9 Web Sites to Help You Find a Job

With the world economy still on shaky ground, it's probably a good idea to dust off that resume and make sure your career is layoff-proof.

That's going to be hard to do. The U.S. Labor Department has said the unemployment rate continued to rise in May, increasing from 8.9 to 9.4 percent. The largest losses were seen in manufacturing, while construction and some of the service industries seemed to be leveling off.

So if you do lose your job, how do you beat the odds and get back on your feet? One of the best ways to stand apart is to give your new boss a Web site that is all about you. According to CarreerBuilder.com, job seekers should "...design an easily-navigable Web site or online portfolio where recruiters can view your body of work, read about your goals and obtain contact information."

It's also a good idea to continually use search engines like Google to make sure you don't have unwanted information about you. If you do find some incriminating material, take steps to clean it up.

Contacting the company directly is also a great strategy. If you want to get a job, with say Google, go to the company's job site. Larger organizations have the most recent job listings on their own pages. The best option is to find out who the hiring manager is and direct your correspondence to that person.

Now that you are ready with your resume, here are 10 "must visit" Web sites for job seekers in the Bay Area.

* Craigslist.org - this is the site that makes the competition cringe and newspapers cry.
* BayAreaJobs.com - as the name implies, it's specific to the nine Bay Area counties.
* HotJobs - Now owned by Yahoo, the site rivals Craigslist in its scope.
* Careerbuilder.com - The other major competition in the online job search market.
* Dice.com - This is a computer technology-specific site that boasts nearly 90,000 jobs.
* Simply Hired - This is a meta-search site that searches several other job sites.
* GoFreelance.com - Tired of working the same old 9 to 5? Freelancers can make great money, but health benefits are mostly lacking.
* LinkedIn - The social networking Web site is really a great resource and way to connect with other professionals in your field.
* KnockEmDead.com - Martin Yate has been writing about getting the job of your dreams for nearly 25 years. His series of books entitled "Knock 'em Dead" are a must read. The site has a treasure trove of tips.

Editor's note: I am currently looking for a job myself after being laid off in June. I'll let you know how these sites play out.

Comments

[治疗痘痘]

I mean everything. From your face to your makeup applicators to your bathroom towels.