There are many resources on the internet to find new jobs online but having worked within the IT industry I have to say that some of them arnt quite what they seem. Some job sites are very crafty, they keep old jobs (which have expired) on their database which are spiderable by search engines (which are then cached and appear in the search results) but they have actually expired or been filled. What is even worse is that other sites then scrape the old jobs off these sites and then re-distribute them on their own site compunding the problem. All this does is waste job seekers time and efforts and clogg up engines like Google and Yahoo with rubbish results. The reason that they do this is to keep high levels of content on their site hence increasing their chances of high page rankings. As a job seeker who was made redunadant (from the IT industry) I spent ages trawling sites carrying out a job search and quickly realised what was going on. Annoyed by the constant let down of applying for jobs that just didnt exist anymore and being told by recruiters that “the job was filled 6 months ago and we told the offending site to remove it” I thought, hey why not build a proper site, one that has lots of useful information and only real jobs on it. A site that caters for real people and not just traffic staistics? So that is what and although I know that it will  take a long time to establish itself I hope that I am going to make a real difference to job seekers lives in their hunt for new employment. I would really appreciate any feedback others can give me as to what they think of the site.

I am trying to build a “Job Profile” list and I need contributions from people regarding what they do in their job, what the salary is like, what qualifications they need what the holidays are like etc etc. I would like people to post details of what their job entails on this blog so that I can use them on my site. I am quite happy to use the content on an annonomous basis (or if you wish to supply your name as an author thats fine too) for all contributions. We cover all of the following areas:

• Accountancy Jobs,
• Sales Jobs,
• Cruise Ship Jobs,
• Graduate Jobs,
• Legal Jobs,
• Engineering Jobs, 
• Nursing Jobs,
• Catering Jobs,
• IT Jobs,
• General Job Search,
• Insurance Jobs

We also provide a great Career Resource section on

• Interview Questions,
• Interview Dress Code,
• Tough Interview Questions and other career advice.

If you dont wish to post your “Day In The Like Of A……” comments on here please email them to me at jobseekerscomments@mylocaljobsearch.co.uk.

I am also interested in people view and experiences of job hunting using recruitment and employment agencies as well as job boards. I want to compile a list of what users consider the top UK recruiters (based on usability and comments received). Please can you post names and a reason (or reasons why you think these recruiters are good to use).

Also I would welcome postings from anyone who has recently used a job site to look for new work as to how you have found their service – whether it be good, bad or indifferent.  As they say, name and shame!

In the meantime if you are looking for a new job online and want to stay safe in my opinion follow these simple rules:

Avoid sites (other than ones like Monster) that claim to have 100,000 plus jobs on them – you can guarantee most of them will be out of date;

You should never be asked to provide any financial information about yourself when applying for a job. Do not provide any bank account details, payment or any other personally sensitive financial information about yourself.

If you get a job offer out of the blue and have registered with a job site the chances are its bogus. Scammers subscribe to CV banks and then send out emails to all that have registered with the site and then try and extract personal info from you posing as a real employer.

Do not apply for any advertised jobs where the job involves the processing of money by wire services for a small fee. These are illegal tactics used by money launderers.

Do not pay any upfront fees to any advertiser for services such as CV reviews, training or admin costs If you see any job position advertised on our site that you think is suspicious then please contact us quoting the job reference number so that we may investigate the matter further.

Avoid work from home schemes like the plague. They arnt all scams but the vast majority are.

Interview Questions: Good Questions To Ask:

Why has this position become available?
What do you like about working for this company?
How many people have held this job position in the last three years?
Are there any plans for expansion or cutbacks in staff?
Is there opportunity for career progression and promotion within the company?
What kind of staff turnover does the company have?
What is the company’s attitude towards additional training and professional advancement?
When can I expect to hear from you?

If you do get an interview here are some do’s and dont’s to consider when you attend:

Do’s:

• Try and keep your hands still (ideally placed in your lap to avoid fidgeting);
• Listen carefully to any questions that you are asked before giving your answer (and think about the answer before you give it);
• Try and keep eye contact with the person asking you the questions;
• Keep smiling and calm;
• Be honest with your answers;
• Try not to waffle on or go off subject.

Equally there are certain things it’s not a good idea to do or say when you are being interviewed so try and avoid the following:

Don’t:

• Fidget or rock backwards and forwards on your seat, play with your jewellery or mess with your hair;
• Interrupt your interviewer in the middle of a question (its discourteous. It doesn’t matter how much you want to but in so keep quiet);
• Give “Yes” or “No” answers, always try and expand on the question;
• Cross your arms;
• Smoke, even if you are offered a cigarette by your employer;
• Chew gum or suck sweets;
• Be rude or offensive about your previous employer or work colleagues;
• Ask about your salary, bonus, company car or holidays (unless your interviewer asks about your current salary;
• Make comments about your political views or religious beliefs (not everyone shares the same idea about politics or religion);
• Tell lies (you will nearly always get caught out – an honest answer will be far more respected than a dishonest one);
• Be polite and respectful at all times and to all members of staff.

We offer an indepth view of this subject as well as job search at the site so please feel free to visit us. All comments are welcome.

A couple of other good sites to visit are:

Driving Jobs

Construction Jobs 

Graduate Jobs