The Internet as a Job-Search Tool
BY PATRICIA L. RAUFER
When you consider that the Internet is a global network of networks linking individuals, companies, governments, organizations, and academic institutions, it is not surprising that it is a valuable job-search tool. Although the Internet can be considered simply the electronic version of what already happens in a job search, this format offers the benefits of immediacy, connection, and searchability.
Newsgroups and online forums offer networking contacts, while e-mail serves as the communication mechanism replacing phone, fax, and postal delivery. Electronic classified ads are similar to their print counterparts. However, finding them online is not random, and they're often linked to the website of the hiring company. As an information resource, the Internet offers a multitude of sources with search tools that allow job hunters to choose the way that they look for information. It's an incredible vehicle for researching an industry, for finding out about a specific company, for developing target lists, or for learning the buzzwords that should be emphasized in your résumé or in interviews.
The Internet may be an excellent tool to do a lot of good research and save quite a bit of networking time by providing great information. Job Meta-Lists
However, it does not provide the benefits of
personal contact and the valuable perspectives that one-on-one
information-gathering interviews provide.
The best place to get started is with a job-search Meta-List--a comprehensive guide that links Internet resources pertaining to job search so that they're accessible from one place. From that starting point, the job hunter can easily access newsgroups, online classified ads, job listings, career websites, company websites and the directories and indexes (called search engines), which in turn serve as Meta-Lists for other Internet resources. Although each job Meta-List has an extensive listing of resources, with all of the information on the Internet, it is impossible to offer a complete guide of all resources. The job Meta-Lists are linked to each other so the job hunter can easily choose a different Meta-List that offers other Internet career resources.
The following are excellent job-search Meta-Lists
with their Universal Resource Locators (URL's),
and the codes for accessing them:
Job Hunt http ://rescomp.stanford.edu/jobs
The Catapult http://www.wm.edu/catapult
Yahoo http://www.yahoo.com/Business/Employment
Newsgroups
Newsgroups on the Internet and chat rooms in online services offer lively discussion on a variety of topics. Newsgroups serve as bulletin boards in which members interested in a particular topic can post messages that are accessible by other Internet users with similar interests, who may then respond with a reply posting. This area can be a rich resource for networking and for getting answers to specific questions. So as not to ask obvious questions, be sure to read the group's FAQ (frequently asked questions) bulletin before posting. This will help avoid unwanted and often acerbic responses (called "flaming").
The area on the Internet that contains newsgroups is called USENET, which is the notation contained on Internet browsers. To choose a newsgroup, access the USENET area from your browser and select from the indicated areas of interest. There's a useful search engine called DejaNews (www.dejanews.com), which archives newsgroup postings and can be sorted by topic.
In addition to providing a networking forum and a means of finding out about the current thinking on issues pertinent to that group, there are newsgroups aimed specifically at job search in which the postings list specific job openings. CareerMosaic (www.careermosaic.com) has an extensive list of job-specific newsgroups. The list includes newsgroups targeting specific cities (nyc.jobs.offered or la.jobs for New York and Los Angeles), regions (ne.jobs for New England or ba.jobs for the Bay Area) or countries (can.jobs, ukjobs.offered, and us.jobs.offered for Canada, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.A. respectively). There are newsgroups for specific industry postings (bionet.jobs for biotechnology or bizjobs.offered for business positions) and many miscellaneous groups (misc.jobs.offered).
The following list of search engines is by no means complete,
but it does include enough to get started:
CommerceNET http://www.commerce.net
ElNet Galaxy http://www.einet.net
The Federal Web Locator http://www.law.vill.edu
Federal Information Exchange http://www.fie.com
Global Network Navigator http://nearnet.gnn.com
IOMA Business Page http://ioma.com/ioma
InfoSeek http://www2.infoseek.com
Lycos http://lycos.cs.cmu.edu
Open Market's Commercial Sites Index http://www.directory.net
US Patent and Trademark Office http://www.uspto.gov
The WWW Virtual Library http://www.w3.org
WebCrawler http://webcrawler.com
Yahoo http://www.yahoo.com
Electronic Classified Ads
The help wanted ads, which appear in newspapers, are also available on the Internet. CareerPath (www.careerpath.com) contains job listings from the Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, San José Mercury News and The Washington Post. Access the website and then register online to use this extensive database. For overseas assignments, access The International Herald Tribune (www.hodes.com/iht).
Job Listings
Job openings can also be found at a number of career sites on the World Wide Web. These postings are accessible using search criteria specified by the job hunter so that all openings that match the request are displayed. The job listings may be sorted by geography (country, region, state, city), company name, industry (e.g., banking), position (e.g., accountant), discipline (e.g., finance), or topic (e.g., bank loans).
Job listings provide information about specific positions and are often linked to the website of the hiring company, where you can get further details about the organization. While a certain job opening may not be appropriate, it may lead to information about other areas of the company, so also check out postings that intrigue you but aren't an exact match. Because new companies are being added daily to the career website, it pays to visit frequently. Check the postings regularly, since unlike print, they're not always archived and accessible at a later date once the posting has expired. If there's a posting that's of interest to you, download it to disk or print it out immediately, so you're not disappointed when you go back.
The following list indicates career sites that are not industry-specific:
Career Mosaic http://www.careermosaic.com
Human Resource Center http://human. resourcecenter. corn
Interactive Employment Network http://www.espan.com
Jobcenter http://www.jobcenter.com
Job Trak http://www.jobtrak.com
Jobweb http://www.jobweb.org
Monster Board http://www.monster. com
Online Career Center http://www.occ.com
Online Opportunities http://www.jobnet.com
Professionals Online http://www.prosonline.com
NCS Career Magazine http://www.careermag.com
Career Magazine http://www.careermag.com
CareerCity http://www.careercity.com
E-Span http://www.espan.com
Career.com http://www.career.com
The Five O'Clock Club http://www.5occ.com
Career Sites
The career sites are online versions of campus career-placement offices offering services to job searchers of all ages, income levels, and experience. In addition to job listings, these career sites provide counseling services, résumé posting areas, forums, company profiles, news articles, job fairs and information about associations and professional organizations. The job Meta.List provides access to career sites that cater to specific professions as well as those that take a more general approach.
Company Websites
Company websites contain marketing materials in the form of online brochures, annual reports, descriptions of the corporate culture, and job openings, often including employee testimonials or profiles. For a job search, this information is excellent for preparing for interviews. Most corporate websites contain an extensive library of press releases and white papers. These are extremely helpful in keeping up to date on the company and for finding contacts for targeted mailings and direct-mail campaigns.
Newswires are also available through the online services and provide press releases about new product introductions, new alliances, and other corporate events. They're often the source for the business press. Since the listings are searchable by topic and remain online for about two weeks, they're a good resource if you haven't had time to keep up with trade periodicals.
Directories / Indexes (Search Engines)
Even when you know the company name, it is not always possible to guess the universal resource locator (URL), that identifies the corporate website. To help you find it, there are a number of good search indexes that list the organizations and may include a brief description as well as a link to the website. It's impossible to keep up with the many websites that are added each day, so using these search tools alleviates that worry. The question now is how to keep up with the proliferation of search tools. That is almost impossible too. However, I've found that the special-interest magazines often list indexes that refer to their discipline. CFO lists websites dealing with finance, while Success has those with an entrepreneurial bent.
Would you tack up
your resume
on a public bulletin board?
Then why post it electronically?
Some suggestions
1) The Internet is a tool to supplement your job search. With the vast amount of information available online, it's easy to spend hours and hours of good job-search time scrolling through databases, accessing career centers, looking at job postings, or chatting in newsgroups. Be very careful that you do not spend too much time online. The Internet can be interesting, but it can also be somewhat addictive! It may seem like productive time because a few hours online can generate quite a number of leads and interesting contacts. The Internet may be an excellent tool to do a lot of good research and save quite a bit of networking time by providing great information. However, it does not provide the benefits of personal contact and valuable perspectives that one-on-one information-gathering interviews provide. Consider the Internet as simply another job-search tool to be added to your repertoire of Five O'Clock Club techniques.
2) Consider the value of the information you obtain online. The Internet contains a vast array of information, some of which is very helpful, some of which is just not worth your time sorting through. For instance, websites containing online brochures and press releases maintained by a company on your target list will be well worth a visit, while reading through lots of postings in a newsgroup may be a waste of time. Remember that on the Internet, everyone is a publisher, so be judicious not only about where you search but also about what you read and how seriously you take it.
3) Electronic methods are untested. Is job search the best place to be a pioneer?
Some job hunters have even created their multimedia resume, with extensive background information; it may include video clips or samples of work--all packaged to be transmitted electronically. This method may be appropriate for creative and technical positions because it demonstrates use and understanding of the technology. Job seekers who respond online to postings often send an electronic version of their print resume. However, just as New Media has not eliminated print, and e-mail is used differently from "snail mail," the electronic resume has not replaced the standard resume and cover letter. Using the electronic medium for communication offers the benefit of enabling you to respond quickly, but it is not necessarily the easiest method for the recipient. As with all the communications techniques in job search, choosing the right one is part of the process.
Many of the Internet career websites provide an area in which job hunters post their résumés for access by potential employers. However, access is not always limited to just employers. Therefore by posting your resume, you're providing personal information, employment history and credentials to people whom you don't know. Would you tack up your resume on a public bulletin board or hand it out to strangers simply because they asked for it? And how can you follow up effectively if you don't know who has looked at your credentials?
The Internet may be an excellent tool to do a lot of good research and save quite a bit of networking time by providing great information. However, it does not provide the benefits of personal contact and valuable perspectives that one-on-one information-gathering interviews provide.
The amount of information that the Internet offers is staggering. For a novice user, it can be overwhelming and frustrating. Even with great search engines to sort through the masses of material, there may be lots of sites that you'll want to visit. Finding specific information may be difficult, so sometimes other reference guides may offer a better alternative. The Internet provides lots of information for technical and scientific fields, but is not as robust for the arts. It's changing constantly. There are no hard-and-fast rules for making the Internet an effective tool for your search. These tips are just guidelines for getting started. Use them to enrich and expand your job search. You may even find that these newly developed "cyberskills" add another dimension to your resume and a whole new target of companies positioned for the future.
Patricia L. Raufer is a member of The Five O'Clock Club and president of Interactive Solutions in Delran, New Jersey, a consulting firm specializing in interactive marketing and electronic commerce.