..
|
.. |
|
 
 
(About 1500) |
.. |
There's More Than Just the Hunt October 31, 1997 Want to join a new-ish online community and look for work at the same time? The site is made up of college students and alums from 17 colleges across the nation. Plus, people looking for new hires. Our Square does what we haven't seen too many sites do too well. It looks at a body's entire life and tries to provide a forum to suite each of the many roles that most of us fill on a daily basis. There's a sparse career section with a couple of recent job postings. James Marciano, founder of Our Square hopes more companies will join in. To prod them, there are chat areas where recruiters and hunters can talk to one another. And when you tire of the hunt, join in the community activities. You can look for roommates or local concert listings in the city board section. You can discuss relationships, health, sports, and art in the various forums. You can look for a pal, a friend, or a lover in the personals section. You can create your own space where you tell the community about yourself, your experience, your wants and needs. In other words, you can be yourself. You're not the only one looking for a job. Nor are you the only one looking for a community. Our Square has not yet taken off, but it just may. Since its debut in February, it's grown by 35% a month. No wonder. Most of us are so busy we no longer have time to feel part of the community in which we live. Yet many of us yearn for some kind of connection. And that's what Our Square is trying to deliver. As Steven Carlson, moderator of the Online-Europe email list says, "... to actually create such a community is a different job entirely. Community building is an art, not a science. " He cites Hagel and Armstrong, authors of Net.gain, as viewing the "the online community as a marketplace of ideas, products and services. Essentially, the vendors compete for the attention of their online community by offering value - in the form of info, advice, services, special offers and the like." Carlson further says that "the online community is going to revolutionize the way we do business. It will take time, but I think this is how the Internet is going to deliver its promises. In the meantime, we have a lot to learn." Perhaps some of the learning can be done in Our Square.
Audience is All
A press release crossed our monitor today. No surprise there; however, its contents do raise a few questions about what you need to know to set you apart from the madding crowds. The release reads as follows: In his new book "Growing Up Digital: the Rise of the Net Generation," (McGraw-Hill 1997) best-selling technology guru Don Tapscott says: "The Net-Generation is here. The baby boom has an echo and it's even louder than the original. Eighty million strong in the U.S. alone, they are combining their demographic muscle with digital mastery to transform every institution in society. They are the first generation to come of age in the digital age. They are an unprecedented force for change and they will dominate most of the 21st century." Tapscott argues that "There is no issue more important to parents, teachers, policy makers, marketers, business leaders, and social activists than understanding this new generation, their culture, psychology, values and what they intend to do with their digital expertise." Tapscott worked with 300 "N-Gen-ers" on the Net over a one-year period and combines survey research to show how the Ne(x)t Generation is changing learning, marketing, the family, the nature of the corporation and society." One of the questions that comes to mind is just how much digital savvy one will need to compete with this generation. Another question, perhaps a more important one, relates to your knowledge of whom it is you wish to work for. If it's for an N-Gen-er, or for a company that targets N-Gen-ers, do you know what you need to know to market yourself? Being able to sell yourself is one of the secrets of employability. One way to sell yourself is to demonstrate that your knowledge is essential to your future employer. With the trend toward customer orientation, your understanding of who the customer is and what they want will make you invaluable.
Get a Leg Up October 29, 1997 Almost one quarter of a million women belong to the National Association of Female Executives. That's a lot of networking that can be done. But, to those of you not blessed with being of the female persuasion, don't despair. The NAFE site offers something for everyone. And there's a good reason to visit. According to them, "A survey of more than 500 out of work job candidates currently in outplacement shows that while only 19% have logged onto the Internet in their job search, those who did found an average of more than 5 job leads each and secured on average more than one job interview each." That, by itself, should be enough reason to continue your hunt on the net. But, there's more. Not only might you find more and better leads, chances are you'll find out more of what you need to know, also. For instance, NAFE's resources page lists the standard job hunting sites (with really good summaries if you're new to this). But, it also includes business info, government contacts, and SBA sites. Hitting these can expand your options and help you look at hunting in a new light. You needn't necessarily work in the employee of another. Look at trends. Look at how the local economy impacts what goes on. See where what you are good at fits in.
No News Is Awful October 28, 1997 Eric Meyer, managing partner of NewsLink has added a wonderful touch to American Journalism Review's already useful site. A news-only search. So what, you say? With a few key strokes, you can find out the latest from 8 different news search engines. We did a simple search for employment trends through all 8 engines. Surprisingly not all that much was duplicated. Some engines spit back one or two listings and others gave hundreds. Those that gave hundreds, dug into their archives to do so. Some listed the title and summary only. Others gave title, summary, date, hour, and source. Needless to say, we preferred those sites. But we don't want to use just one. Doing that might cause us to miss the story that really matters to us. You needn't be a news hound to make use of these searches. But, you'll probably benefit if you do use the news-search. After all, employment is fluid today. Downsizing occurs even during the labor shortage. If you know what's needed and who needs it, you can be a step ahead. Try a search to see what's going on in your professional area. Try another to see what area of the country has most need for you. Do another to see check on new developments--find out how they'll affect what you do.
Not All Is Good October 27, 1997 Cascade International wants the software you've created. They'll buy, publish, and distribute what you have sweat to produce. Sound good? Look further. The site has been up since September. At least, that's the date of the one job they're looking to fill. And yet, the links page, situated boldly on each of the page's navigational bars, has no links. Makes us wonder a bit whether Cascade International shall enjoy much success. Not everything on the ‘net is good. Not all are professional. A simple look at Cascade can help prove that. Their contact page has three email addresses, a street address, and a fax number. No phone? Come on, now. What if we wanted to talk to a real person? How business-like is this? Most reasonably adept people will probably neither use their services nor buy from their site. Keep that in mind when you create a resume for the Web. Sure, you may not want to plaster your address and phone number on it, but make sure there's a clear way to contact you--at several points. Make it clear a phone conversation is an option. Consider listing your geographical area on your resumee--especially if you have no desire to move. Just as "regular" people won't frequent apparently "shoddy" businesses or Web sites, "company" people won't frequent resumes built in a similar fashion. Show yourself to be the professional you are.
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.
-----------------
If you know of a resource that we should review, please email Jean Collins All material on this site is © 1995, 1996, 1997 |
