With a small investment in time and money, you could be well on your way to building an exciting career in this dynamic field.

We think that operations like Manpower's Free Certification Program are likely to be more successful.

While we're generally in awe of Microsoft's recruiting prowess, the Skills 2000 approach seems misguided. The cream of the crop of career changers are generally being offered training at full pay to make the switch to Information Technology. With a bit of focus, Gates and Co. could become a major force in the employment marketplace. This venture seems more like an attempt to jumpstart the revenues of the training division.

But, if they're going to enter the commercial recruiting market, this would be a typical first step.

Exploding Recruiters

Some of the reasons behind the explosion in use include:

• Huge, less limited audience
• A well-qualified, more targeted audience
• Ability to seek out qualified applicants
• Ability to monitor and modify job listings
• Cost- and time-effectiveness

Yet as websites proliferate, finding the information you need and having prospects find and use you becomes more difficult.

Forrester has advice:
"Companies must move beyond today's dead, marketing collateral-based Web sites. In their place, a new era of site design that delivers intelligent interactions will emerge. This next round of Internet innovation will provide a more compelling consumer experience by combining rich content, active intelligence, and collaborative communications."

For a sterling example, look at the Society for Human Resource Management site. Granted, not everyone has access to the resources that allow a site to be as prolific and detailed, but we could all learn some lessons.

It's a site that's easy to navigate, loads quickly, has "rich content, active intelligence, and collaborative communications". There's information on professional issues, articles of professional interest, job boards, white papers, and governmental updates. There's also a place to talk. Clearly, it's a site that people keep coming back to.

On the other hand, there is May and Associates who recruit for the medical and pharmaceutical firms. Their site lists job openings. That's it.

Then there's Halbrecht & Co., who've been in business since 1957, but we wonder if they'll survive on the 'net. The page loads very slowly. In a concession to content though, they do offer a brief job hunting tip of the month.

Cool Works provides a terrifically organized listing of thousands of jobs. And, each category has a link to an address which provides more information about the particular industry. But, that's it for interactivity and information.

Dream Jobs offers some difference. Graphically rich and still quick loading, it offers a job site and a searchable index of company backgrounds. It's also part of Wired, so there are easy links to chat, news, and information, thus gaining double use out of the content on their main pages.

But for the most part, it doesn't seem to matter whether the site is part of a large organization or a small firm. Interactivity and content are missing all too often.

But what about Nick Corcodilos' site at The Motley Fool? It's full of infomative links, recruiting and job hunting articles. There's even a well used message board. Clearly, he understands what Forrester suggests and what SHRM does so well.

So, perhaps it's not a firm's size that matters. Perhaps it whether they understand how and why people use the 'net.

Wow! Street Journal

• Who's Hiring
• Career News (which carries potent content from the print Wall Street Journal)
• Advanced searching of the jobs database

This seems like a better direction than massive bulk posting around the web.

At a time when the future of job postings as a recruiting tool is in question, the WSJ Career Site successfully stakes out a positive move forward.

Subscription Site Notes

We offer a free one year subscription to this newsletter as a part of our two day seminar series. The retail price for a one year subscription is $395. Between now and November 30, you can purchase a one year subscription for the introductory price of $295. Simply call our offices at (800) 358-2278 with a Visa or Mastercard. More details about this service are available in last week's archives. Flypaper 101

Richard Seltzer refers to this as the "flypaper" technique--a rather apt term.

There are millions of people on the web. You only need to find a few. All you need to do to find them is use some flypaper.

There's a great deal of current discussion on the Internet about the concept of community. Some say it's not something you can create; others disagree. Who's right doesn't matter. Most people who use the 'net do so to find stuff that interests them. That's what matters.

So, put up a page that highlights that stuff.

Let's say you need a programmer--preferably one with lots of languages and at least a few years of experience. What do you think she'll be interested in? What do you think she'll search for next time she has a few spare moments?

Competent programmers keep up on news related to their profession, sure. But more than that, there are additional interests. Use those, too. If the firm you're hunting for is heavily into social activism, chances are their programmers will need to be also. Find out about what's going on in that arena. Build a site that talks about programmers' contributions to activism. Or maybe the company is located in Chicago, land of architectural wonder. Maybe the programmer you're looking for is a wannabe architect. So, talk about the wonders of the cityscape.

If you've no clue what your prospects are interested in, think of what you're interested in. Build a page that deals with that. People will come because they'll do a search (for what they're interested in), find your stuff, and there they are.

Have a guestbook. Invite feedback. Make sure your email address is prominent. If they're really interested, they'll write. You'll build a community. Will all have the skills you need if you adopt this approach. No. Might some? Yes.

The internet connects people--from across the hall and across the world. By nature, we are social beings. It matters not that the Internet undergoes amazing technological accomplishments on an almost daily basis. It does matter that we can find others who share our interests, our concerns, our passions. For with them, we can build a community.

So build away. Forge a path. Create a virtual community where people will flock to you--like flies to the spider web.

Exploring Explorer

So, you're one of the 30% of the people on the 'net who use Microsoft's Internet Explorer? You can still customize it to work the way you want it to.

Change your default page. Do you really need to start with microsoft.com and learn all about their products and winning ways?

• Click View on the menu bar.
• Click Options.
• Click the Navigation Tab.
• Select Start Page
• Enter the URL you want to start with.
• Click OK

Can't read all the tiny text? Change the font size.

• Click View on the menu bar.
• Select the Font Menu
• Select the Large or Larger selection.
• Clicking the Font button makes IE cycle through five different font sizes to find the one you want.

Are the toolbars getting in the way of what you see? Change them to make your screen larger.

• If you have version 3.0 or higher, you can click and hold the divider between the toolbars and the viewing window. Then drag it back up to the top of the screen to shrink them.
• Or, Maximize the window. Click the Maximize Icon in the upper right window frame.

You don't need to wait aimlessly for a graphics heavy page to load. You can visit another page in the meantime.

• In the File Menu, click on New Window.
• Instead, you could right-click a Shortcut or link and select Open In New Window.

Spend time learning, not looking. Use Find.

• Go to Edit Menu.
• Click on Find.
• Type in what you're looking for.

Of course, you can do more, too. Go through the toolbars and see what each menu does. Change as you see fit. You can always change it back later. Once you've mastered it, try a different browser.

Recruiting Online:
Options and Search Techniques

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See a detailed index of our past issues

	October 19, 1997 Big Enough? An Alternative Subscription Site Letters Browser Tips
October 12, 1997 Places To Post Job Resource BYO Network Leveling The Field Resources	October 05, 1997 Hot Bot Redux IE Nightmare Job Posting Engine English 101 MRI
September 28, 1997 Phones What's It All Mean? Ugly: Only Skin Deep Critical Mass Why Learn HTML?	September 21, 1997 What's New Will They Stay? Another Look At Chat Inbound Links Collecting Email Addresses
September 14, 1997 Meet On The Web Will They Stay? Pre-Employment Screening Bits 'N Pieces Requiem	September 07, 1997 Individual Branding Older Workers Arise Toolbox Refill New and Improved Design TV and The Web
August 31, 1997 HR and Recruiting Software Breaking News Does Email Work? More Search Tips Alliances	August 24, 1997 Alternate Future Staffing Page NorthernLight Tidbits Search Tips
August 17, 1997 MRI Berkeley Bits & Pieces Links Are Relationships You Are Your Links Here It Comes	August 10, 1997 WSJ Careers Desktop Search Tool Immigration Notes Computemp Job Fair ESpan Again
More Archives The past 32 months of the Electronic Recruiting News	More Archives

"Recruiter's Resolutions For 2003:

1. Finally, clear the resumes off my desk
2. Take a speed-reading course to get through resumes faster
3. Find three new places to source good people
4. Lower cost-per -hire (make that, determine cost-per-hire...then lower it!)
5. Find a talent Management system to help with all of the above.

We know what you're up against. And we've got the answer.

Hodes iQ, brought to you by Bernard Hodes Group. From adopting our talent management system or enhancing your own system to providing new sourcing strategies on the web, we have proven solutions to make your recruiting enterprise better. Find out how Hodes iQ and Hodes iQPost can help you in the new year and beyond.

Put Hodes iQ to the test.

Call 888.438.9911 or visit http://www.hodesiq.com today.

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