"Informal" methods of job finding are those whereby the job seekers exercise their own initiative in building on personal contacts and making themselves known to potential employers. They are differentiated from "formal" methods, which rely on advertisements and/or employment agencies.

Granovetter's data also indicate that of the people who found jobs through personal contacts, 43.8% had new positions created for them.

Granovetter concludes: "Personal contacts are of paramount importance in connecting people with jobs. Better jobs are found through contacts, and the best jobs, the ones with the highest pay and prestige and affording the greatest satisfaction to those in them, are most apt to be filled in this way."

(Granovetter, Getting a Job: A Study of Contacts and Careers. Harvard University Press.)

These conclusions are broadly supported by a comprehensive study of 10.4 million people who had found jobs by the US Department of Labor (Bulletin # 1886).

We found these statistics at the Bernard Haldane & Associates site, which has some useful tips and advice despite being a blatant pitch for their services.

Typically, firms like Haldane and Princeton Masters International offer to "repackage" and "market" you within the "hidden job market".

Their services are little more than you can accomplish yourself - if you are able to retain some objectivity about yourself - at considerably less cost.

Casting the Net

February 24, 1998

Your search for a job will undoubtedly have the use of search engines as a means of locating openings.

Very often, however, a simple search will yield either an large, unwieldy number of references or a a disappointingly low number.

The trick is knowing how to use the advanced features of search engines to progressively refine your search until it yelds results that are meaningful for you.

Of course, the other side of the equation lies in posting your resume online. Recruiters, you can be assured, use search engines as a means of locating suitable candidates. So you need to ensure that your resume is within the top twenty or so in a search a recruiter is likely to make.

Both of these areas are covered exhaustively in an excellent article< /A> by Richard Seltzer at the Alta Vista site.

It's packed with useful, hands-on tips as to how to most effectively use Alta Vista to focus your job search as well as ensure that your details are at the forefront of a recruiter's search.

Definitely worth checking and clicking!

Temping

February 23, 1998

A few short years ago, taking a succession of temporary jobs through an agency ("temping") was looked down upon somewhat by those with "permanent" jobs.

The structural upheval the economy is currently undergoing has, alas, made virtually evey job "temporary" - from both sides of the equation.

There are a number of temporary agencies online - although not as many as we would have anticipated.

Catalina Resources specializes in permanent and temporary/contract employment in the areas of technical services, accounting, finance, healthcare and office support. They have offices in Atlanta and Tampa.

Contract Employment Weekly boasts that its database is updated every sixty minutes. You need to register for this agency which is broad based and has tips on resume writing.

"Temp" jobs differ from "contract" jobs, although there are superficial similarities. "Temps" are generally regarded as employees of the agency for which they work, while "contract" workers are usually regarded as freelancers, who are responsible fro their own tax and insurance.

Contract workers may find a useful resource at consultant Jeff Berner's site. Jeff writes extensively on working from home and his site is regularly updated with advice and resources.