UMD Career Services

Job Search Resources

• Career Services counselors, programs, and workshops and UMD Career Resource Center.
• On campus recruitment program.
• Listings and employer contacts available from Career Services.
• Friends, relatives, and alumni. Ask about job possibilities where they work or elsewhere. Announce your job search and let everyone know what you can and want to do.
• Faculty members, advisers, and staff. Tell them your intentions. They can be potential sources of job information, leads, and referrals.
• Internship, cooperative education experience, summer or part-time job. Generate contacts and possibly receive a full-time offer.
• Informational interviews.
• Advertisements in newspapers, magazines, and journals.
• Career and Job Fairs. Talk with employers at fairs, even those not actively recruiting in your field(s) of interest, contacts often generate job leads.
• Employer directories and employer information in Career Services and UMD and public libraries.
• Professional organizations and directories. Most professional organizations provide information on job prospects in their fields. The Encyclopedia of Associations can help you locate organizations. Many sponsor national or regional conventions which may include job placement programs.
• Telephone directories and chambers of commerce.
• Federal, state, and local employment agencies and resources.
• Private employment agencies. Be cautious. Before you register with an agency, investigate its reputation, fees, and the fields in which it specializes.
• Many of the resources listed above, as well as other employment and career information, can be found on the Internet.
  

Using the Internet

The Internet is an important place to look for job openings, research companies and find career information. Using the Internet does not replace traditional methods of carrying out a job search but is another tool to be used. There are a variety of resources on the Internet which have potential for helping you in your job search.

Use the Internet in Your Job Search To:

• Expand your network of contacts. Join discussion groups, news groups, or listservs in your field(s) of interest to get current information and advice, and make contacts.
• Read job listings. Check the variety of job listings for up-to-the-minute openings.
• Demonstrate your computer skills. Employers want new hires with computer savvy. Your Internet job search shows, first hand, how comfortable, familiar, and skilled you are with the technology.
• Search for information efficiently. Using keywords and any of the search tools available on the Internet will give you access to specific, up-to-date information.
• Gather current, up-to-date employer information. Research companies online to develop a list of potential employers and to prepare for interviews.
• Post or submit your resume. Some resources allow you to post your resume at no charge, which may be an effective way to contact employers who use the sites. Check to see whether there is a fee for updating your resume. (Note: posting your resume on the Internet essentially makes it a public document. Control and confidentiality are issues you may want to consider.) Many employers request that you apply for positions online. If you apply online, unless the employer specifically says not to, submit a hard copy resume and cover letter to the employer as well. For tips on how to submit your resume online, see Sending Resumes and Letters.
• Gain job search assistance. Use the Internet as a reference or resource library to learn job hunting techniques.

Getting Started

• A good place to start is the Internet Resources page on the Career Services website.
• Popular web search engines are linked to UMD's home page
• The "help" section of each search engine has valuable instructions on how to use each one and tricks to help narrow or broaden a search. Search engines may use different tricks, so read the "help" for each one. Use more than one search engine to find sites others may miss.
• Search engines list possible web sites with links to them. Look at the ones that seem relevant and bookmark the best sites for later.
• Most search engines have links directly from their home pages to career information as well as links to news groups or chat groups. Read each search engine home page carefully to see if there are links and use them. Bookmark what seems the most interesting and helpful.
• Some commercial Internet providers have job databases and many have pages dedicated to career information as well as their own news groups. Check to see what is available.
• To find company home pages, an easy trick is to enter the name of the company in the address area of the Internet browser and add ".com" to the name. This will not always work but it can be successful sometimes. Corporate home pages often have employment sections where you may find listings not advertised anywhere else, as well as company profile pages and other information.
• There are a number of web career databases that are dedicated to employment and career information such as HotJobs.com, WetFeet.com, Jobweb.com, and Monster.com. The Internet is ever changing, so use search engines to find others.

Additional Tips for Using the Internet

• Ask friends, classmates, faculty, and staff for their recommendations of resources on the Internet.
• Always keep a record of, or bookmark, the best sites, data bases, and discussion groups so you can easily return to them.
• Visit sites frequently since information changes quickly.
• When you decide to contact employers, do not flood them with messages.
• Always use a spell checker, proofread, and ask a friend to proofread any e-mail message before you send it to a professional contact.
• When using listservs or news groups, it is always a good idea to "lurk" for a while, to get a feel for the group, before posting anything. Look for a "frequently asked questions" (FAQ's) section and read it to get basic information.
• Ask questions politely and always say thank you. Potential employers may be among those reading your messages so always use appropriate manners and language.