MCT CampusThere are many Web sites that offer jobs to people of all ages but not all of them lead to a rewarding position in a growing industry. So how can people tell the difference between the average job postings and dead-end jobs as opposed to a Web site that offers successful and promising careers?
The advancement of the job market from face-to-face to internet-based applications is in its final stages. Many companies post job openings online for potential employees to search through in order to find a position that would best suit them.
“These sites are connecting employers with interested and qualified candidates in an efficient manner. I continue to see the internet being used as the first step in the application process,” Dawn Francis, lecturer in communication, said.
Francis teaches the Career Preparation and Job Search Techniques course at Cabrini College. In this class she supplies students with valuable information on how to successfully search for jobs and prepare them for professional interviews upon graduating from college.
Due to the latest advancements in the job market, applicants must find new and innovative ways to catch the eye of their potential employer.
“A well-written cover letter and resume sent via the internet can be used as a calling card for getting to the first interview. That’s where the real positioning and selling takes place,” Francis said.
Cover letters must highlight skills that would benefit an employer and their company. Applicants should clearly state why they would be a perfect candidate for the position they are applying for by referring to their experience and skills.
“Students should use the cover letter to highlight their knowledge of the industry and also what keeps that employer awake at night. Then, students should tell the employer that their experience and skills would meet the employer’s needs. Cover letters that simply restate what appears in the resume don’t have impact,” Francis said.
Lately it seems that it is not only college graduates and older applicants searching the internet for their next job position.
A new Web site, myfirstpaycheck.com, is a site that has been created specifically for high school students who are searching for their first job. Celeste, a 16-year-old sophomore at Lower Merion High School, and her older brother Austin, created the site.
It provides visitors to the site with a list of jobs in their area. The Web site offers job listings in the Philadelphia, New York and Washington D.C. areas.
The site also includes an area called “ResumeBuilder,” a section of the site dedicated to assisting students in creating their first resume. This tool prepares students with future career-searching techniques as well as familiarize them with the skills and strengths they posses and where they would like to improve.
“They (students) need to take account of their transferable skill set and develop an ideal job profile before looking on these Web sites. That way, they are scanning jobs for positions based upon their ideal and are more likely to find a good fit for themselves,” Francis said.
