Posting your resume online is almost as easy as using an old-fashioned push-pin and a bulletin board.
Although online application carries with it only a small percentage of success, there are times it is useful. Today, we welcome guest blogger Roleta Fowler Vasquez who offers suggestions for posting your resume online.
By Guest Writer Roleta Fowler Vasquez
Wordbusters Resume and Writing Services
Since launching my resume writing business 17 years ago, I have assisted many clients personally in posting resumes online, to electronic job boards such as MonsterJobs.com, CareerBuilder.com, and USAJOBS.gov. When I began this service, statistics said that only 30 percent of employers were recruiting online. This figure has risen to over 80 percent. I have written the following article to guide you through major job boards, while avoiding some common mistakes and safeguarding yourself against identity theft.
Why post a resume online?
Online recruiting reduces human effort and saves the employer time and resources. They can search quickly for job candidates in a database of thousands of resumes by choosing key words–employer-selected criteria representing the qualifications, knowledge, and strengths critical to job performance. In the end, you may receive feedback and interview invitations faster than the old direct e-mail or snail-mail methods.
Log in and Register
Congratulations on having written–or having hired a Certified Professional Resume Writer to create an interview-winning resume. You are ready to Log In to MonsterBoard, CareerBuilder, or another job board after setting up a User Identification and Password combination.
- Tip: Store your user ID and password in a safe place.
Personal Information
The first data blocks in the registration process present you with a request for personal information. Before proceeding, carefully review the job board’s privacy policy and be aware of whom they allow to view your resume. Two of the oldest job sites, Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com, have processes by which you can limit who sees your resume and what data they see. With identity theft or phishing on the rise, there is some information you should never divulge: (a) You should never post your true birth date or Social Security Number in an online application. One exception is when you are applying to a federal vacancy on USAJOBS.GOV or other federal agencies. Note that the URLs must end in “.gov” and that you should see “https:” at the font of the Web address. (b) Your online resume should not show your home address or home telephone number. Ensure you modify your resume header information to include only your Name, Cell, and/or disposable E-mail address.
- Tip: You may set up these free e-mail accounts at msn.com, yahoo.com, and google.com. I recommend using a business-like address, e.g., SmithJ789@domain.com (YourLastName + YourInitial + Some Number).
Upload your resume
Once inside the job board, look for a link or tab that directs you to the online resume builder. This tool allows you to either import a Word or Text document from your computer desktop. You will Highlight a Directory and File name on your PC, and Click on Download/Import/ or Open key. In a few seconds, the job board has captured your resume. You may also “Copy and Paste” the text from your document, block by block, into the resume builder.
- Tip: I prefer the Copy and Paste method, which allows you to constantly review the information you are posting, block by block. You can make revisions on-the-fly, especially to the blocks titled Name, Address, Job Experience, and Education. Use the following keyboard shortcuts on an MS Windows operating system: CTL/A to highlight; CTL/C to copy the text; & CTL/V to paste)
- Tip: Be prepared to make minor adjustments to formatting to adapt your resume to the job board’s own template. Preview or print your completed resume to ensure it is visually pleasing, with no typographical, spacing, font size, highlighting, tab, or margin size errors.
Optional information
Answering optional information blocks such as age and nationality can work against you. In fact, before answering any data request, determine if the information could be used against you, reserving these responses for the job interview and beyond. Examples of optional information to be avoided or carefully considered before posting:
- Behavioral Interview Questions: Behavioral interview questions such as “What is your perfect job?” or “How would you solve this xxxxx? Do not answer these questions now, but definitely research and develop answers to these questions for your interview, emphasizing your strengths and intelligence. They are meant to disqualify those who are challenged by a lack of common sense or who do not adapt to pressure easily.
- Illegal Questions: Questions related to age, sex, children, race, nationality, religion, or disability should be left unanswered on these forms. Although these are taboo questions at an interview, be prepared to be surprised, and try to figure out and answer the interviewer’s concerns effectively.
- Availability: Never respond “immediately” if you are currently employed. You won’t be considered a trusted employee if you can leave at a moment’s notice.
- Skills: You should answer this in detail if you have particularly valuable skills. For example, indicate that you are an expert user of MS Word and Excel (but not generically, as in MS Office), with beginning skills in MS Project.
- Salary: Try to leave salary queries unanswered. We Certified Employment Interview Professionals and other job coaches recommend you wait until you have reached the salary negotiation stage, when the employer makes a job offer. If and when you must answer this one, do your homework with a quick salary research trip to Monster or Salary.com. Salary research sites will ask you to provide your targeted job title, targeted city, years of experience, and educational level. A salary range report matching these elements will be presented, along with national and regional figures for comparison.
Additional information
This is a good place to post your cover letter, especially if the job board has no cover letter upload feature. Cross-functional strengths and additional experience also may be mentioned using key words applicable to other industries/job titles of interest to you.
Save, preview, and print
At this point, you should “Save” your work online, so that local power or Web server interruptions do not destroy your work. Continue saving your work frequently. You will have a chance to preview your resume before you actually post it for recruiters to see. You also should print a copy of your online resume on your personal printer, create a PDF file using the Print command (with PDF software such as Adobe), or Copy & Paste the online copy into your Word or Notepad text editor for later use.
Apply for jobs and receive interview invitations
Once your resume is online, you may associate your resume with a job by viewing a job announcement and clicking on “Apply.” Your resume will be forwarded to the company recruiter, or the recruiter will receive an e-mail notification to view your online resume.
More about our guest writer, Roleta Fowler Vasquez
For 17 years, Wordbusters Resume and Writing Services has prepared job seekers for a highly competitive job market with return-on-investment resumes, cover letters, and other career writing and interview coaching services. Certified Professional Resume Writer Roleta Fowler Vasquez uses writing styles and formats to showcase your unique job qualifications and craft the interview-winning resume your target employer and industry want. Located in Fillmore, California, she serves the international, English-speaking community as well as Los Angeles County, Ventura County, Kern County, and other California areas.
