By Jeff Westover

For two years running, the Internet job boards have dominated Super Bowl advertising. Between dips with the chips and salsa, the job boards/advertisers admonish the jobseekers of the world to rise above their mediocrity and get a real job through the Internet. Their ads were slick, well viewed and even awarded by the advertising industry.

The ads also worked. This year, Monster.com reported nearly 3 million visits the day after the game as a result of their high-ticket ad campaign.

But high profile ads and heavy traffic to a web site do not necessarily translate into new jobs. In fact, a report by Forrester Research issued after the Super Bowl says that only 4% of jobseekers are actually getting jobs online.

And here's another reality check: if Monster.com really lists 300,000 jobs, only one in ten visitors that day could get a job. And if we apply the 4 percent figure as estimated by Forrester, your odds in getting a job via Monster.com that day were about 1 in 250.

This tells us one of two things:

First, there's not an employer in the world that will hire a Rams or Titans fan.

And second-- maybe the trick to getting a job is a little bit more than just browsing the online job boards.

~ The Real Value of Internet Job Boards ~

The real value of Internet job boards should not be underestimated, however. They provide an outstanding service to savvy jobseekers. And for jobseekers that can see the job boards for what they really can do, they are a valuable part of the job search.

- They are not job banks-- they are information banks. A search at an Internet job board will reveal opportunities beyond what is posted for a jobseeker that takes the time to read between the lines. For example, if two competing companies in an industry are located near you and only one is hiring via an Internet job board, what are the opportunities implied by that? From competitors to suppliers, a jobseeker using an Internet job board can identify emerging opportunities that many will never pursue -- or even identify.

- Job boards can be an indicator of local opportunity. How is employment in your area? Job boards can be used to compare not only the numbers of jobs in an area, but also how much they pay and how desperate companies may be for new hires. A thorough study of several job boards may indicate that you are living in the wrong area to pursue your career objectives.

- Job boards identify Internet savvy companies. The future of every worker and company is online. What does it say about those that use the Internet to recruit? It may indicate that they are a company to work for.

Internet job boards are just a tool. But using them to only respond to job postings is missing their true value. A savvy jobseeker will use them to identify trends, target companies and opportunities that may not be obvious to others.

And it is what a jobseeker does with the information they gather online that will really count in getting a preferred job.

~ How the Best Jobs are Really Obtained ~

Mickey James is a good example of how a jobseeker can use information to an advantage.

Mickey had been a stay-at-home Mom for 9 years. With all of her kids in school she determined the time was right to re-enter the workforce. She got a job as a merchandiser through a casual conversation with a neighbor. The neighbor had a relative that knew a company in need of a merchandiser. Using this gathered information, Mickey took action.

She made contact over the phone, set up a meeting and within days she had a job. The job never got advertised and Mickey never got the chance to polish her resume. Hers is an everyday job search success story.

There has been a long-standing rule that a full 80 percent of jobs that are filled never get advertised. This is commonly referred to as "the hidden job market". These are jobs that get created and filled because people simply talk to each other. And chances are, you probably know someone that got a job this way.

Unfortunately, most jobseekers throw themselves into the other 20 percent of available jobs-- the ones that do get advertised. These are the jobs that cannot be filled in any other way. They are jobs that companies admit just could not be filled from within or from referrals that come to them. They are sometimes the jobs that nobody else wants-- and they are the jobs most compete for when they do not know how to network with people they know to find a job.

Some think the Internet will change the old 80/20 rule. But so far that has not proven to be true. In fact, if Forrester's report on the online job search industry says one thing loud and clear, it is that online job searching is ineffective and it has to change.

And those changes are coming. The Internet job boards, recruiters and companies everywhere are developing technology to improve results. Recent studies indicate that while recruiters are going to use the Internet overwhelmingly to find new hires, nearly 70 percent of them still prefer to hire people through networking efforts. And the changes being made by job boards and company web sites all point to technology that allows for easier connecting options with jobseekers online.

But for jobseekers this only highlights a need for new online skills and new online behaviors. Avoiding the 20 percent of the job market where most compete for jobs will mean networking online as it is effectively done offline.

~ How Does A Jobseeker Internetwork? ~

Networking in the real world is nothing more than overcoming the fears of making contact with others. It's simply talk.

But it only happens through an orchestrated effort. You have to seek people out, get them to agree to meet with you, discuss your career aspirations and ask for more contacts. This is hard enough for some people to do face to face.

For so many that are new to Internet job seeking, it is nigh on impossible to do online. Or so it would seem.

But a growing category of connecting tools are emerging online that will make jobseeking-through-networking (or, Internetworking) not only easier-- but essential in the years ahead.

~ Instant Connectivity ~

The easiest, most natural and popular form of connecting online is chat. There are a number of chatting venues online.

Sites like www.talkcity.com are nothing less than gigantic communities of people that gather to discuss topics of interest -- including jobs and careers.

Other web sites, such as www.wwbchat.com, specialize in intimate and expert chats designed to give sites users the real meat-and-potatoes of any given topic. Often, these sites will provide name-brand hosts that chat with site users about anything. These can be powerful venues for jobseekers to make connections and to learn information about a job, company or industry that is not revealed in an article or in the news.

Instant messaging from www.icq.com provides jobseekers with a live, online portfolio that can be seen by anyone referencing a jobseeker's ICQ address. ICQ has over 15 million users and the free software to use the service is consistently in the top-ranked list of Internet downloads. Many people post their ICQ number in email signatures, on business cards and on resumes because using ICQ online is as simple and fast as using a telephone.

For jobseekers looking to set up a private meeting with someone online, there is a free new tool available at www.webex.com. This site offers a personal chat room for up to 4 people for free. You can email the attending parties in advance and share files through the site interface. It even includes application sharing and "web tours" which basically serve as online white boards.

Instant messaging recently took an interesting turn with the release of Gooey-- an instant messaging program allowing users that are on a web site at the same time to communicate. What would happen if you looked for a job at the same moment a recruiter posted a job?

Instant connectivity is more than just email. Sites like www.onebox.com allow users to access email, voicemail, and fax from anywhere-- whether they are online or offline. This is especially useful for students or other Internet users that access the Internet from school or library computers. In effect, jobseekers do not even have to own a phone or a computer to utilize any of these services.

~ Personal News Networks ~

Communication represents just one part of the Internetworking puzzle. Having good information to begin with is what facilitates communication. And if the Internet was built for anything, it is information.

But knowing where to go and, more importantly, how to get back there is a challenge for surfers.

Naturally, this problem is solved online. New web sites are surfacing that allow users not only to remember where they have been but allow them to filter the information they receive, in effect, building their own personal news network.

Sites such as www.blink.com allow users to store their bookmarks on the web. That way, if they use a computer other than their own, they can go to their favorite web sites without having to remember each address.

Blink also serves users by providing similar links to user bookmarks to aid in Internet searching. For example, if you are a fan of baseball and bookmark the Major League Baseball web site, blink.com will provide a list of other web sites about baseball if you request it.

Jobseekers have more than bookmarks to help them stay informed. Jobseekers also have the ability to engage in sustained conversations with a number of people via email discussions sponsored by web sites where people gather.

By joining groups, clubs and lists that provide information about certain topics, jobseekers can receive in their email news that is tailored to their interests. For example, www.onelist.com is a web site offering opt-in email lists on hundreds of thousands of topics. Once such topic is telecommuting jobs, for example. By signing up for the list, jobseekers can receive information about telecommuting jobs in their email as it is published.

~ Self-Branding Efforts ~

Management guru Tom Peters is making a lot of noise these days about "Brand You". He predicts that the Internet is changing jobs so quickly that the only way to survive in the years ahead is to have a recognized name online.

A great deal can be said about using some of the tools mentioned above for self-promotion. But to many, this also means the establishment of the personal dot com or building of a home on the web where others can find you.

Cyberatlas reports that the building of personal web pages has caught fire-- and that the number of personal web pages will double from 1999 to 2000. However, the web pages of 2000 are not the web pages of just a couple of years ago.

They are simple to construct and quick to engage. Web site authoring software such as Microsoft Frontpage has made building a web site easier. Even online resources like www.homestead.com can put an individual on the Internet in a matter of minutes with impressive results.

There are yet other ways where jobseekers and professionals can build a reputation for themselves online and further the recognition of their personal brand. Sites such as www.portfolios.com help creative individuals showcase their talents and market those talents to those seeking to employ them.

Web sites such as www.askanexpert.com allow professionals from all walks to showcase knowledge. As a registered expert, jobseekers can interface with anyone needing advice and information about a specialty. Or, jobseekers can seek out others online to gain firsthand knowledge about a career or even a specific company.

Taking this concept one step further is www.keen.com. This site arranges for pay-by-the-minute services between site users over the telephone. Jobseekers can use the site to build up a user rating of their expertise or they can call people via the site that can help them in the job search.

Some have taken networking to individual industries. One such site is www.industryinsite.com. They put professionals in select industries in direct contact with those that seek them.

Some jobseekers find the building of their online reputation easier if they do not look for jobs online but have the jobs come to them. This can be done through freelance job boards such as www.guru.com or www.elance.com. There, a jobseeker can post a profile or even pricing for specialized services that employers then bid on. It's an excellent way to offer prospective employers a "try-before-you-buy" option and a great way to network with complete strangers.

~ Community Involvement ~

No amount of networking online would be complete without becoming involved in an online community. There are literally millions of options online for seeking out others through communities.

Almost all the major "portals" have communities. Yahoo has clubs, Compuserve has forums and Excite has, well-- communities. Within the cyber-walls of these communities you can chat, post messages, meet people and, in some cases, even sell product.

Jobseekers will need to look to find communities that serve their individual needs. Like real communities, every online community is a little different and offers some things better than others. For example, www.deja.com is a massive web site that utilizes the large audience of usenet to rate products, web sites and services. It contains a wealth of information for jobseekers that can dig deep enough within the community to find what they need.

Another great source of community online is a webring. A webring is a collection of web sites dedicated to one particular interest. By going to www.webring.com a jobseeker can access a directory of webrings. Webrings can hold tremendous value for a jobseeker.

For example, a click on this link -- http://nav.webring.org/hub?ring=nhsites;list -- will take you to a webring solely dedicated to businesses in New Hampshire. This is information that will never make its way to a job board. It can provide opportunities for jobseekers to get to know people and to find opportunities the masses will never see.

~ The Virtual Office ~

But the most powerful of Internetworking tools are really still under development. There are the web sites offering centralized management of personal information-- or "web top organizers". The "virtual office" or "web top organizer" is a concept that promises users the ability to access everything they use a computer for-- from anywhere, at anytime.

From using sites such as www.bungo.com, www.visto.com or www.myevents.com site users can have a central place for organizing calendars and sharing information. Most of these sites allow for the organization of "groups". Members of a family, a club or those that simply share a common interest can post information, share files and bookmarks, and coordinate activities.

These sites serve users more than if they merely had their own dot com. A personal web page is great for people that visit it. But it does little for the site creator. A virtual office allows for the Internet to be used interactively. And the potential for jobseekers, employees and companies is staggering.

"It's more than just having a common calendar." explained Sam Fahmy, president and CEO of Bungo.com. "It's a community that interacts on a personal level." It does this by combining many of the connecting resources of sites listed above.

For example, Bungo.com features a "library" built from the ground up by Bungo users. It is anything but another Yahoo-like directory of links. If you take the bookmarking capabilities of Blink.com and combine them with the user ratings of Deja.com, you would get the library of Bungo.

Even jobseekers have a place within it. Clicking on the careers section reveals a list of recommended sites that have been reviewed and placed there by other Bungo users. The interactivity of the site design allows users to share bookmarks at will. This, in essence, allows users to set up their own personal or shared webrings.

~ Going Mobile With It All ~

Online office suites give Internet users a home base on the Internet where they dictate the level of interactivity they have with others. "It's all about mobility and centralization." Fahmy said. "We have to build it to include everything users want-- but build it in one place with a simple -- almost plain -- interface." Virtual offices will someday also include the central messaging options of Onebox.com and the online meeting capabilities of Webex.com.

Doug Brackbill, CEO of Visto.com, explains that the maintenance of contacts through a web site is much more flexible for business users than through a stand-alone computer application.

"By clicking on a hyptertext link for a contact, a user will be able to choose to connect through email, voicemail, fax, or phone-really anything associated with a contact. They can access the information from a computer at home, a laptop, or soon even on their cell phones."

Fahmy agrees. "Down the road, computing will get smart by making dumb devices that merely connect to the information stored on web sites. Your palm computer or your phone doesn't need to have super computing power-- it will need super connecting power so that information can be had anywhere you want it."

All of these connecting options are in their infancy. But, just as with the novelty of email in the 1980's, their use is gaining in popularity.

Bungo offers to their users something called "LiveMail"-- an instant messaging program not too much unlike ICQ. Bungo users can LiveMail anyone on the Internet. It maintains conversations in files similar to email threads.

Fahmy is an enthusiastic fan of LiveMail. "We use it every day in conducting our business-- not only with each other but with people outside of the company. We have even conducted job interviews through LiveMail."

Internetworking tools for jobseekers and employers will require a learning curve and time to adapt. But it may not take as long as you think. The 1980's fascination with the fax machine was such a technology. While many still marvel that it is possible, no one questions it as an essential tool. And neither will they question using the Internet to connect with others-no matter which tool they use in order to do it.

The reality of Internetworking is here. It is now. And it's just a matter of time before jobseekers and recruiters make virtual networking less virtual and more reality.

-- Jeff Westover is an Internet Content Developer based in Salt Lake City. He has 15 years of executive level experience in personnel and project management. Jeff writes for myjobsearch.com, the largest independent directory of online career resources.

Copyright 2000 myjobsearch.com

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