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It's All in Who You Know October 9, 1997 Lots of people say finding a job is easier if you have loads of contacts. For many of us, that's true. We may start out a bit isolated and displaced, but as we grow older we meet more people who might, just possibly, one day be able to put us in touch with a friend of a friend of someone who owns a business. But, who wants to wait that long? There's now an easier way. The ‘net can help. Look at the people with whom you exchange email. They may be far and wide, but you know them. That counts when you need to access every individual you know to help you find that elusive position. There are also professional mailing lists on the ‘net. That's where those with kindred minds if not spirits discuss matters of importance to their profession--well, at least sometimes that's what goes on in the lists. To find a list suited to your professional leanings, go to Liszt and search by keyword. You can also join a professional association. There's thousands of them--some local, others national, and many international. The advantage of being part of a professional association is two-fold. You can add it to your resume, which may help people see you as seriously committed to your field. But, it also enables you to attend meetings with other people who share somewhat the same professional interests as you do. Often, they may know of someone, somewhere, who is desperately in need of someone just like you. If you're not yet part of a professional association, try looking here:
Then, too. You can't expect to get something for nothing. Networking and making contacts is a process of information exchange. You've often got to give to get...
One Stop Shopping October 8, 1997 Need a new stomping ground for your job hunt? Try the site out of Clemson University. It's not really a site, but rather a page--a very slow-loading page at that. However, it pulls together in one space some of the best sources on the internet that aree related to the job hunt. In fact, you might find enough links at the site that, if you follow them all, you could become your own career expert. The pages starts, eventually, with a rather tedious and lengthy introduction to the contents and its creators. It then moves to a table which indicates there are nine different sections, ranging from what the creators call job search engines, to large corporations with job postings, to cost of living information. There's also a career resource section and internship and fellowship opportunities. What does make the page helpful is the rating and comment section for each of the links. Not all have been rated yet, but each has a concise, almost always positive comment associated with it. And while we may disagree with some of the comments, they have included some very helpful sites. So, approach it with lots of time and a bit of skepticism. Aside from the difficulty you might have in scrolling down such an extensive page, and aside from the fact that little in it seems alphabetized, it's nice to see a place that looks at so many aspects of the job hunt and tries to pull them together.
A Brief Look at Both Sides October 7, 1997 Career Source Magazine OnLine devotes itself to career improvement. Although its paper version is free in certain counties in California, its September/October issue is online for free. The job listing section is reasonable in that there are quite a few companies who have posted positions. The drawback is that it's a niche market -- definitely geared toward those who live (or want to live) in California. The most useful part of the magazine is its skimpy editorial section. There are only three sections, but they're worth reading because of who the magazine hopes to draw. Career Source wants to capture both the recruiters and the hunters. To that end, they offer bits of information and comment geared toward each group. So, although you won't need to spend long at the site, browsing through the editorial section might just help you get a clearer idea of how your needs as a hunter and the needs of the recruiter mesh together...
Upgrade Your Skills October 6, 1997 Think technology isn't for you? Think again. Inacom Corp. just finished the latest round of open houses intended to bring new blood to the reseller. They've attended 30 career fairs so far this year and have hired about 700 people. They want 1,00 - 1,500 more over the next year to year and a half. They're not alone. Everyone is scrambling for people with technical skills. Do you have any to offer? If not, perhaps it's time to consider gaining some. Ok. We're not absurd. We know you can't become a techie overnight. Nor can you learn to be a problem 2000 solver in a matter of weeks. You can, though, begin working on it. If you hate your job (or don't have one) and can afford the time, go find a computer science program at a local college. See what they have to offer and whether it's something you think you could do. If the thought of years of school doesn't cut it, check out a local community college and see what they offer in the way of Web design courses or HTML or Java for the next semester. Better yet, do it all online. ZDNet University lets you take all the computer courses you want, online, for $4.95 a month. According to their site, they offer courses in: Programming: Java, Visual Basic, C++, Visual C++, CGI No, you get no college credit. As far as we know, you don't even get a certificate of completion. What you might get, though, is a demonstrable skill that can improve your employability profile. And, the price is right. Online Courses and Lecture Notes is a site of links to course material and notes that exist on the Web. While much of it is specific to a particular course at a particular school, the material may be useful to others who are interested or who are taking similar courses. If you're interested in credit courses, or aren't sure that computer science is the way to go, look at the 400 courses offered online, compiled by the Electronic University Network. While distance learning isn't for everyone, it is a great way to add to your technical (or other) skill base and improve your competency with using the Internet.
-Jennifer Hicks More Resources
Many of the items are also included in the Tools Area. The Web's largest collection of Employment related resources is also included in the Tools Area.
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