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There are countless job search sites on the Web. As you might suspect, some are good and some are not. The scribbling that follows barely scratches the surface of the topic. The best I can do is list a few job search and career service sites, and offer a few tips.

Just to give you perspective on my comments, I started job searching online seriously in November, focusing exclusively on Connecticut, mainly in the Danbury area. My primary career goals are in the Training, Business Analyst and Tech Writing fields, though I’ve also been looking into Quality Testing and Web Development.

In my Web quest for employment, I’ve noticed a few universal truths:

1. Job Search sites are very sloppy about cleaning up. I can’t even count how many times I applied for a job, only to find it was filled days or weeks earlier.
2. Any position above entry level is usually handled by employment or consulting agencies.
3. If the site has search agents, do set them up. It’s a big time saver to get email notices of new or updated job postings and to be able to repeat previous site searches.
4. New York City is where the jobs are (at least in my fields).

Job search sites

Here are the online job search services that I have tried:

Fairfield County Jobs (www.fairfieldcountyjobs.com) This is the most basic job site, with no frills or extra services, yet it has given me very good results. Generally, I get about one response for every three resumes sent, so it seems that the companies that advertise here are pretty serious. Note that there are sister sites listed on it, covering other counties.

Hot Jobs (www.hotjobs.com) Some good results from here, at least as far as Head Hunter response is concerned. Good search agents.

Flip Dog (www.flipdog.com) The best search agents. Decent listings. Well worth registering.

Monster (www.monster.com) The big Kahuna, Monster had about eight million resumes on file a month ago, and has been gaining a million a month. Of course, each user can have up to five resumes.

Dice (www.dice.com) Especially good for NYC and NJ. Good Head Hunter results. Poor site search engine. For example, using the keyword "writer" brings up Java programming, etc.

Jobs Online (www.jobsonline.com) I have recently stopped using this one, as I have become sick of the persistent ads and database errors. I have rarely found anything of interest on this site.

Additional sites

Here are some additional Job sites and services that may be of use to you:

Tek Bay (www.tekbay.com) Great for programmers and network or database administrators.

Computer Jobs (www.computerjobs.com) Great for NYC and NJ, though a royal pain in the butt to navigate.

A Competitive Edge (www.acompetitiveedge.com) Resumes and Tips.

Brain Buzz (www.brainbuzz.com) Test yourself and job search!

Brain Bench (www.brainbench.com) Test yourself! See how you compare to your peers.

Cover Letter Central (www.coverlettercentral.com) Making killer cover letters.

Tips

Here are a few pointers that may help you in your own search:

1. I have found the book Job Searching Online for Dummies, by Pam Dixon, to be invaluable.

2. Keep accurate records of your search, especially if you’re using a lot of agencies. Be especially sure to keep track of your phone calls and where you and the agencies have sent resumes. Contact management programs, schedulers, journals and calendar programs are a big help.

3. Review your resumes and cover letters every few days. Keep trying to improve on them and keep them up to date.

4. Always get someone else to read your resumes and cover letters before you post or send them. I neglected to do this and regretted it.

5. Whenever sending a resume as an email attachment, make sure that you send it in an older version of your word processor. For example, I have Word 2000, but send my resume in Word 95 format to insure that the recipient can open it.

6. Set up a personal Web site with your resume on it.

7. Make use of trade or industry groups and associations. For example, The Society for Technical Communications or The Association of Computer Support Specialists (see facing page). Organizations such as these usually have job postings or are useful for personal networking.

The Internet has made job searching and company research much easier. But at the same time, mistakes can be magnified many fold and there are more opportunities for committing a faux pas.

Good Luck!