Free Training

November 27, 1997

Are you currently employed in the information technology industry? Do you have a minimum of one year of experience with Windows NT 3.x or 4.x or NetWare 4.x? Are you willing to relocate? If so, read on.

Wave Technologies International wants you. They're a recruiting company with a twist.

Sure, their goal is to make money by placing job hunters into positions with companies around the nation. In fact, right now they need 200 people. But, they give you something first--before they place you in that golden position.

They'll provide you with certification courses at a fraction of the real cost. Candidates accepted into their program have a year to complete their certification course but pay only for certification testing. This can mean a savings of thousands of dollars.

Certification course cost can run up to $8,000. But, if you're accepted into Wave, you only pay for the testing which runs between $165 to $600.

How can they do this?

They've made alliances. They know just how desperately companies need trained IT workers. They've made deals with those same companies. In order for them to obtain the best and the brightest, the companies hire Wave to recruit them and see to their certification. Once a person is placed, the company reimburses Wave for the certification costs.

Interested?

Check out their site. They're holding recruiting fairs at their training centers in Reston, VA, on 12/4; San Jose, CA on 12/11; and Dallas, TX on 12/15.

If you can't do that, then just wait a little while; they expect to go online with their courses in the near future.

Newsletters

November 26, 1997

Ever thought of hanging out with the eucalyptus trees and the koala bears?

Want to explore the outback and the gorgeous coasts?

Before you start, consider taking part in the power of push technology. Subscribe to the Career Koala email newsletter focusing on Australia. It offers employment news and trends, career tips, and resources.

If Australia's not your bag, look into similar newsletters. There are some for just about every corner of the globe and just about every career imaginable.

Go to Lizst and do a keyword search by either country, career, or whatever you're looking for.

Or, if you've been-there-done-that, try out Design Resource's categorized, easy to understand, navigable site that lists plenty of newsletters by category.

If it's a true newsletter, it won't arrive daily. Your mailbox won't get stuffed. You'll still pick up some information you're looking for, and ...

You'll still collect names that could become contacts that could become prospects that could become employers.

Know Before You Go

November 25, 1997

If you're considering college, check their career office before you sign up.

Understanding who recruits on campus before you need a job can pay off. For instance, students in the UK interested in the resurgence of MBAs check out who recruits on campus and talk to faculty before they sign up.

You can do the same. It doesn't matter where you intend to go; check it out first. Most colleges, many schools, and loads of universities have their own Web sites. Many of those sites have career offices online, too.

Do a search in Alta Vista for "career" +.edu. You'll get a mere 142,000 results--each pointing toward a career or placement office at an educational institution.

If 142,000 results are too many, narrow it down. Look for "placement office" +.edu. That narrows it to about 10,000.

You can also, of course, look specifically by the schools you're interested in.

In any event, if you know the track record of the placement office, the names of the companies that return each year to grab the best and the brightest, you'll know ahead of time whether you're going to easily get what you want.

An Online Real Fable

November 24, 1997

Commonly called letter-writing. Or commending one for a job well-done. Or simply making contact.

There are gazillions of Web sites, each designed by an individual or a team. Each conveys something.

Some sites convey the creator's ignorance or intolerable bias. Others convey a sense of the person, her likes and dislikes, her goals and dreams. And many convey a sense of passion--passion about that which interests the creator.

Have you considered writing to these people?

Not all Web presences are huge conglomerations. Many are small businesses--some of whom will fail and others of whom will rise and succeed.

When those small businesses begin to cross the threshold from surviving to thriving, they'll need additional hands and minds. If their sole presence is an online one, where will they get their people?

A short while ago, a friend of ours started a service operation and put it online--partially as a way to learn HTML and partially as a marketing research endeavor to see if there was any interest. There wass.

As time passed and more clients called, our friend was at a loss. There was simply too much work for one person to handle. Although this may be a dream to some, it created a hardship in that our friend had no clue where to find people who were willing to contract out their abilities.

Enter email.

That very same day an email appeared from someone who shared our friend's last name. He'd been looking for himself on the Web and found this little business instead. He wrote to the email address on the Web site and commented on the coincidence of names. He also wondered if the small company had a need for contractors....

He was hired.

Since then, others have taken the step and written, too. Some have been hired, some not.

But, none of the ones who didn't write were ever even considered.

-Jennifer Hicks