Friday, April 13, 2007
The great online job hunt: navigate the Net to find the best career information
Megan Fong looked ahead to college, she hoped to find an internship or a summer job in the entertainment industry. She decided to look online. Fong noticed an ad on craigslist (www.craigslist.org), a Web site featuring job openings from cities around the country. ManiaTV!--a new Internet television network--was seeking on-air personalities. Fong responded immediately. The next thing she knew, she was called in for an audition. After several more auditions, she landed a job as one of the network's first CJs (cyberjockeys).
Now an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Denver, Fong hosts two music-video shows and a spoof of the online dating scene on ManiaTV! while carrying a full course load. "My job is amazing," she says. "I am getting hands-on experience, plus it's so much fun being in front of the camera and performing for others."
For Fong, using the Internet was the key to finding a great job. "You can find almost anything that you'd like to do online," she says. "And you can respond to a bunch of ads online in the time it takes to mail your resume to just a few places."
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Although not everyone's research will lead to such a high-profile gig, career information for any student is only a few mouse clicks away.
Maybe you'd like to learn more about careers worth pursuing in the future. Or perhaps you want to compare salaries and educational requirements for different fields or land a part-time job or an internship. "Many of the things you need to find and get a job are on the Internet these days," says Tim Driver, senior vice president of Salary.com. "You can search job postings, research companies, send in applications, and find out how much you should be paid."
Driver notes that the Internet offers particularly exciting possibilities for summer employment. "Teens are no longer confined to working the register at the supermarket down the street or slinging chowder at the local clam shack," he says. "You can now apply for a job at a national park in Montana from a computer in Boston."
* How do I get started?
The first step in finding career information online is to have a good idea of what you are looking for. Before using a search engine such as Google or Yahoo, take a few minutes to jot down notes on just what you're seeking.
"When using search engines, be very specific in your wording," says Brenda Fabian, director of the Center for Career Services at Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania. For example, if you are looking for a job, use specific terms in your research. "Don't just type in jobs," Fabian recommends. "Instead, enter retail jobs Philadelphia or summer resort employment. You'll have less information to sort through."
If you're interested in a specific employer, you can either type in the company's name followed by .com (if it is a for-profit company) or .org (if it is a nonprofit organization) or conduct a Web search using the company's name. To explore job opportunities with Kroger grocery stores, for example, you could guess that its URL is www.kroger.com (it is) or conduct a basic Web search with Kroger as the search term. Are you searching for general information about a career as an accountant? Key in accounting and career to begin your quest for information.
Many universities have career centers with useful links to career development sites. Those sites can be great starting points for research.
Although organizations' Web site designs vary, you'll find common elements. Most sites have sections titled Employment, Jobs, or Careers. Job listings and career information can sometimes be found in the About Us section on a company's or an association's home page.
* How do I know whether a site's information is reliable?
In navigating the online world, use caution. The Internet has a wealth of information, but not all of it is helpful or accurate. "Anyone can put just about anything on the Web, even completely false information," says Susan Cheng, a library director at DeVry University. "So be sure to evaluate sites carefully before relying on them."
Here are a few strategies you can use to evaluate a Web site.
Determine who is responsible for the site. Information provided by a business or a professional organization is generally more reliable than what you'll find on someone's personal Web site. Sites offered by government agencies (.gov), nonprofit associations (.org), and educational institutions (.edu) tend to be trustworthy. One useful government site is the Occupational Outlook Handbook, published annually by the U.S. Department of Labor (www.bls.gov/oco). It provides overviews of hundreds of occupations, including job roles, qualifications, and salary information.
Know the site's purpose. Many business sites (.com) are perfectly legitimate and provide valuable career information. However, a few may be more interested in trying to sell something (such as career development books or resume-writing services). So use the same care you would in evaluating any type of advertising. You should be able to find all the resources you need online for free.
Now an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Denver, Fong hosts two music-video shows and a spoof of the online dating scene on ManiaTV! while carrying a full course load. "My job is amazing," she says. "I am getting hands-on experience, plus it's so much fun being in front of the camera and performing for others."
For Fong, using the Internet was the key to finding a great job. "You can find almost anything that you'd like to do online," she says. "And you can respond to a bunch of ads online in the time it takes to mail your resume to just a few places."
Advertisement
Although not everyone's research will lead to such a high-profile gig, career information for any student is only a few mouse clicks away.
Maybe you'd like to learn more about careers worth pursuing in the future. Or perhaps you want to compare salaries and educational requirements for different fields or land a part-time job or an internship. "Many of the things you need to find and get a job are on the Internet these days," says Tim Driver, senior vice president of Salary.com. "You can search job postings, research companies, send in applications, and find out how much you should be paid."
Driver notes that the Internet offers particularly exciting possibilities for summer employment. "Teens are no longer confined to working the register at the supermarket down the street or slinging chowder at the local clam shack," he says. "You can now apply for a job at a national park in Montana from a computer in Boston."
* How do I get started?
The first step in finding career information online is to have a good idea of what you are looking for. Before using a search engine such as Google or Yahoo, take a few minutes to jot down notes on just what you're seeking.
"When using search engines, be very specific in your wording," says Brenda Fabian, director of the Center for Career Services at Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania. For example, if you are looking for a job, use specific terms in your research. "Don't just type in jobs," Fabian recommends. "Instead, enter retail jobs Philadelphia or summer resort employment. You'll have less information to sort through."
If you're interested in a specific employer, you can either type in the company's name followed by .com (if it is a for-profit company) or .org (if it is a nonprofit organization) or conduct a Web search using the company's name. To explore job opportunities with Kroger grocery stores, for example, you could guess that its URL is www.kroger.com (it is) or conduct a basic Web search with Kroger as the search term. Are you searching for general information about a career as an accountant? Key in accounting and career to begin your quest for information.
Many universities have career centers with useful links to career development sites. Those sites can be great starting points for research.
Although organizations' Web site designs vary, you'll find common elements. Most sites have sections titled Employment, Jobs, or Careers. Job listings and career information can sometimes be found in the About Us section on a company's or an association's home page.
* How do I know whether a site's information is reliable?
In navigating the online world, use caution. The Internet has a wealth of information, but not all of it is helpful or accurate. "Anyone can put just about anything on the Web, even completely false information," says Susan Cheng, a library director at DeVry University. "So be sure to evaluate sites carefully before relying on them."
Here are a few strategies you can use to evaluate a Web site.
Determine who is responsible for the site. Information provided by a business or a professional organization is generally more reliable than what you'll find on someone's personal Web site. Sites offered by government agencies (.gov), nonprofit associations (.org), and educational institutions (.edu) tend to be trustworthy. One useful government site is the Occupational Outlook Handbook, published annually by the U.S. Department of Labor (www.bls.gov/oco). It provides overviews of hundreds of occupations, including job roles, qualifications, and salary information.
Know the site's purpose. Many business sites (.com) are perfectly legitimate and provide valuable career information. However, a few may be more interested in trying to sell something (such as career development books or resume-writing services). So use the same care you would in evaluating any type of advertising. You should be able to find all the resources you need online for free.
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