Instead of pounding the pavement, you can surf the Internet to help find a job, via online help-wanted ads and resumes. To discuss the possibilities, Business Week's Sept. 29 guests were Bill Warren, president of the Online Career Center (which claims to be the largest recruitment site on the Net), and Edward Baig, Personal Business editor of BW and author of a Sept. 30 BW story on Net job-hunting.
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OnlineHost: Welcome to Business Week Online! Tonight we go job hunting with the help of the Internet (and AOL). BW wrote about how the Net can help a job seeker in the Sept. 30 issue, and the story's author, BW Personal Business Editor Ed Baig (BaigBW) is here with us, along with a special guest: Bill Warren (Online Ctr), president of the Online Career Center, the biggest recruitment site on the Net.
JackBW: Good evening to all of you on AOL. Welcome, Bill Warren of the Online Career Center. Hi, Ed Baig, my BW colleague. I'm Jack Dierdorff, consulting editor of BW Online, your moderator tonight.
Baigbw: Hello, all.
Online Ctr: Hello, everyone. Thanks for being here.
JackBW: Ed, since you wrote the story that featured Bill Warren and the Online Career Center, among other routes for using the Net to find a job, why don't you ask Bill the first question to get this started?
Baigbw: Thanks. Bill, I am curious what kinds of jobs are available via the Net. I understand it used to be technical types of positions, but that's changing?
Online Ctr: Yes, since AOL and CompuServe started providing access to the Net. We now have all types of jobs and job seekers.
JackBW: Olojunami asks this question, Bill.
Question: How do we go about finding employees on the Net?
Online Ctr: Online Career Center, Monster Board, and others have resume databases that you can search. You can also post jobs on these sites if your company is a member.
JackBW: PIPPDX has the next question, from Portland, Ore.
Question: As an employer, how much does it cost to recruit via the Net vs. traditional methods?
Online Ctr: All online services have different pricing schemes. I can tell you, though, that advertising on Online Career Center all year is cheaper than a one-weekend classified newspaper ad in a major newspaper.
JackBW: Here's another question involving Portland, from RR9168 in Long Beach, Calif.
Question: How do I find job listings in Portland, Ore.?
Online Ctr: Use keyword search or check "jobs by city" on OCC, Monster Board, CareerMosaic, CareerPath, or America's Job Bank.
Baigbw: There are other ways folks in one city can find a job in another. A service called CareerPath.com lists newspaper employment ads in 21 major newspapers around the country.
JackBW: Here's the next question.
Question: If I have a company and would like to find suitable employees on the Net, do you give guidance?
Online Ctr: Yes, we are glad to assist any company -- and we try to do it in a nonbiased way.
JackBW: Here's a detail.
Question: How long does an ad remain on the list?
Online Ctr: For 60 days, unless it is deleted by a company first.
JackBW: ROOPER has a similar question to one before. Same answer? Search by city?
Question: What is the best way to search for a job in another city? I'm in North Carolina and want a job in Dallas.
Online Ctr: All of your major online services that were listed before have searches by city.
JackBW: BobAB in Teaneck, N.J., wonders about measures of Net ad effectiveness for jobs.
Question: Bill, do you have any information on effective ads on your site are? What do you charge?
Online Ctr: $2,900 for unlimited advertising and unlimited access to resumes. Some companies have hired over 100 employees during the past year through OCC.
JackBW: BFDPM wonders about another way of focusing a search.
Question: How do I find openings in the visual display field?
Online Ctr: The keyword search function on any of the major online services should do this for you.
JackBW: Millisara in New York asks this one.
Question: Is there any advantage to using the Net as opposed to the newspaper ads to find a job, other than the variety in locations?
Online Ctr: Yes, the Net is faster and can cover a larger area. However, you should definitely use both.
JackBW: Ed Baig, do you have any comments on this, based on your reporting?
Baigbw: Yes. It's very easy to pull up a number of ads by searching for key words. It's easy to pull up jobs that way that might not otherwise show up by perusing the local paper.
JackBW: SRodrig185 in Shalimar, Fla., asks this question.
Question: Do you screen employers/employees in any way?
Online Ctr: No, we don't. You should think of us as online employment advertising, as opposed to serving any "headhunter" functions. We do not play a part in the selection process.
JackBW: MrBabyFace, also in Florida, has a very specific kind of interest.
Question: How do I find computer consulting contracts?
Online Ctr: Again, use the keyword search function -- OCC has a separate section for contract jobs.
JackBW: Ed has a follow-up question on screening.
Baigbw: Yes. Bill, how does your service (or others) handle security to protect a job seeker who doesn't want their current boss to know they are job hunting?
Online Ctr: OCC is just putting up a confidential resume section this week, which will allow applicants to place their resume online and control their own security issues. For instance, their name, address, phone, etc., will not be displayed, and they can state their current job and employer as they wish to have it displayed.
JackBW: PIPPDX has another question. The second part is particularly interesting.
Question: What are the guidelines for employers finding staff via the Internet? What type of businesses are having the best results?
Online Ctr: At this point, the Net is an unbelievable resource for technical personnel. However, this is changing very quickly, and we are seeing more and more occupations in all fields being advertised. In January, 1995, OCC had 96% "technical" jobs, and that number is now only a little over 60%.
JackBW: Ed has a follow-up.
Baigbw: Bill, what are you finding about the level of the jobs? More executives?
Online Ctr: Definitely more executives are now using the Net. Interestingly, the Net is also being used by more administrative, clerical, and blue- collar-type individuals. This is because more people have access to the Net -- other than just "techies."
JackBW: RJnes would like suggestions on a time-efficient search.
Question: What recomendations would you offer to minimize time spent when job searching on the Internet?
Online Ctr: Use the most established online services such as OCC, Monster Board, CareerMosaic, CareerPath, and America's Job Bank. They definitely have the most jobs, the best search engines, and are the best organized. When individuals are searching for a job, they should use specific skills to define what they are searching for.
Baigbw: Yes, I'd like to reiterate Bill's point. Use specific words in your electronic resume that an employer can use when he or she does a search for applicants. Resumes are scanned in and kept in employer databases for some time. Also, use plain ASCII text when putting together your resume to help the employer search. You can put fancy fonts and other multimedia bells and whistles on your personal home page, if you have one.
JackBW: Bill has more on this.
Online Ctr: Good point, Ed. We always advise people to use plain ASCII text and not to try to get too tricky using HTML resumes.
JackBW: STAMO in Tampa brings up a perennial question for job-seekers circulating resumes.
Question: What's the best way to get a possible employer to review your resume -- besides sending it to them, of course?
JackBW: Special ways for online?
Online Ctr: Follow Ed's advice regarding ASCII text, and try to respond exactly to the ad and to what the employer is asking for. Many people think that because they are communicating electronically, they have to get fancy and use a lot of HTML and other electronic tricks. Our advice is keep it simple and to the point.
JackBW: Incidentally, to find Net addresses for the services referred to tonight, you can look at the BW Online archives (Search & Download button, then Browse Issues by Date) for the Sept. 30 Personal Business section, to view Ed's story.
JackBW: LThomp96 has an immediate concern.
Question: I am a telecommunications major. I will be graduating in two semesters. How can I use the Internet to find a job in television?
Online Ctr: Use the major online services mentioned before. They all have jobs in television and other areas of entertainment and communications.
Baigbw: Yes. There are a couple of services on the Web that are aimed at those just starting out in the workplace. One is called JobWeb, and the other JobTrak.
JackBW: RealRandy, in the metropolitan New York area, also has an immediate concern.
Question: I'm in PR, and one of my clients (a well-known multinational company, opening a regional R&D center in the Northeast) is looking for over 200 top technical people. I'm about to start an online PR effort on their behalf. Any suggestions, aside from the obvious?
Online Ctr: Other than the obvious, I would certainly look at using the new employment service that Yahoo has recently announced (it's free). I would also look at America's JobBank, which is also free. Any place else on the Net that you can get your listings -- or links to your listing -- will help you increase your responses.
JackBW: Bill, from your perspective on the job market, do you have any advice for Ssskies?
Question: What job skills and in what areas of employment do you feel will be most desirable in a few years?
Online Ctr: I don't think anyone can go wrong by going into any area of communications, which would include the Internet and Web technology (assuming you have the aptitude and interest).
JackBW: A quickie from RusskiX.
Question: Where is the best place to put your E-mail address on a resume?
Online Ctr: I would suggest putting it right below your phone number. That is where employers are looking for information regarding where and how to contact you.
Baigbw: A quick follow-up: If you have a home page that you are proud of, put its URL on your resume as well.
Online Ctr: We always recommend that individuals submit ASCII resumes to the online services or to employers with links to their home page. That way, employers can handle the ASCII text within their internal systems and can still go to your HTML resume if they so desire.
JackBW: Bill, can we clarify something for the audience? On a service such as OCC, are there two types of areas -- help wanted from employers and resumes from would-be employees?
Online Ctr: Yes, most certainly. OCC, the Monster Board, and others have help-wanted ads from employers, and also resume databases where individuals can submit their resume at no charge, and those resumes can be searched (by keyword) by employers who contact the individuals directly.
JackBW: BRWNSUGR43 has the next question.
Question: Is there an easy way to narrow my search by the area that I want to work in?
Online Ctr: Yes, whether by area you meant location or occupation, there are some very good sites on the Internet where this can be easily sorted out by using the keyword search capability.
JackBW: LJHorstman in Michigan poses the next one.
Question: What about jobs in education -- or government?
Online Ctr: One of the best resources for jobs in education is the Chronicle of Higher Education Web site, and one of the best resources for government jobs is located on the JobWeb Web site.
JackBW: Blove1570 asks about a different level of work.
Question: What about small minimum-wage jobs?
Online Ctr: As the Internet becomes more "local" by having jobs by city, you will see more and more minimum-wage-type jobs as well as more and more clerical and administrative.
JackBW: Aksurf1 wonders about other countries.
Question: Can you help with jobs out of the U.S.?
Online Ctr: Yes. OCC, for instance, has jobs from around the world. Other sites that are also putting up international connections are CareerMosaic and the Monster Board.
JackBW: Now might be a good time for a quick how-to on using the OCC.
Question: How do we post our resumes?
JackBW: Also, Bill, what's your address?
Online Ctr: Send your resume via email to: occ-resumes@occ.com There are no charges, and your resume should be sent as part of the text of your E-mail message, not as an attachment to your message. Instructions for sending resumes can be accessed from the OCC homepage at: http://www.occ.com/
JackBW: And GonzoCE in Miami also needs your Web address, it seems.
Question: Where do I find the daily postings for jobs?
Online Ctr: You can do a keyword search of OCC's home page at: http://www.occ.com/
JackBW: Interesting slant here.
Question: Is the competition greater for jobs on the Net? Do most of them require a college degree?
Online Ctr: Not all jobs require a college degree. We are seeing more and more that do not require a degree. The competition is not necessarily greater, because many people are just learning how to use the Web for job hunting. If you know how to use the Web for job hunting, you can have a tremendous advantage over others during the next year or two.
Baigbw: Just to add to that point, I've talked to human resources managers at large companies that PREFER to receive resumes electronically. And, remember, by seeking a job in this manner, you are demonstrating to a potential employer at least some minimal understanding of personal computers. That can't hurt -- and may give you an edge over someone who searched in a more traditional manner.
JackBW: That's a good note on which to wind up this conference on using the Net to find a job. Thanks for being with us, Bill Warren of the Online Career Center. And thanks to you, too, Ed Baig of BW's Personal Business section.
Online Ctr: You're welcome. Thanks for inviting me, and thanks to everyone who attended.
Baigbw: My pleasure. Thanks to all for attending.
JackBW: Remember to look up Ed's story in the Sept. 30 issue. Transcripts of this and all BW Online conferences are available soon after the event. Look under Talk & Conferences of the BW Online opening screen. Thanks again, and goodnight to all.
Copyright 1996 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
