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With everything we are able to do from our home computers these
days, the new trend in the quest for employment is not surprising
- Pavement pounding is off and job searching is on-line. A rapidly
growing market that offers broader career prospects and increased
technological efficiency is advancing the recruitment process to
the next level and the Internet is now a gateway into a global
workforce.
Networking on the Net
With factors such as cost and efficiency, Internet “want” ads
are becoming the workforce’s most wanted. In Australia, a
recent survey showed that newspaper ads were falling by an average
of 21,735 per week while on-line ads have been increasing by 89,649
per week.
Assessing the potential growth in the UK’s online job market,
a British research consultancy stated that thirty-one per cent
of the Internet users surveyed had recently web searched for jobs
and that fifty per cent said they planned to do so in their next
job search. The survey also found that 400,000 people of the estimated
four million online job seekers had secured interviews and 170,000
actually ended up with jobs.
In addition, a worldwide study conducted by a Toronto-based company
found last year’s e-employment success rate averaged at six
per cent in the US, 12 per cent in Canada and a global average
of three
per cent. This doesn’t exactly illustrate how Internet efficiency
can guarantee us access to employment, however, as the majority
of responses in every country indicated that personal networking
is still the number one reason for getting work. Regardless, networking
on the net is working well enough for the many Canadians who recognize
it as an effective job search strategy.
Finding the Right Search
When technology is advanced to the point it can do our banking,
shopping and socializing without us even having to get up from
our chairs, then perhaps it seems reasonable to expect that once
we press ‘send’, our computer will automatically find
us a job. This may be the case in the future, but right now it
is not in line with today’s job search outcomes.
The advantages – such as a global reach and an expanded
networking capacity – are many, but the lack of human contact
that the Internet affords can impact one gaining successful employment
if used as the sole resource in a job search. Referring to the
mistakes of those who believe the information highway will bypass
the interview and lead right to employment, career experts advise
us not to put all our eggs in one computer. Concerned by the results
of Carnegie Mellon University’s research on Internet related
depression, the career counseling community also warns us that
electronic isolation can minimize progress in a job search and
escalate the feelings of loneliness and rejection associated unemployment.
Obviously, this is not a warning for job hunters to eliminate
web searching from their employment strategy, but it is a message
to use it moderately and consicely. Having researched Internet
employment since 1993, Margaret Riley Dikel provides further explanation
of this in
her
book, The Guide
to Internet Job Searching. Stressing the importance
of phone calls and meeting people face-to-face, she recommends
doing twenty-five per cent of the job search on-line and using
the following techniques:
- Use an updated, polished resume and cover letter specific
to each position you are applying for.
- Follow the required information,
format and criteria to be sent.
- Ensure postings are current and
that application deadlines are met.
- Renew previously
sent resumes regularly.
- Find web sites best suited to your career
interests and post your resume only where recruiters are most
likely to see it. (see below for sample)
The Work Wide Web
While today’s most effective approach to successful job hunting
includes adding the Internet to the traditional methods, it also
recognizes the direction our workforce is heading. With the results
of a COMPAS Inc. survey revealing that forty-seven per cent of Canadian
businesses used on-line tools to fill employment vacancies last year
and many companies, such as the Royal Bank, are now structured for
Internet-based recruiting, it is evident we are already there.
Understanding the difference between the Internet doing the work
for you and how the Internet can work for you is the key to using
it as part of your employment strategy.
Resources:
For Recruiters, HR Managers, Employers and Job Seekers
visit:
www.careermachine.com
www.jobsincanada.ca |
