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7 steps to finding a job onlineThere are lots of ways to make sure you show up on employers' radar screens. Fortune magazine suggests using the following steps to “reverse engineer” your resume:
- Pinpoint the jobs you might want. Before you do anything else, go to the websites of the five companies you have targeted and get the job descriptions of specific openings that interest you.
- Take your cue from the job descriptions. Next, “mark the precise words and phrases that describe the skills and knowledge someone has decided are necessary for each job.”
- Rewrite your resume for each opening. Use the keywords and phrases you highlighted when describing any relevant experience you have. Be precise. Let's say a job description reads "Must have experience with finite element analysis," an engineering specialty often abbreviated as FEA. If your resume says "Experience in FEA," you could be counted out.
Tailor each resume you submit to match those exact key phrases from the job description. If you have no training or experience in a given area of the job description, concentrate on the ones where you do have some knowledge.
- Create a heading on each resume that says “Interest Areas.” Take all the keywords and phrases you highlighted from the job description and list them under this heading, even if they've already been mentioned in your resume's "Experience" or "Education" sections.
It seems redundant, but some computer screening systems are set up to scan the “Interest Areas” part first, so again, it's a way to not get tossed aside in the first round of screening.
- Rewrite your profile on each web site. When you register on employers' websites, make sure your online profile includes those same keywords and phrases -- especially if the company asks for your "interest areas."
- Then -- and only then -- apply for the jobs that interest you. If you've already applied for specific jobs, follow the five steps above and reapply.
- Keep customizing your resume, and updating your online profiles. As you apply for more jobs, repeat the process above for each one.
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LAST UPDATED 9/18/2009
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