By Sonja Hakala, AIRS Strategist

Job boards were one of the very first services to appear in the early days of the online world. Ever since Career Mosaic drew its first breath, seeking work online has become more popular by the day in the U.S. Currently, it's estimated there are over 10,000 job boards, resume banks and career sites on the Web.

But job seekers and potential candidates in other countries are more reluctant than Americans to look for their next position electronically.

"You have to remember that Canadians are more conservative by nature than Americans," Michael Moretti says. He works for Recruitsoft in Toronto, Ontario. "The number of job boards up here is growing all the time. But I would say that the overall acceptance of the notion of online recruiting is still behind what it is in the States."

However, Moretti believes now is a good time for recruiters to seek candidates using online search techniques in Canada. "The idea is definitely coming of age," Moretti said.

Moretti backs up his claim by pointing to the country's biggest job board, Workopolis (http://thestar.workopolis.com). Workopolis was created by a partnership between The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail, Canada's only national newspaper. Even for American companies, Workopolis is a good place to start a talent search.

Each spring, Microsoft's Bill Gates travels to the University of Waterloo in Ontario to personally welcome the very best and brightest of its students to his company. Among engineering circles, this university is highly regarded for the caliber of its graduates. In fact, some whisper that it's even better than M.I.T.

In Canada, colleges and universities receive the majority of their financial support from their respective provinces. This level of support does vary from place to place but by and large, Canadians of every age have access to some of the best educational institutions in the world -- at a reasonable price.

Places such as McGill University in Montreal and the British Columbia Institute of Technology place great emphasis on educating people of every age in the latest technology. These institutions of higher learning provide great resources for recruiters.

In fact, some Canadian colleges, such as Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario (just outside Toronto) make a point of educating their students in emerging technologies while combining their training with work experience. Sheridan's co-op program enables employers to hire students for special projects, to help out during peak times or to cover employee vacations. At this point in time, over 3,400 employers take part in this program, enabling them to preview prospective employees from a leading Canadian college.

In addition, Canadian educational criteria for specific needs such as nursing licenses or engineering certification are equivalent to those issued in the U.S., making the transfer of skills that much easier across the border.

Don't Forget the TN Visa

Of all the visas a company can use to import talent, none is easier than the TN (Trade NAFTA) visa for professionals moving from Canada to the U.S. The paperwork for this visa is minimal and the entire application procedure takes less than an hour at the U.S./Canadian border. This visa is good for one year at a time and can be renewed an unlimited number of times.

-- Sonja Hakala is a Strategist for AIRS. This article is reprinted by permission from AIRS, a global leader in Internet recruitment, tools, news and information. For more information on AIRS, please go to http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com/pages/airs.php . Copyright © Hanover Capital Management Corporation 1997-2001. All Rights Reserved