Posting Your Resume to the Job Boards

After you have created your eye-catching resume you will want to post it to the job boards for everyone to see.  There are a number of things to consider and remember when utilizing internet job boards.  Having your resume on the internet is a great way to get noticed and get broad-based exposure if that is what you’re looking for.  If you want to keep your job search confidential, posting on the job boards is not advised.  Even though it says “Confidential” it doesn’t take a nuclear engineer to figure out who you are.  Consider instead, opening a Linkedin Profile if you don’t already have one.  You can make numerous industry contacts, and have employment discussions under the radar of your current employer by using Linkedin.

Which Job Boards to use??  The top 4 are:

www.monster.com   www.careerbuilder.com  www.indeed.com and www.dice.com

Dice will be more focused on Technical careers while the other 3 have opportunities across a huge variety of industries.

(I am not provided compensation from these sites)

Posting your resume to the job boards is simple.  Just register by following the new user information and the steps for uploading your resume.  Each site varies on the amount of information they would like you to supply for your “profile”. 

What information should you supply???

That depends on how much you want to give.  Some information is mandatory, if you are uncomfortable providing certain information skip-it, if you cannot skip it you can sometimes fill in the blanks by using zeros.  (ex: Address 000 Main St, or phone 000-000-0000)if that doesn’t work, use another site.

If you do not want to provide your telephone number, make sure it is not listed on the resume you upload to the job board or it will be visible there, same goes for email address, name, physical address etc.  If you do provide your phone, its best to list what times you are available to take calls.

I’ve said this before but it’s worth saying again: when naming your resume document, use a combination of your name or name and date.  (ex:  CLester2021.doc) Keep in mind that not all people are able to open a PDF, so upload your resume in word.doc form whenever possible.  Before uploading your resume make sure all the dates and information is correct and there are no spelling errors!

Key Words:  Key words are words that Recruiters frequently search for that are related to specific industry knowledge.  For instance, I regularly search for Epic Systems Analysts, so I will use key words that relate to the specific module and knowledge that ideal candidates would have: Epic, Ambulatory, Implementation, build.  Make sure you are using key words in your resume so it gets noticed. 

(Side note on key words: Some people actually do not list the EMR Systems they have experience with because they are concerned it will limit their opportunities.  Actually, the truth is quite the opposite!  If you have spent the last 5 years on a Cerner Implementation you want to make sure you put Cerner in your resume and every module you worked with in your job. See my blog about resume building for more info.)

Title:  When filling out “Title”  ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS put your desired job title or current job title in that line.  Be generic if you want to but do not leave it blank or put things like; the date, your name, some catch phrase, etc.  Recruiters look here when searching the job boards for specifics.  If you leave it blank or use unrelated information your resume may get over-looked

Salary expectations:  This can be a sticky subject.  In some instances providing a desired salary could eliminate you immediately.  I’ve seen some crazy expectations that have caused me to simply pass on a candidate.  In the HCIT industry a Clinical Analyst that has been working as a consultant may have been been making 150K + every year… however if that Clinical Analyst wants to transition into a permanent role with salary and benefits 150K might be unreasonable.  The flip side of that scenario is under-selling yourself.  If you are a Clinical Analyst for a hospital and you’ve been making 65K, but you could be making 100K as a traveling consultant you may not get fair market value for yourself if you list your current salary.  Best bet is to leave that blank and have that conversation with each potential employer after doing industry research and hearing what they have to offer.

Education:  This is similar to the last paragraph, it may help or hinder you depending on the position and the recruiter reviewing resumes.  If you have a high level degree and are seeking a high level position, by all means… list your degree!

Travel - Yay or Nay:  If you do not want to travel make sure you specify  that on your profile or you will get numerous calls inquiring if you will.  If you are open to 50% travel or more I would suggest you put “road warrior” to improve interest in your qualifications.  If you are willing to relocate, make sure you list that and the cities you are open to moving to.

Employment Status:  This space allows you to show if you are interested in Fulltime permanent employment, Contract, Per Diem etc.  Normally you can select more than one option. Each site is slightly different but the break down is normally understood as the following for our industry.

Permanent- fulltime employment as a salaried employee .  Contract or Project – this could be W2 Hourly or 1099 for a specific amount of time  Per Diem – this could mean part time, paid for the time in which your services are required or term engagement

References:  I highly suggest you never list references on the job boards or on your resume.  That puts the cart before the horse.  There is no need for references to be conducted until after the interview process is complete.  Listing references on the job boards or your resume also opens up the people you provide as references to unsolicited phone calls regarding their own qualifications and career interests.

Interests & Hobbies:  Your interests and hobbies do not belong on the job boards unless they directly relate to your career.

Job Searches:  You can set up a search on the major job boards for opportunities that match your criteria.  That information will be sent to your email regularly depending on how often you want to be alerted.  This is a very useful tool!

When using job boards to search and apply for positions DO NOT apply for positions you are not qualified for.  Pay close attention to the required qualifications when reading job postings. It is a waste of your time and the recruiter's time if your qualifications are not a match for the position posted.  If you have had 6 months of experience in go-live training  and you send your resume to a position that requires extensive clinical application build experience and certification, that is not a wise use of your time and energy.  Focus on the positions that are within your skillset or slightly above your last job responsibilities to more quickly find your next engagement.

When to remove or update your resume:  If you find the career of your dreams, remember to go back to the job boards and remove your resume.  I often run searches for resumes that have been on the boards for 6 months or more to drum up candidates that may not have been called in a while.  If you are a consultant and tend to leave your resume up on the boards, remember to update your resume with each new engagement so it doesn’t get stale.

Keep in mind that Recruiters sometimes look at hundreds of resumes a week, the more precise you are when filling out information on the job boards the more likely you are to be contacted.

By carefully and responsibly using the job boards and Linkedin you should be able to get the exposure you desire to land your next great opportunity.

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