job listing would come out in the local paper and the process would begin all over again.

When the internet hit the mainstream I thought that hiring would become this simple process, and that unemployment would be left to those who just didn't want to work. In the early 2000s, I put my resume online expecting Donald Trump and Bill Gates to get into a bidding war over who could have me. Surprisingly, nothing happened and I ended up getting a great job from an inside recommendation.


Today, job hunting can appear to be pretty daunting. Walk near a business section of a bookstore and you will see an entire aisle dedicated to resume writing, interviewing, and job hunting. I know people who are too scared to leave their jobs to find a better one, just because they feel like they don't know how to do a 21st century job search.

Job hunting via the internet requires a little bit of knowledge and plenty of patience. First, one must know WHICH job search engines to use. Years ago it was Monster, Hotjobs, etc. Today web 2.0 has made things much easier.

Here are my favorites:

• Indeed.com
• Simplyhired.com
• craigslist.org (I recommend using crazedlist.org - it searches multiple craigslist sites at the same time)

The next step is one that requires plenty of time and reading. Before you submit your cover letter and resume you must research the company. This requires looking for press releases, browsing their website, and if applicable, looking at their Wall Street data. After you have completed your research you will either feel extremely excited to work for them, or you might not be interested in their business. I recommend writing your cover letter immediately after you have completed this process.

The options to get your resume to the employer can be varied. Some employers want you to email a cover letter and resume, while others have a custom interface that allows you to cut and paste your cover letter and resume (goodbye hours of formatting.) Other employers have online applications that require you to nearly rewrite your entire resume.

After you submit the required materials you have to wait. Most sites say "no phone calls" so you can't call to see if they received your resume and cover letter. I find myself checking their employment page hoping that I get an email or a phone call before the posting disappears. On a daily basis I repeat this process...it can be pretty depressing.

I might add that November and December have been challenging months to find a job. I refuse to blindly blame the economy...instead I point the finger at the Thanksgiving and winter holidays. This time of year there are more people on vacation, more office functions, and a desire to postpone projects to 2009. I have high hopes for January!