By Heather Stone, President of
myjobsearch.com
Melissa Call has never had a job that did not involve the Internet.
At just 24 years old, she is already an expert at conducting business through her keyboard and utilizing the global reach of the Internet to expand her opportunities. Melissa has hung her cyber-shingle since 1995 as a graphic artist.
Melissa got her start with a computer given to her as a high school graduation present. An online veteran of several years previously on the family computer, Melissa struck out on her own online by operating a "web ring" dedicated to holiday web graphic design. Her own amateur efforts at graphic design turned into a professional passion. She invested in books and frequented online forums for graphic artists.
As her expertise grew, so did the circle of influence she had online. Soon others entering the field with similar passions were seeking her out. Others began to buy her services as she spread her craft to linked web sites. Today she operates her own business part time and supports herself and her son through employment she has secured through her online contacts. She has more work than she can handle and she does not foresee ever holding a job that includes a traditional offline position.
We Are All Connected
Stories like Melissa's are becoming more common. As the Internet continues its inevitable involvement into our daily lives, the mainstream acceptance of new technologies appears to grow. Indeed, everybody it seems has grabbed a hold of new technologies with enthusiasm.
According to the United States Internet Council, there are 263 million active email addresses. Some estimates put the online population at over 1 billion by the start of 2001. Further research says that 50% of the entire U.S. population will be online and sending correspondence at a rate of over 7 trillion emails in the year 2000.
Truly, connectivity is reaching critical mass.
The development of these tools would seem a boon for the job seeker. Traditional job-search strategies such a networking should translate well in a connected realm such as the Internet. Email, instant messaging, company web sites- all of these and more provide information seemingly tailor made in bringing employers and job seekers together.
However, recent online recruiting trends paint a picture of an employment industry struggling to make technology work.
Something Is Wrong Here
Job seekers have been quick to recognize the potential of the Internet in finding new jobs. SBC Internet Services report that 82% of all college graduates use the Internet to find a job.
Employers are turning to the Internet too. As many as 3 in 5 companies post jobs on company web sites. For job boards linked through myjobsearch.com, more than 3 million jobs can be had via the Internet.
Many thus can see the potential of the job search on the Internet but few see actual results. According to a 1999 report from the Olsten Center, just 5% of new hires are coming from online sources.
Why More Jobs Are NOT Found Online (Yet)
The Internet is providing astounding results to those taking their endeavors online. Book sales have found new life at Amazon.com, record toy sales are achieved at eToys.com and ebay.com has even made cleaning out the garage a profitable venture. The news headlines are filled with dot.com success stories.
Why then has a made-for-the-Internet endeavor like job searching achieved only modest success?
The answer lies in translating an offline process to an online world. Most companies struggle to find ways to make what they do applicable on the Internet. So do individuals. A mechanic, for example, may be able to get new customers to his shop through the yellow pages. But for him to make his business profitable on the Internet requires a great deal more ingenuity. The answers for him are not obvious and not easy. The same is true for both employers and job seekers using the Internet to fill jobs.
In the traditional job search, industry estimates conclude that over 80% of all jobs are obtained through networking. Can it be that only 5% of new hires come from online sources because prospective employers and employees just are not **networking** online?
What Is Inter-networking?
I recently asked one of our career advisors how long it would take her to find a job if she lost the one she had now. Being a career and job-searching expert, her smart reply was that it would take her less than a week. I then asked her how she would do if she were limited to looking for a job in Brazil.
She had no answer.
While the capability to excel in the job search was there in her world, it was not in another. This is exactly what the job seeker is experiencing online. They have marketable skills and abilities. But marketing those skills and abilities online proves to be a challenge.
Inter-networking is the establishment of the online relationship. It is not good enough to have just an email address. A job seeker cannot be merely connected. The establishment of contacts and the development of relationships are just as critical online as they are offline. The job seeker can do more to excel in the online world if they can present themselves as savvy players in that realm.
A first step in building a network is to make a list of everyone you know. Present that thought in the online realm and most people stop cold. Most people have only a few online contacts. If the average professional were to compare their online persona, reach and influence to their equivalent offline circle, the differences would be stark.
To be inter-networked is to have living, breathing and linked relationships and contacts online. In the traditional sense, a network is really contacts that provide assistance in meeting career goals. The same is true online. The trick lies in knowing how to establish those relationships online.
Get Involved Online
Like the offline job search, networking online means finding those individuals that can assist in career development. As more and more companies jump to the Internet, the opportunities to connect increase. The job seeker just has to find and act upon them.
The job seeker can begin their inter-networking plan by researching who in their field has a presence online. At myjobsearch.com, the networking tab features links to over 3800 associations in every imaginable industry and profession. Each of these associations contains links to companies, experts and professionals. Through a resource such a this, a job seeker can make connections online by way of discussion groups, electronic newsletters or even job-specific chats.
Further connections can be made through web sites solely dedicated to online networking, such as whoyouknow.com or sixdegrees.com. These web sites allow people from every imaginable background to interface. Networking with a willing partner is always an easy first step.
Do not forget the powerful search features of most popular web portals and search engines. Not only can these resources help locate companies and news articles but many even offer people search capabilities.
As connections are made online, the protocol of networking with those contacts is somewhat different than with similar situations offline. A contact made on the Internet may be thousands of miles away. There could be language barriers. The use of written communication such as email and posted material makes it easy to be misinterpreted or ignored. In a way, a more intuitive sense of communicating is required online. These are skills the job seeker will need to develop not only in finding a job but in keeping a job as well.
Inter-networking Means Inter-action
The acquisition of a computer and a connection to the Internet does not make one completely ready to begin an effective online job search. Even having been online for a while and exchanging email with people already known is not enough. Inter-action online with as many people as possible makes not only contacts but also sharpen skills useful in the new inter-workplace.
There is a process whereby a presence and a reputation is gained online. For the job seeker to succeed, a carefully crafted network of contacts as an established member of the Internet community must be cultivated. This takes time, planning and a carefully considered strategy. It is not too much unlike traditional career networking. But none of that can ever be practiced until the connections are actually made.
-- Heather Stone is president of
myjobsearch.com, the largest independent career resources directory on the Internet. After receiving her BA from BYU and MBA from the University of Phoenix, she has established herself as a career industry expert through the operation of her own career training company and continual consultation with employers and job seekers on the Internet job search.
