The key to getting the top operation manager jobs is thorough research, good preparation and excellent presentation skills. First, you need a resource to provide you with comprehensive and current information on what is happening with the job market both within the job segment and across the country. This is not as hard as you have a very powerful tool to help you: the internet.
Using the internet to research and prepare for your job search does have its disadvantages but these are more than outweighed by the speed with which you are now able to access market information on special operation jobs or senior and director of operations jobs. Indeed, being able to highlight and compare the various vacancies on the market should be a simple task for anyone seriously interested in working within the operations sector.
Using a combination of resources will help you to gain a broader picture of what is happening with regards to opportunities and remuneration packages. Broadening your horizons will dramatically help you in finding an ideal position, pay scale and benefit package- which fluctuate widely across the country (as does the cost of living).
It will also help if you change your search criteria, if only very slightly – try this as an example, search the internet for ''operation specialist jobs'' and then compare it to a search for ''operation supervisor jobs'' – only a slight variation in your search terms will produce some very different results and provide you with different avenues to pursue.
You can, of course, use a portal service that acts as an accumulator or aggregator of information. Such a resource will take the bulk of the legwork out of the equation for you, but you must ensure that the portal is actually doing what it claims to be offering. Ensure the portal site is in fact collecting information on different vacancies from a variety of online and offline resources. A portal site that provides data on vacancies culled from other web sites is a great resource but the information also needs to be continuously refreshed as old vacancies are filled or job specifications are altered. In addition, the internet is not the only source of information on vacancies and the portal resource should also be employing researchers and information gatherers who are actively collecting vacancy data from traditional media sources.
Check a Site's Credibility and Testimonials
Check that there is a physical mailing address and landline telephone number available and if it is a toll-free phone, call it and see if you get a real person or answering service. One thing about the web is that people talk and news and discussion groups will readily and speedily give their comments and references regarding their personal experience of a site.
Are Fees Charged?
Many recruiting web sites do charge employers for using the web site but in practice this causes a website to only provide a restricted number of vacancies as employers may not decide to spend their budget with a particular web site. Sites which do not charge at all may be selling your resume on to other parties without your knowledge. Indeed, there are many operations which are simply harvesting resumes for sale or even for less reputable purposes.
Web sites which charge a fee to job seekers tend to provide the best service in terms of a comprehensive vacancy database (as employers can list for free and indeed may have their vacancies automatically listed if advertised elsewhere).
Resume Security and Resume Tools
As your resume contains a wealth of personal information about you, including social security numbers, dates of birth and address history, this is the identity thief's goldmine and honey pot rolled into one.
You must ensure that your resume is going to be secure and not distributed without your control and oversight on how it is to be used; remember once it is published on the web it is quite literally out there unless the web site owners implement and act upon proper controls and policies.
How you create your resume will in turn determine how much of a response you are likely to receive from potential employers. It is a case of different strokes for different folks as you should use multiple versions of your resume which are finely tweaked to highlight your skills and experience that a particular employer is looking for. Use a different resume for vacancies in banking than say, positions offered in construction or if an employer is looking for particular experience and skill set. Adapt your existing resume to enhance and highlight these matching attributes you possess so they do not have to wade through the rest of the document to find it.
