Black Collegian Career Center

By now, you have certainly heard of the Internet, and have done at the very least some casual web surfing. Others frequently use the Internet, spending time in chat rooms socializing, surfing the Web sites to do research, and e-mailing family and friends. As you prepare to embark on your job hunt, it’s time to think of the Internet in another way in which it can be a valuable resource. You should realize that as you begin your job search process, the Internet can provide you with a tremendous advantage as a job-hunting tool.

According to Sam Hall, director of Career Services at Howard University, during the month of October, most students begin one of the most important processes of their lives – the job search. "The job search is the plan which you develop for finding that first key job." Choosing where and how to start your career is a major decision that should not be taken lightly. Thus, much time should be devoted to finding out what it is that you wish to do when you graduate (career/job position), where you wish to do it (location), and with what group of people (company). Ideally, you’d like to have as many opportunities available to you as possible. Using the Internet in your job search avails you to these opportunities. Hall believes that students who use the Internet will definitely have an advantage over those who don’t. Over the next year or two, his office has several new services coming out, and all of them involve the Internet. While there are numerous benefits to systematically planning and doing a traditional job search, it should be noted that there is a new job search model. It includes doing online job search activities, which complement your traditional job search efforts and maximize your results. By utilizing the net you can boost your chances of successfully landing your dream job.

The Internet is a valuable tool to be used along with your traditional job search because it:

1. Informs you on how to do an effective job search;
2. Allows you to easily research industries and employers so that you can make a well informed choice, and
3. Presents you with new ways to actually find jobs and connect with recruiters.

Let’s take a look at each of these in more detail.

Traditionally there have been a number of resources that job seekers have turned to, to understand what is involved in the job search process. In the past, students have used the career services offices, job search books, career magazines, and other library resources to arm themselves for the job hunt. Knowing that effective preparation is a valuable weapon, it is extremely important to understand and prepare for each step of the job search process/job hunt. Many students are taking advantage of the Internet’s resources to create opportunities for themselves. By becoming knowledgeable of the process, and how recruiters are using the net, they create in themselves a competitive advantage far and above their counterparts, who do not utilize this technology.

Are you not quite sure what to expect from your first interview? Do you want to give your best interview possible? Are you aware of what you should do after the interview? Then head online! The answers to these and many other questions can be found right there on the net. The preparation you may need is right there on the net. Says Leo Charette, director of the Career Development Center at Duke University, "Some students are naturals at the interview process, but others need assistance with improving their interviewing skills." While they still provide hardcopy handouts of effective interviewing tips and other effective job search topics, this information is now easily accessible through their web site.

In addition to using Career Service Office web sites to find information on every stage of the job search process, you can also do searches on the major search engines. By using search engines such as Yahoo, Lycos, and Excite, you can find information on particular topics, and you can also find major career-related sites such as THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Online and IMDIVERSITY.COM.

After finding out how to do a proper job search, you will need to make a decision on what industry to work in, what particular job position you would like to attain, and for which employer you would like to work. Making these decisions will help you find your dream job, as opposed to just finding somewhere to work. Ideally, students should look at growth industries when planning their career. Employers who are in the introduction or growth stage of the product life cycle are more attractive than those in the maturing or declining stage. However, those companies that have an innovative culture, and are flexible enough to make adjustments to remain competitive will always be attractive.

Historically students have had to spend time in the library looking through Dunn & Bradstreet, or Standard & Poor’s publications to find out information on various industries and the companies that they were interested in. Now this research can be done from the comfort of your own apartment or dormitory using your Internet connection. The net allows you to access a number of search engines, web sites, and other resources to do industry research, career research, and employer research. For instance, a simple visit to THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Online at http://www.black-collegian.com yields an abundance of information. There you can view their Industry Reports, Career Reports, and Employer Profiles. According to Kathy Dejoie, Internet editor for THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Online, "What makes this site so useful to students is it’s content. The students who are ready to go into the real world come for the career oriented articles. Our site is for a student on a different level - one who’s trying to improve him or herself."

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Online has "Industry Reports" on opportunities in a wide range of industries, such as financial services, electronics, hospitality, entertainment, etc. In addition, "Career Reports" highlight careers in accounting, computer science, education and other areas. Another interesting section of the site gives students organizational profiles of top employers such as Enterprise Rent-A-Car, The Aerospace Corporation, and Procter & Gamble. These are equal opportunity employers, who are actively recruiting African-American college students.

Job related web sites provide job seekers with new ways to find jobs and connect with recruiters. Job databases, resume databases, and personalized job search agents create huge efficiencies in the recruitment process. The first technology, searchable job databases, allows you the job seeker to be proactive and look for the job you want. For example, the IMDIVERSITY.COM web site at http://www.imdiversity.com has a job database that can be searched by using specific keywords (i.e. major, job title, or job industry), geographic location, or even employer name. If you are an accounting major and want to find jobs in your field, all you would have to do is type in the keyword "accounting" and then click on the search button. After a second or two a new screen of all of the jobs in the database that are related to accounting will be shown for your review. Companies such as IBM, Pharmacia Upjohn, and Litton promote their current job opportunities in this database.

Resume databases are another useful technology that give job seekers additional exposure to recruiters. Many recruiters search resume databases in order to find candidates for their openings. Using keywords, just like job databases do, recruiters can search on job qualifications, special skills, G.P.A., or any other type of criteria to find candidates that match their needs. What you want to do is maximize your exposure to recruiters. To make your resume fit numerous queries, you will need to supplement your resume with the keywords that a recruiter may search on. You can do this by looking through newspaper employment ads for words used when advertising the position you are interested in, or by supplementing your resume with industry buzz terms that are in line with your experiences or qualifications.

When posting your resume, be careful of formatting problems. If a database allows you to preview your resume before it is entered, make sure you do so thoroughly.

Since electronic resumes appear as ASCII text, if you copy and paste your resume, remove all formatting before you post it. Special fonts, tabs, and bold lettering oftentimes are not converted when resumes are copied and pasted, and can cause errors in your posted resume.

Personalized job agents take the legwork out of having to search job databases. By filling out a profile, your search agent scans the job database for jobs that match your parameters. When the agent finds jobs that match, it e-mails them to you for your review. This new feature notifies you of new jobs posted to the database that fit your profile and eliminates the need for you to return to check for new jobs.

Thus, it is evident that the Internet has changed job-hunting, and will continue to do so. While much of its current value in the job hunt is as a research tool, employers and job seekers will continue to find new recruitment applications of this technology. Make a commitment to taking advantage of the Internet, and turn this into your advantage. Harness the power of the net in your job hunt, so that you can successfully find your dream job. Good Luck!