Black Collegian Career Center

African American collegians preparing to launch their careers have at their fingertips an indispensable tool for job hunting: the Internet. Students skillful at surfing the Web can benefit from a wide array of sites offering employment leads, career counseling, tips for resume preparation, and relocation advice. By navigating the Internet comfortably and confidently, students can gain a competitive edge in locating the best opportunities in any given industry or academic field.

The Impact of the Internet: The explosive growth of the dot-com community during the 1990's had a tremendous impact on the employment industry. Among the early visionaries of the Internet as a point-and-click tool for job hunting were the creators of job boards such as Headhunter.net, Careermosaic.com and Careerbuilder.com. They clearly recognized that as the Internet became more technologically sophisticated and commercially appealing, the doorway was open for employers and job seekers to meet on the electronic "information highway." These trailblazing companies were soon followed by other businesses that carved a niche in the burgeoning market of Web-based employment services.

Now, the Internet has mushroomed beyond anyone's imagination. According to current estimates, over 10,000 Internet sites are devoted exclusively, or at least tangentially, to employment matters. These include job boards such as those listed above and many other types of Web sites, as discussed below.

Popular Among Recruiters: Employers of all sizes and descriptions rely heavily on the Internet for identifying prospective candidates for positions ranging from entry-level to senior management. Although the majority of job openings require some degree of work-related experience, many sites include attractive opportunities for recent college graduates.

Why is the Internet so popular among recruiters? Several reasons can be given for the widespread use of the Internet as part of a comprehensive corporate recruitment program.

To begin with, the Internet attracts both active and passive job seekers. That is to say, appealing Websites generate "hits" from persons who are actively seeking job leads as well as those who are casually scouting the market for what might constitute a "golden opportunity." In this regard, companies can capture an audience that includes prospective hires for both current and future employment needs.

Secondly, the Internet is a cost-effective way of building a pool of candidates in comparison to more traditional means of recruiting, such as through newspaper and magazine advertising. In simple terms, instead of placing employment ads in the Sunday editions of major metropolitan newspapers, employers can spend the same amount of money (or less) posting job open-ings on several leading Websites that target the particular audience they wish to attract.

Whereas the newspaper ads appear for one day, the online job notices can last for several weeks or months, or longer. Such prolonged exposure is especially beneficial to recruitment efforts targeting candidates for recurrent job openings, such as entry-level positions. Thus, companies can get more "bang for the buck" in advertising employment needs online.

Thirdly, the Internet serves an important public relations function for employers seeking to attract new talent. Display ads in publications can only say so much about the position opening and the employer. By contrast, appealing, interactive Websites can provide prospective candidates with a "virtual tour" of the company, the workforce, and the community amenities associated with the position. Some sites even offer audio testimonials of employees who have found career satisfaction in joining a given company.

Fourthly, the Internet makes job hunting easy, convenient and even "fun" for committed job seekers. In times past, job hunters trekked to the nearest library to spend hours scanning employment listings in major newspapers. Now, they can navigate different Websites with a few keystrokes and identify fresh opportunities in their field, within their salary range, and throughout the country:

Professional organizations: Almost all established professional organizations have a robust Internet presence. Included in this category are sites that welcome younger professionals who are seeking career guidance and employment leads. Examples: www.nabainc.org (National Association of Black Accountants), www.nsbe.org (National Society of Black Engineers), and www.bdpa.org (Black Data Processing Associates).

Major newspapers: The Internet constitutes a virtual library of prominent newspapers and magazines offering job-hunting information. One helpful site that links with major newspapers around the globe is www.newspapersonline.com. Included on this site are mainstream news media, college newspapers, and other online versions of print media.

Individual employers: This category of Websites should be a prime target for college students seeking employment. Virtually all major corporations that hire recent college graduates have well-designed Internet sites. Of particular interest to minority students are sites that indicate a strong commitment to diversity hiring and campus recruitment. Some sites even encourage students to register as prospective applicants in order to develop an ongoing relationship, and to receive electronic updates on campus visitations.

Job coaching: Sites in this category are helpful not so much in terms of posting job notices, but with respect to offering practical advice on job hunting, career management, interviewing tips, resume preparation, and so on. Such sites typically involve some sort of registration fee. As always, "buyer beware." However, these sites can be instructive in overall career planning.

Other helpful sites: Many other Websites provides useful information for job hunters before and after they find their ideal position: salary comparison (www.salary.com), relocation (www.apartments.com), calculating moving costs (www.homefair.com), and starting a new job (www.careerplan-ning.about.com/cs/firstjob/a/new–job.htm).

Bookmarking the most helpful sites makes it easier to utilize the Internet as a regular, invaluable tool for job-hunting, now and in the future.

Tips: As mentioned, there are thousands of Websites providing employment leads and other content useful for serious job seekers. The key is to unlock the Internet resources that are most useful in achieving job-search goals. Two points deserve special mention.

Use search engines effectively. There are numerous search engines that pull information from cyberspace. My favorite is Google.com. Using this, or another, search engine, you can launch an online job search according to different parameters set forth in key-word phrases. 

To illustrate: Let's consider online job hunting by a student completing her BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) degree. She can pull up a wide range of information by using key words such as these: "nursing jobs," "entry-level nursing jobs," "nursing + employment," "minority nurses," "visiting nurses," "traveling nurses," "nursing jobs + Atlanta," "medical employment + nursing," "healthcare jobs + nurses," and "nursing careers."

Entering key words like these will link to sites with specific employment information. To broaden her search, our student nurse can also key in phrases such as "nursing organizations," "student nurse associations," and "student nurse + careers." Although there will be some duplication of results, keying in these phrases will download sites that provide additional sources of information related to employment leads and career advice.

Use other Internet resources for career networking: The World Wide Web constitutes one main component of the Internet. E-mail and news groups comprise other facets of the Internet, both providing access to electronic resources helpful in job-hunting.

Specifically, our student nurse might want to consider registering with several organizations' e-mail listserv groups. Members receive by e-mail information related to the group, and they can communicate to one another by e-mail on topics of interest—such as career matters.

Our ambitious, resourceful nursing student should also consider posting messages with news groups devoted to the nursing profession. Specifically, Yahoo.com hosts affinity (chat) groups accessible by keying in "minority nurses." Although it's a long shot to find a job via news groups, it is helpful to learn about the profession—including networking opportunities—from those who post comments on news-group forums.

Cautionary Advice: Job-hunting via the Internet can be exciting and challenging. Nevertheless, certain cautionary words are in order. Whether you're looking for your first job out of college or to advance in your career, think carefully about every aspect of online job hunting.

• First: Keep in mind that surfing the Web always leaves "electronic footprints." Any sites you click on are recorded on your computer hard drive. This advice is especially pertinent to job seekers who need to be discreet in job hunting. For instance, people who surf the Web for job opportunities at their present place of employment run the risk of attracting the attention of some ever-watchful corporate "Big Brother." As Shakespheare said, "discretion is the better part of valor."
• Second: Scan online jobs carefully. Consider the source of job posting (recruiter versus corporate employer) and the date of posting. If the positions have been open for three months or longer, that may be a tip-off that the employment opportunities are not that appealing. Alternately, the job poster may have made a hire and simply wants to identify candidates for future positions. By knowing how fresh the job postings are, you have a better idea of how to direct your online job search.
• Third: Carefully consider posting resumes online. Again, this advice is particularly beneficial for persons who must maintain utmost confidentiality. Online resumes can be available for public scrutiny, or formatted as secure data and accessible to restricted viewers (such as corporate recruiters).

Before submitting your scanable resume online, make sure you understand the Web site's policy for allowing employers access to your resume, tracking how often it is viewed, and informing you who has requested it. Additionally, if the Web site facilitates direct communication of candidates and employers, get a good understanding of the policy and procedures for facilitating such contact.

• Fourth: Be cautious about revealing personal information. When your resume is posted online, anyone has access to it. If confidentiality is of paramount importance, refer to yourself by initials on the resume and supply limited contact information. Similarly, rather than name your current employer, refer to the organization in generic terms. Examples: "Southeast regional Accounting firm," "Midwestern construction and engineering company," or "Northeastern pharmaceutical firms." Likewise, do not include specific reference contacts. Instead, merely indicate that references will be supplied upon request.

Also, be careful about divulging personal information in news group chatting. The anonymity of the Internet means that anyone can say anything online, with varying degrees of truthfulness, honesty and integrity. Always trust your instincts and be wary of anyone wanting personal information about you not related to career matters.

• Fifth: Be discreet in forwarding e-mail documents. When submitting your resume and other documents electronically, it's helpful to know who will receive and review them. E-mailing them to a blind e-mail address doesn't give you a clue as to who the recipient is. A suggested approach is to e-mail the blind e-mail address and request a specific contact name to be included in a cover letter. That way you at least have a contact source to follow up with afterward.

Also bear in mind that anyone receiving your documents electronically can forward them to other individuals with a few keystrokes. So try as much as possible to control where your personal information is sent and who receives it.

On a related matter: How are you identified in your personal e-mail address? Having an e-mail "handle" that's cute or provocative might be appropriate for personal, even intimate, communication. But an employer will likely look askance at receiving e-mail attachments (such as resumes) form "hot mamma," "hung stud," "gangsta boi," and the like.

Conclusion
The Internet offers unlimited resources to serious, committed African-American job seekers. With experience and appropriate creativity, you can become sophisticated in surfing the Web for sites that will help them launch their career and settle into a new job.

In exercising discretion and caution in job-hunting online, students can protect themselves while investigating exceptional opportunities that they would otherwise not know about through customary search efforts.

The Internet is definitely the "wave of the future." Those who ride the wave successfully will reach their career destination—and enjoy the journey along the way.

Calvin Bruce is a frequent contributor to TBC. He has worked for a dot-com employment firm and is a member of the Association of Internet Recruiting.