avoiding scams
The Internet is a fantastic business
tool. Many of you have used it to buy books, CDs, and even
electronic equipment. Unfortunately, like most tools, the Internet
can be misused to cheat and mislead. When you visit a web site or
view a job listing, there's no way to be certain that you're
dealing with a reputable person. There are, however, ways in which
you can reduce your risks.
Is there a fee: Stay away from any web site
that requires you to pay up front. In fact, before you pay for a job
listing or resume bank service, check out the free ones. There's really no
need to pay in today's job market. The employers are willing to pay, and
you don't need to.
Are they selling services: . Be wary of any
offer to "find you a job" for a fee. No one has a corner on the market or
special access to employers. Employers are reaching out to find new talent
and you don't need to pay to find them. Stay away from sites that promise
to write your resume. No one knows you better than you! If you need help
with grammar or spelling, go to your spouse, friends, or the professionals
at the Transition Assistance Office.
Are they selling "secrets": Don't buy job
search books or cassettes unless its from a reputable and well-known web
site. In fact, don't buy a job search book over the Internet unless you
can't get to a bookstore to look it over first. Unscrupulous people have
been selling books on how to lose weight, get girls, get guys, improve
your memory, and get high-paying jobs through the mail for years. Now
they've learned how to do it using the Internet.
Are they trying to sell training: Be leery of
any job listing that requires you to pay for training. The only way to
figure out if you need training is to check out job listings and talk to
experts such as your Transition Assistance Office counselors. If you
conclude that you do need training in order to achieve your occupational
goals, then check with your Education Office for assistance in identifying
reputable schools and training institutions. Stay away from any training
institution that has to lure you in with false promises of a job.
Do they want you to invest in a new business:
This is probably one of the fastest ways to get ripped off on the web. If
you really want to start a business, don't depend on anyone who attempts
to lure you with an offer of a job. Start by visiting the Small Business
Administration Veterans web site at
http://www.sbaonline.sba.gov/vets/. Find out where the nearest Small
Business Administration Office is and research your opportunities. Make
sure you're ready to survive as a business owner and then and only then
begin the process of looking for business opportunities. As you review
opportunities, do your research. The web contains a number of scam busting
web sites containing information on business scams and you can usually
search the web using a business name to find information on fraud. Ask for
references - names of other investors. Check the references out and make
sure that you're not talking to another member of a fraudulent team. Look
for the company name in Internet phone books. Find the company web site on
the Internet. If you can't find them, stay away. Finally, get it in
writing. Don't invest unless you get the details in writing. Once you do,
don't forget to visit your Judge Advocate office for legal advice.
TIPS ON USING THE INTERNET
The way in which employers and applicants
interact has undergone a dramatic revolution. In the past, applicants had
to rely on newspaper ads and networking to find job opportunities. The
ability to find job opportunities was limited by geography, and it was
difficult to explore distant job markets. Employers had the same problem.
They could reach local job seekers but found it difficult to tap qualified
job seekers in distant locations. Employment agencies, headhunters, and
state employment services helped to some extent, but even they were
hampered by distance and communication limitations. Today, the Internet
allows employers and job seekers to interact almost instantaneously
regardless of geography and time zones.
As a smart job seeker, you have explored
occupations, industries, companies, and locations. You have inventoried
your skills, training, education, and experience. You know what you want
and for you, the Internet is a powerful tool in achieving your objective.
As powerful as the Internet may be, you cannot rely solely on electronic
job search activities. The best job search campaign is a balanced one. Not
all job opportunities will be found on the Internet -- not even all of the
best. While this web portal is designed to help you get the most out of
the Internet, you should continue to build your career transition team
through networking. Don't be afraid to use newspaper want ads and never
forget the value of your local state employment services office. Most of
all, don't be passive. Don't post your resume on the web and expect
employers to beat down your door. Take charge of your job search and fight
to win!
FOCUSING YOUR SEARCH
The beauty of the Internet is its sheer size.
America's Job Bank and its affiliate DoD Job Search can legitimately claim
access to well over one million jobs. Other job listing web sites claim
tens of thousands. As impressive as that may be, too much of anything is
bad for you. Searching through tens or even hundreds of thousands of job
listings is not going to be easy or very productive. All your work in
developing an objective should have taught you that there is a very
limited number of jobs for which you are qualified and meet your personal
and family needs. Similarly, there are a great number of resume bank web
sites. You could spend a great deal of time submitting resumes to all of
these sites and not improve your chances of finding a great job by much.
The fact is that many resume banks don't have a large number of employers
using them, some charge for their services, and many focus on specific
occupations and employers that do not match up well with your objectives.
The key to effective use of the Internet is
to focus on the web sites that promise the best return for your effort.
This web site is designed to get you started. Our links have been
carefully screened and represent an excellent range of web resources.
Still, even this list may exceed your needs. Here's a basic set of rules
that you can use to focus your Internet job search related activities.
Know yourself and your objectives: Some web
sites focus on job seekers with a specific set of skills such as computer
programming. Still others focus on a specific geographical area within the
United States or overseas. Read the web site description carefully. It is
generally the first thing you will see on the web site, but, in some
cases, you may have to click on a button labeled "job seekers information"
or something similar. Make sure that the site is consistent with your
objective.
Big is better than small: For most job
seekers, the key is to start with the big sites and work your way down. In
general, web sites with a large number of job listings, resumes on file,
or employers using the site are superior to those with lesser statistics.
However, be skeptical. Look carefully at some interesting job listings to
see how old they are. While starting big is the best approach for most,
there are exceptions. If you have unique job interests, you should skip
the big guys and go straight to the most relevant web sites. For example,
if you want to work for a specific company, go the company web site.
New is better than old: Once you begin to use
a web site, make sure the merchandise is fresh - check out the dates on
job listings to make sure that the web site is kept current. There's no
law that requires a web site to delete out of date job listings and some
employers don't even tell the web site administrator when a job is filled.
Keep your options open: If your're using a
resume bank, make sure that you can submit changes to your resume. Resumes
are never final. As you learn more about what employers are looking for,
you will want to revise your resume. Stay away from sites that won't let
you change your resume.
Avoid sites that charge you a fee. Job
listing web sites are almost always free to job seekers, but some resume
listing sites are not. In general, successful resume bank web sites don't
need to charge job seekers. They have a large number of employer customers
who are willing to pay money to get their hands on high quality resumes.
If you are considering listing your resume with a web site that charges a
fee, check the site out carefully and compare it with other, similar sites
that don't charge a fee.
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