Web Page Searches

In many countries, the standard "Resume" that we see in North America is not a part of the recruiting process. The CV takes its place. A CV is a document that attempts to describe the "whole person". CVs are surprisingly like personal web pages.

Many companies offer free web space as a part of their online business. As candidate volumes continue to decline, you may discover that these personal web pages are a candidate goldmine. A comprehensive list of companies that offer this service can always be found on Yahoo!'s Free Webspace page.

Before you run off to search through all 80 companies, take a look at these search engines. Tripod, GeoCities and America Online all offer extensive searching of their members "home pages". While the rest of the competition rehashes the same old resume databases, you can learn to navigate the world of web pages.

Besides essential background, professional interest and recreational insight, you can use personal web pages as a very solid means for "getting a feel" for the candidate.

When you execute a search on the NorthernLight engine, the results are categorized in topic folders. More often than not, one of the folders is a "Personal Pages" subset of the results of your query.

You might also want to look at The 100 Most Wired Colleges as a starting point for potential entry level candidates.

The Globe also offers free home pages. Claiming 600,000 members, the site has some potential as a recruiting search space. To look through the personal pages, you need to register. A quick look at their site map might help you decide about investing time in the site.