Maximize your Job Search with an Online Resume

A recent survey on online recruiting offered some interesting news for both online recruiters and job seekers. The poll questioned 1,000 full-time workers in the U.S. and found that 78% would change jobs today if presented with a better opportunity. Forty-eight percent are involved in some sort of job search and more than fifty percent expect to use a recruiting Web site as part of their next job search.

By Lora Meisner, Thingamajob.com Staff Writer

Recruiters, who find the same resumes from the same people in most of the databases they search, will ignore these "resume spammers."

Standing out Among the Thousands

Now that you're among thousands of other posted resumes, what are the ways to get your resume to stand out and be more effective? When done correctly your well written, well-prepared resume should contain all of the necessary keywords to attract attention.

Print version - have bulleted lists, italicized text, etc. that attracts the hiring managers eye to your list of accomplishments.

Scannable version - much the same as your print resume but with less design, no italics or bold highlights but written in a standard font such as Times Roman. This resume is also recognized as an electronic resume because of its format.

Plain text version - by saving your resume as a .txt or text document you will be able to cut and paste it onto Thingamajob. You will need to make sure that you have all the keywords that define your experience and accomplishments. Remember to replace bullets with an asterisk *. You will need to do a line-by-line review and rearrange text if necessary. In an application like Word, doing so is quite simple. Instead of saving your document as a .doc, select "save as" and using the drop-down menu for "save as type" you want to click on "text only with line breaks." Viola!

Don't be deterred by the format of a scannable or plain text version resume. This is, in fact easier to read than most formatted resumes, as different applications read documents differently. Remember, your bullets may look great when you send it, but like e-mail the format isn't always received that way and could be more distracting than helpful.

Posting Your Resume

Recruiters, who find the same resumes from the same people in most of the databases they search, will ignore these "resume spammers." If you're serious about finding a job, post it only on two or three sites. Remember a site like Thingamajob offers extra job search assistance through its recruitment system?you'll have real time, live recruiters to work with you and guide you through your job search.

A Thingamajob tip:

You'll need to make a note of the various job postings ID's as well as remember to contact the recruiter for more information about the job. The ability to contact the recruiter to learn more about the job is a definite asset?giving you access to value-added information.

After Posting Your Resume

A stagnant resume is like stagnant water?it goes nowhere. Dynamic people have dynamic resumes- they change on a regular basis. If you're keeping an achievement diary, you should be updating your resume regularly. While keeping track of your weekly or monthly achievements, you should also keep proof of your achievements.

Additionally, while interviewing for a job, you will need to list your achievements in a measurable format?answering the question, "what were the results?"

Working with Your Recruiter

Developing a good relationship with a recruiter can be another excellent opportunity to expand your job search. The recruiter will work to find a good match between your skills and the requirements of the positions at the companies with which they are working. The recruiter will not send your resume to a company where your experience and skills are not compatible with the position.

The most important thing to remember when working with your recruiter is to be honest about your skills and experience and most importantly, be patient. Jobs may not grow on trees but your recruiter spends time and energy laying the groundwork that leads to the right position for many job seekers.

Looking to make a career move?  Create a free Thingamajob account and gain access to a wide spectrum of job opportunities from Allegis Group's diverse family of staffing companies including TEKsystems and Aerotek.