They're using corporate home pages to research potential employers, and networking through Internet newsgroups and electronic mailing lists. And like everything on the Internet, the number of online career-help resources is ballooning rapidly. Now more than 5,800 companies are recruiting online through about 5,500 Web sites, said John Sumser, IBN founder and chief executive officer. IBN estimates 1 million resumes are posted online. When communication with potential employers begins, a quick sell is the name of the game, and job-seekers who use the Web can give potential employers more information about themselves in a shorter amount of time.
Career counselors offer some important advice for online job seekers.
Not everybody is advertising online. Thousands of people search through resume databases online, but aggressive job seekers should still concentrate on contacting employers, rather than waiting to be contacted. Elizabeth Gladstone, new to using the Internet, found plenty of free advice at the Renton Career Development Center on how to find jobs online. But no companies called her after seeing her resume posted online, although she posted it at 20 sites when she started her job search in December. For those who do post on the Web, the one-page resume rule may no longer apply.