Online Tools
Many job hunters choose to put together an online résumé. An online résumé functions as a Web page with hyperlinks that lead from one part of the résumé to another or to other locations on the Web. You can also link to work samples, if that is appropriate for you. This can be a particularly good option for writers or artists who need to showcase their work.
First you must decide how you will compose your page. If you know how to use HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) you can easily put together an online résumé. You can also use Web editing software such as Microsoft Frontpage. Careerhunters.com has free templates available that you can use to design your résumé. They will also design one for you for a fee.
Then you must decide where your résumé will reside. You have a few options. You can purchase a domain name and then contract with a company to host your site. Your site can also be hosted by your ISP (Internet Service Provider). Many ISPs provide free space for your own home page. Several companies offer free home pages to the general public. Careerhunters.com, discussed in the previous paragraph, will host your résumé for a fee, or will link to your résumé if it is hosted elsewhere. Once you get your résumé up on the Web, don't forget to promote it. This means getting it listed with as many search engines as possible so prospective employers can find you.
Replying to Job Ads
Job announcements often request that you apply via email. As mentioned above you should email an ASCII résumé, which is one that isn't formatted for any specific word processing program. This means it can be read across many different platforms. You can use any word processing program to compose your résumé. Use hard returns at the end of each line and a fixed width font, such as 10 point courier. Make sure that no line is longer than 80 characters and that you save your document as a .txt file, rather than with the default extension assigned by your word processing software.
Many people don't have Internet access at home and instead log on to the Internet at work, using a company provided email address. That presents a bit of a conflict when it comes to job hunting. It's a bad idea to use your work email address for your job search. Even with a personal email account, many of us choose user names that are more appropriate for corresponding with friends than with prospective employers. Many ISPs61 provide multiple email addresses. Therefore, you could use a separate address for your job search campaign. What should you do if you don't have a personal email account? Fortunately there are many free resources available. And speaking of free, what do you do when you're asked to fax your résumé and you don't have a fax machine available? You can go to the local drugstore or some other place that has a public fax, or you can use one of the free fax services on the Internet.
Network Online
Networking is an important part of job searching and career planning in general. The Internet can help you out here as well. You can network with others in your field, or find mentors. You can also join forums, such as those found on Delphi.com, or newsgroups which you can find by going to Google Groups.
http://careerplanning.about.com/od/jobsearch/a/internet_search.htm
61. ISP: Internet Service Provider ↩