What is the number one question that I get from job seekers? Is it how do I nail an interview, how do I differentiate myself from other job seekers, or how do I access the hiring decision maker within the organization?
No, it is not that exciting. The most common question that I receive from job seekers is how do I login to the company's career site? I have misplaced my username/password.
I felt that I should go over this concept due to the high frequency of job seekers that ask this question. Some of you may be very technically savvy so the information this week might not be relevant to you.
Creating and remembering which combination of username and password to use with a particular site or application can be very difficult. Often, there are security settings that will lock the account after too many failed attempts and force you to call for support to unlock your account or wait some specified period of time before you can try to log in again.
* Forget Username or Password Functionality - Almost all career sites and internet sites in general have this capability. The forget password functionality can come in 2 flavors: security question or email confirmation.
Security Question - The security question will provide you with a question that you entered when you created the account. You will be responsible for typing in an exact matching answer. I did state exact, it will only accept an exact matching answer.
eMail confirmation - The email confirmation will send you a link to the email address that you registered with and you will be requested to click on the email link to change your password. Sometimes these email confirmations go into your Spam folder so make sure you check this email folder if you do not see it in your Inbox.
* Memory Assistance - If you are the type of individual that has a hard time remembering their Username or Password write it down on a sticky note and hide it in your office. If you want to go with a more secure approach try one of the following secure password sites:Roboform, Password Safe.
* Locked Account - Your account can be locked after several unsuccessful attempts. The employer decides how much time a locked account is inaccessible. Most employers configure the system to unlock itself after around 15 minutes.
Remember that your profile information will remain in the employer career site long after you applied. You could be contacted from this employer, in the future, if they find you suitable for another position. When this occurs, they will ask you to come back to their career site to officially apply on their site so you will need to remember your username and password.
And if all else fails, use my secure naming convention: Username = Username and Password = Password. I rarely forget this and no I am not going to tell you who I bank with.
Best Wishes,
Doug Smith
Director of Product Management, Talent Exchange
The Taleo Talent Exchange is a candidate talent community from around the world connected through the Taleo talent network. Millions of candidates can easily share their Universal Profiles (UP) with prospective employers. Thousands of employers can invite millions of candidates to join Talent Exchange and can publish and promote millions of new jobs posted on Taleo.
