HR Solutions: Internet, e-mail great sources for finding employment

Job security is leaving the vocabulary of workers because of Sept. 11, the economy and the resulting downsizings. Fortunately, three advancements in high technology ensure a job search for the passive and active job seeker is as smooth as possible.

First, personal digital assistants greatly aid in demonstrating the personality traits key to success, which include time management, punctuality, a goal orientation, and organizational and follow-up skills. The word-processing option makes the details of the positions and companies pursued easy to document.

The to-do list function is handy for creating goals and action plans. The appointment feature makes scheduling interviews and follow-up a snap. The alarm ensures you will never miss or be late for an engagement.

Second, utilization of your PC or laptop for searching on the Internet is a must. Think like a recruiter trying to fill a job opening.

Determine Web sites he will use for positing his position. Place your resume in databases he will access.

At a minimum, look into the top two sites, www.monster.com and www.hotjobs. com. Since the recruiter will be using keyword searches to discover your resume, if a keyword he might use is not in your resume, be sure to compose a sentence listing all potential keywords.

Target companies you believe will be ideal employers and review their company Web site to discover jobs available. Take advantage of online applications. E-mail the recruiter with any questions you have regarding job responsibilities, position requirements, company history and philosophy, tangible and intangible benefits offered, and advantages and disadvantages of the geographic area.

The majority of professional associations maintain a presence on the Internet. The Internet Public Library, at www.ipl.org lists thousands of Web sites with details on professional organizations.

Keyword searches to locate organizations remain available through the Associ-ations Database at www.trainingforum. com or the VCA Association Directory at www.vcanet.org.

College and alumni sites typically list job openings from enterprises within the same geographic area. Locate universities in cities of interest and use .edu as a suffix.

Usenet newsgroups began before the Internet as a means for large groups of people to exchange information. The Usenet is accessed through news readers, such as Internet Explorer.

The Usenet has some newsgroups that permit companies to post jobs for your review and candidates to post resumes. One newsgroup for resumes is misc.jobs.resumes. A newsgroup allowing job postings is misc.jobs .offered.entry.

Carefully read and follow the Frequently Asked Questions.

Third, although most organizations will remit payment for airfare and hotel accommodations for the first round of interviews, some do not. Before spending your hard-earned money, determine if the business will consider videoconferencing.

Both you and the corporation will be able to easily find facilities in your respective cities for a relatively low fee. Another option is the usage of camcorders at PC workstations, which is also inexpensive.

Advancements in high tech translate into easier, faster job searches in 2002. Be sure to take advantage of all the tools available.

(Lynne Haggerman is president/ owner of Haggerman & Associates, a retained search, outplacement, in-house management training and human resources consulting firm.)