Me - A Dot Com Casualty
Written: Jan 03 '01 (Updated Jan 03 '01)
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The winter of 2000 left thousands of Dot Commies upset and without a job. I was one of those casualties -- fired, canned, laid off, unwaged. During the first day I was feeling a little weird but that weirdness soon evaporated when I realized I was getting one healthy severance package. That and I convinced myself that I could find another job; it’s not like the Bay Area is experiencing a job shortage or anything. I used my hefty severance as an excuse to lounge around and watch a lot of trashy TV and spend reckless days off at museums and bars with my fellow lay-off casualties. Then around a week or so later the money dried up, reality knocked on my door, and I realized I had to start looking for a job.
Having worked for an internet company where I spent all my time in front of the computer, the logical choice was to look for a job using a computer. I really didn’t know which job search database to use, I tried a few and I quickly learned what makes a job search service good. Basically, a job database is only as good as the quality and quantity of jobs it has to offer. Simple. In this light, HotJobs.com is pretty good. In addition, unlike the #1 job search service voted by the Epinions community, (Job Trak) you don’t need a fancy password from your college or contact the career center. (Sheesh, college was eons ago.)
HobJobs.com has the quality – they offer jobs ranging from entry-level positions to jobs where you need advanced credentials and crazy security clearances. With the quality, they also have the variety – which can be a good thing for someone who really doesn’t know exactly what they want to do (oh, say, someone like me.) Tangent: I’ve also found that with an online job search, you’ll find more internet/computer companies advertising – and that’s the kind of job I’m looking for.
HotJobs.com also has the quantity – After a simple search wherein you define the parameters, your results come back – I usually get 25+ results – and there is usually one or two positions I explore further. With other job search engines (oh, say Monster.com) with the same parameters, I get around 5 offers back that are usually not what I’m looking for.
Like other online job search databases, Hotjobs.com allows you to post and track your resume for employers to browse. They also provide information about job fairs and expos, offer job searching tips, and some of that witty office humor. The only feature I’ve found useful is the search.
The search feature for HotJobs.com is pretty generic but functional – you can do a location search (by city or greater metro area), keyword search (“internet”, “hospital”, “C++”), or a company name search (“Hewlett Packard”, “Bank of America”, “McDonald’s”). You can even search by international location if you are so inclined. The search I frequently use is the one where you select the career interest fields (“new media”, “engineering”, “administrative”). The search results bring things either from one week, one month, or any day and are displayed either by relevance or date. Your choice.
If you are so moved by what you see on the job description page, there are several things you can do – you can add it to a folder to save for future viewing, e-mail it to a friend that you are either trying to make jealous or are helping out, print it out or just apply online. I’ve found the last feature the most convenient – it’s instant gratification…I don’t have to find the contact information and figure out how I want to send my information – I just click and paste. Easy. You can store your resume on the HotJobs.com site and when you’re applying for a job just click the appropriate button to have your resume forwarded. You then also have the opportunity to include a cover letter or not.
But wait, there’s more – What I really like about HotJobs.com is the job description page. While created by the employer, HotJobs.com offers special information for job seekers – there are links on the page where you can learn about the company; its profile, locations, news about it, and investor information. These are important and good to know, especially if you are trying to stay away from fledgling dot coms.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
megugrrrl
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 - Top 500 |
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Location: Oakland
Reviews written: 147
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