Online Recruitment

Online Recruitment as the Door to an Online Career

Obviously we have all heard of headhunters. Online recruitment is pretty much another term for headhunters. At least for me, they are similar. But what does online recruitment have to do with you and getting a job that you can do at home, or even an online career? Well, in this day and age of massive internet (lets face it, the internet is in our face every day!), job hunting and applying has become an online experience in many ways.

Go to any site like Monster or Craigslist and the job offers are there. You can search for jobs, apply for jobs, submit your resume. You can do it all online. This also means that there are online recruitment reps looking for potential candidates on the internet too. They are LOOKING for YOU. Now that takes a lot of work out of job searching when there are online recruiters out there looking for employees that are qualified for the jobs they are trying to get filled.

Not only that – online recruitment offers incentives for these reps. They make a commission (and a nice one at that) for filling employers openings. So not only are recruiters looking for you – they are getting paid to get you placed if you have all the qualifications the job requires.

So how can online recruitment play a part in your search for an online career or an at home job? Well, many jobs these days can be done online. Telecommuting is far from a fantasy anymore. Last research I did on telecommuting, there were over 2.8 million people in the United States alone that called their primary work place HOME. And this did not include the self-employed. I also remember reading that anywhere from 20  to 30 million people work at least one day a week or more from home. The number only increases every year as employers realize that hiring telecommuters not only makes sense for the employee – but also for them as the employers. It’s cost effective for the employer in many ways and the telecommuting employee is happier too.

With almost every home having internet access capabilities now and a decent laptop costing $400 or less – many programmers, writers, proofreaders, data entry operators and SEO techs not only work from home, but can actually do their jobs from anywhere in the world. And that’s just a tiny list of potential online careers.

There are many more careers to be had – and some don’t even require a lot of training or degrees.

Types of Online Careers

1. Web developer
2. Blog writer
3. Graphic artist
4. Article or content writers
5. Social media experts
6. Virtual assistant
7. Transcription
8. Medical billing and coding
9. Ghostwriter
10. Phone app developer
11. Video blogger
12. Customer service rep
13. Online help hotline
14. Paralegal
15. Researcher

There are even many online recruitment offices that deal exclusively with high paying, corporate executive and senior positions. Of course – that wouldn’t be for me. I’m not qualified for that – nor interested.

There are so many options. Getting in touch with a headhunter or online recruitment agency is a smart move if you’re wanting to find something you can do from home and have experience or a degree in a highly sought after position. If you have exactly what the employer is looking for and they are interested in you and begin wooing you – make one of your demands the option to telecommute if you can indeed perform the job in it’s entirety from your home or at least 90% of it, with maybe traveling to corporate or the home office a few times a year.

Actually – one of the coolest jobs you can get and do from home is in the online recruitment field. Being an online recruiter can be fun and exciting. And you can pick a specific field. Maybe you want to recruit for manufacturing positions, or engineering, legal, finance. There are many specific recruiter categories. That way you can train and select something the fits your comfort zone or knowledge base.

There are training programs for becoming an online recruiter too. I came across several when I just did a brief search. Some of these courses can be taken right from you home or even designed to train you to be a recruiter FROM your home and start your own staffing business. Even better! Your own online career in the online recruitment field! Helping others land a dream job would be very rewarding. And you get a commission for it to boot!

There are many online recruitment companies out there if you are interested in finding a headhunter than can match you to a job that suits your needs, interests and qualifications. There is an online recruiters directory you can look over and a Headhunters Directory too.

Approaching Online Recruitment

I would not even consider approaching an online recruiter unless I new specifically what companies I was hoping to work for and that I met the qualifications for the jobs they were hiring for or the position I was hoping to get. You can’t just call a recruiter and say…”Hey – find me a job.” Well, ok, you technically could do that – but it’s better to be prepared. That makes you look not only all the better to the recruiter – but it makes them want to place you even more. Building  a rapport with your recruiter is important. Letting them know candidly what you are and aren’t willing to do is key from the get go. You don’t want to feel pressure being pushed into a job you don’t really want and they don’t want to be surprised when you don’t want to be pushed.

Making sure you have a very current, very professional resume is important. This is YOU on paper. This is what the recruiter and the employer “see” when they take first look at you. You want to make sure you stand out from the start. Working with a professional resume writer is suggested. Many are skilled at writing resumes just for online recruitment type situations. It can cost upwards of $400 for a really good resume to be writer, but it’s worth every penny if you land the job you want. And better yet – a job that allows you the online career that is home based.

Online Recruitment for Moms

On a special note for moms that really want to stay in the workforce, but work at home. Having a baby does not make you stupid, thank you very much. I have two kids myself. There is every bit of a chance that we can be hired with the help of a headhunter like anyone else. If you fear that being a “mom” hurts your chances – don’t. Women are extraordinary multi-taskers and instinctively creative. We give 110% and do so with compassion and heart most of the time. All this with a baby on our lap or toddlers at our feet.

That being said – having an at home career with kids around can be a challenge. Make sure you address these challenges COMPLETELY before going after the online career of your dreams. Kids are awesome – but they are also, noisy and needy. You have to make sure you have the quiet time and space to do your JOB. It might even mean hiring a part time nanny or working out a shared play group schedule with other moms near you.

If you have parents or in-laws around, this can help as well with caring for children when they are sick or those times when you might have to travel to the corporate office which is typical a few times a year when you spend the majority of your job telecommuting.

Don’t Be Afraid to Get OUT There

It can seem scary to throw yourself out there and put your career in someone else’s hands. But finding the right online recruiter and being open with them is the right step. Being specific about what you’re looking for and the absolute MUSTS that a job needs to offer will go a long way to helping you and the recruiter.

Research the companies well that you want to work for. Know what they are about and how you can be an asset to them. By understanding the company and showing interest in what they do – you’re not only sincere in your venture to work for them – but they too will find your knowledge professional and genuine.