Sign Up For E-Mail Alerts of Job Postings and Spend More Time Networking

On most job boards, you can sign up for free email alerts that notify you whenever an employer posts an ad for a position that meets specifications you get to choose. For example, you can opt to receive only messages about jobs in a particular industry or region, as well as just ones from certain employers. Many job boards even allow users to set up multiple alerts. Once you're done, you won't need to revisit the sites ever again, which means you can focus your search efforts on other strategies, such as networking.

You can also save time and energy by using a metasearch engine like http://www.indeed.com/ which searches multiple sites for your specified jobs.

Think Twice Before Posting Your Resume on the Internet

I am repeatedly asked about posting resumes on job finding sites and I always suggest carefully weighing the pros and cons. Several months ago, Monster.com's site was breached and 1 million of those who had posted information were at risk of identity theft.

Very few people have told me of having success by this method. They do receive e-mails and telephone calls inviting them to invest in insurance and other ventures.

The exception may be if you are an IT professional.

I still believe that networking, telephone contacts, Internet research, e-mailing resumes, followed up by snail mail and telephone calls work best.

What have you found to be the best method?

Forbes 2000 Companies That Are Hiring

The following Forbes 2000 Companies plan to hire in 2008.

• G4S
  Industry: Business services & supplies
  Employees: 4401 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 44 (thou)
  Change: 11.2%
  U.K.
  Formed in 2004 from the merger between Securicor and Group 4 Falck A/S's security business, G4S is the world's leading provider of security solutions and operates in more than 100 countries. It has more than 500,000 employees and is the largest employer listed on the London Stock Exchange.

• Gazprom
  Industry: Oil & gas operations
  Employees: 440 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 38 (thou)
  Change: 9.5%
  RU
  The Russian energy company has around 400,000 employees and is the world's largest gas company, exporting to 32 countries.

• IBM
  Industry: Software & services
  Employees: 387 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 31 (thou)
  Change: 8.7%
  U.S.
  "Big Blue," the Armonk, N.Y.-headquartered technology company, has 386,558 employees worldwide and serves customers in 170 countries. In 2007, for the 15th consecutive year, IBM was issued more U.S. patents (3,125) than any other company.

• Hitachi
  Industry: Technology hardware & equip
  Employees: 384 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 29 (thou)
  Change: 8.0%
  JA
  The Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer and technology company was founded in 1910 as an electrical repair shop and today employs around 385,000 people worldwide.

• Metro AG
  Industry: Food markets
  Employees: 2422 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 27 (thou)
  Change: 12.7%
  GE
  International trade and retail outfit Metro AG employs almost 300,000 worldwide. More than half of them work abroad from its Germany-based core in any of 30 different countries in Europe, Africa and Asia. The company runs over 12 million square-feet of retail space and generated about $100 billion in sales last year.

• Starbucks
  Industry: Hotels, restaurants & leisure
  Employees: 172 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 26 (thou)
  Change: 18.0%
  U.S.
  Founded in 1971, the Seattle-based coffee giant has over 15,000 stores and more than 170,000 partners (employees) in 44 countries. Through Starbucks Entertainment and Hear Music, the company also distributes books, music and media. It is set to open around 2,000 stores this year.

• China Resources Ent
  Industry: Conglomerates
  Employees: 113 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 23 (thou)
  Change: 25.6%
  HK
  The Hong Kong-based organization focuses on the consumer businesses in both the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong, with core activities being retail, beverage, food processing and distribution, textile and investment property. The Company employs around 113,000 staff, of which more than 93% are working in the Chinese mainland.

• Tata Consultancy
  Industry: Software & services
  Employees: 86 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 23 (thou)
  Change: 36.2%
  IN
  The Indian information technology services, business solutions and outsourcing organization employs more than 108,000 IT consultants in 47 countries and had annual worldwide sales of $4.3 billion (for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2007).

• Honda Motor
  Industry: Consumer durables
  Employees: 167 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 22 (thou)
  Change: 15.5%
  JA
  The Japanese maker of motorcycles--the world's largest-- as well as automobiles and other power products was founded in 1948 and has around 180,000 employees, and some 500 subsidiaries, worldwide.

• Wipro
  Industry: Software & services
  Employees: 75 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 22 (thou)
  Change: 40.7%
  IN
  Wipro Technologies is a global services provider delivering technology-driven business solutions and says it is the world's largest independent research and development services provider. It has more than 72,000 employees operating 53 development centers worldwide.

• TNT
  Industry: Transportation
  Employees: 162 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 22 (thou)
  Change: 16.1%
  NE
  The mail and express delivery company operates in more than 200 countries and employs more than 161,500 people. Over 2007, TNT reported 11 billion euros in revenues and an operating income of 1,192 million euros. TNT is publicly listed on the Amsterdam stock exchange.

• BNP Paribas
  Industry: Banking
  Employees: 163 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 21 (thou)
  Change: 14.6%
  FR
  BNP Paribas is the world's sixth-largest bank. It operates in more than 85 countries and has 162,700 employees including 126,600 in Europe--19,900 of whom are in Italy and 64,100 in France and in the Overseas Departments; 15,000 in North America and 8,800 in Asia.

• Saint-Gobain
  Industry: Construction
  Employees: 2071 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 21 (thou)
  Change: 11.0%
  FR
  This French multinational corporation, with its headquarters in Paris, produces a range of construction, glass, packaging and high-performance materials. It employs about 200,000 people worldwide.

• Coca-Cola
  Industry: Food, drink & tobacco
  Employees: 91 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 20 (thou)
  Change: 27.5%
  U.S.
  The Atlanta-headquartered beverage company--the world's largest producer of non-alcoholic drinks--operates in more than 200 countries and employ 90,500 associates worldwide. In 2007, the company's net operating revenues grew 20% to $28.9 billion, and operating income grew 15% to $7.3 billion.

• Kroger
  Industry: Food markets
  Employees: 310 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 20 (thou)
  Change: 6.9%
  U.S.
  In the U.S., Kroger operates more than 2,500 grocery stores, nearly 800 convenience stores, 400-plus jewelry stores, nearly 500 supermarket fuel centers and 42 manufacturing facilities in 32 states; employing more than 290,000 associates.

• Toshiba
  Industry: Technology hardware & equip
  Employees: 191 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 19 (thou)
  Change: 10.9%
  JA
  The Toshiba Corporation is the world's ninth-largest integrated manufacturer of electric and electronic equipment, with some 161,000 employees worldwide and consolidated annual sales of over US$53 billion.

• Oracle
  Industry: Software & services
  Employees: 75 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 19 (thou)
  Change: 33.0%
  U.S.
  Larry Ellison started the technology company three decades ago and remains its CEO. His company now employs more than 50,000 people at offices in 145 countries.

• Veolia Environnement
  Industry: Utilities
  Employees: 2841 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 24
  Change: 9.2%
  FR
  The company specializes in outsourced management of water and wastewater services for local authorities, industrial and service sector clients. Veolia Water is also a world leader in the design, build and operation of facilities for water and wastewater systems using a wide variety of technologies. It employs around 300,000 people worldwide.

• Dell
  Industry: Technology hardware & equip
  Employees: 862 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 17 (thou)
  Change: 24.7%
  U.S.
  The Texas-based company manufactures and distributes computers and other technology products. It employs some 95,000 people worldwide. In 2007, the company opened stores in Budapest and Moscow.

• Flextronics Intl
  Industry: Technology hardware & equip
  Employees: 116 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 17 (thou)
  Change: 17.2%
  SI
  Headquartered in Singapore, Flextronics is a leading Electronics Manufacturing Services provider focused on delivering complete design, engineering and manufacturing services. It has production operations in more than 30 countries.

• PepsiCo
  Industry: Food, drink & tobacco
  Employees: 185 (thou)
  1-Year Incr.: 17 (thou)
  Change: 10.1%
  U.S.
  Even though some of its brand names are more than 100 years old, PepsiCo was founded in 1965 following the merger of Pepsi and Frito-Lay. Its products are available in more than 200 countries. The beverage and foodstuffs company employs more than 153,000 employees around the world.

Companies That Are Hiring

There is some good news. Companies that say they are hiring include:

• Wynn Resorts - With the construction of its new Las Vegas hotel, Encore, the company will hire about 5,500 new employees. They need everything from executive chefs to managers to card dealers. Wynn Resort's CEO, Steve Wynn, posted a video on his company's website encouraging people to apply, and there have been commercials about the hiring frenzy in the Last Vega area. If the application process is anything like Wynn's past hotels', the company expects to receive at least 50,000 applications.

• Infosys - The Bangalore, India-based tech firm plans to hire 31,000 new employees globally this fiscal year, a 35% increase in its workforce. (Compare that with the 22,567 new hires in 2007 and the 16,878 in 2006.) The company is hiring mostly IT personnel, and, to make it to the final round of interviews, applicants must take a logic test that can include analytical thinking, arithmetic, reasoning and written communication skills. Once hired, those brought on right after college go to a training center in Mysore, India, for a 14-week training program.

• Accenture - The international consulting, technology and outsourcing company plans to hire 60,000 new employees this fiscal year--that's a 34% increase in its staff. Those new hires are across the board, including positions in consulting, human resources and management. All new consultants go to one of three training centers (St. Charles, Ill., London and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) to learn how Accenture operates.

• Commerce Bank - (Now known as TD Commerce Bank since it was acquired by Toronto Dominion Bank)
  The bank hires between 6,000 and 7,000 new employees each year, adding 47% to its workforce. The hiring spree occurs mostly at the branch level because of turnover and the increasing number of bank branches. The company gets about 165,000 applicants for those jobs and whittles them down through a series of online questionnaires. Once hired, new employees are given a CD with important documents and forms that they can fill out at home so their first day isn't filled with bureaucracy. Most new hires spend their first day in an orientation that's filled with games meant to break the ice and introduce them to the company culture and their specific jobs.

For more information visit The Mega-Hirers

Time to Explore Your Options?

CitiGroup just announced 9,000 more layoffs, AT&T 4,600 layoffs, and Merrill Lynch 3,000 layoffs. It may be time to explore your options. It is better to be proactive than reactive. Network with people you know, they are your best sources for jobs.

Remember, even when employers are laying off, they are often still hiring.

Best Methods for Sending Resumes

I know I started this blog and didn't continue with it but I am now committed to making this a forum for exchanging information and enabling networking opportunities for visitors to my web site. You are invited to contribute to this blog and / or to join my network at linked in.com.

If you have secured a new position in the last year, what or who do you think has helped you the most and what is your current title?

As a job seeker, employer, or recruiter, what format do you prefer when sending or receiving resumes? I recently asked this question on linkedin and found that most respondents prefer word.doc files but some prefer PDF files. I am suggesting sending resumes as word.doc, pdf, and ASCII files. That way you cover all your bases.

• When you send a word document, files sometimes become corrupted and dates of words can be out of alignment.


• Nothing moves in a pdf file so the formatting will not change.


• If you place the ASCII file in the body of an e-mail, it will be read even if the employer doesn't open attachments. An ASCII file can also be used for copying and pasting on employer web sites.