Finding a job on the Internet

"I bet it would be cool to work there.”

Any company, organization or institution that you can think of probably has a web site that posts current job openings. On many sites, you can even create a profile in the web site’s or company’s database and request an email when a job becomes available that may match your profile. If you've been meaning to check out a company’s web site, today would be a good day to go ahead and do it. If you are one of those who is still trying to avoid the Internet as much as possible, waiting until you’re unemployed is a great time to try new things.

Don’t have a particular company in mind?

Indeed.com is a job-site I discovered recently that pulls jobs from thousands of company career sites and job boards; it's a great place to start. The State of Ohio has a job search called Ohio MeansJobs: ohiomeansjobs.com/omj.  Other job search engines include: ihirejobnetwork.com, monster.com, careerboard.com, and  careerbuilder.com.

Whatever happened to good old help wanted ads?

For those who remember thumbing through the want ads when looking for a job, may be surprised to find The Plain Dealer’s help wanted ads are all posted online at cleveland.com/jobs.

Craig's List (Cleveland.craigslist.org) is a national site with local pages where either party, hiring or looking, can post or respond to an ad for free. The easier it is to place an ad, the more you are going to have to filter out time wasters and scammers, so take the time to craft an ad. I've had several legitimate experiences finding work using this site, as well as buying and selling things, which can be a great way to subsidize your income and find deals to save money.

Where did you go to school or receive your training?

Sometimes recruiters work directly with academic and training institutions to seek current students or graduates of those institutions. Contact those institutions you attended to find out if they have a job database that students and alumni can search.

Some institutions allow the public to use their resources. For example, Cuyahoga Community College's (Tri-C) career site is open to the greater public, and on this site, there is a great link to My Plan that has career planning assessments for middle school, high school and college students, as well as adult career changers. Lakeland Community College (LCC) has an association with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) that allows users to also tap into a job postings nationwide. Visit the NACE site at http://www.naceweb.org/Home.aspx to see if your alma mater participates.

Wanna work for the government?

Government jobs provide some level of job security and benefits that many job seekers desire. There are usually job opening at the local, state and federal level, and most of those openings will have specific requirements, often including the ability to obtain a security clearance. To find city jobs, visit the city of Euclid web site at cityofeuclid.com/about/jobs. State job vacancies are located at ohiomeansjobs.com/omj, and those interested in federal jobs can visit usajobs.opm.gov.

JUMP: Want to learn more about using the internet in your job search? Go to Euclid Observer.com to continue this article.

Wanna make a difference?

Action Without Borders connects people, organizations, and resources to help build a world where all people can live free and dignified lives; visit idealist.org.

Want to teach or work at a school?

There are a variety of places you can look to find an education position. Locally, the Euclid City Schools posts available positions at euclidschools.org/district/employment.cfm. Ohio Department of Education lists opportunities at http://www.ode.state.oh.us; scroll to the bottom and click Educator Jobs in Ohio, or for jobs in academia, go to Higher Ed Jobs at higheredjobs.com.

But what if I want to work in health care?

Cleveland is world-renowned for its hospitals, and those hospitals are always hiring. Look around and you will see any of them expanding their facilities. They all receive research grants  as well, which may translate to more hiring. Closer to home, we have a Cleveland Clinic hospital and a University Hospitals administrative building right here in Euclid, and we're only a 15-minute drive from the main campuses. Visit the Cleveland Clinic web site at my.clevelandclinic.org/careers and University Hospitals web site at www.uhhospitals.org/AboutUH/CareerCenter. Remember, hospitals need people from all professions to operate, so don’t be surprised if you find quite a few jobs in facilities, accounting, human resources, billing, food service and engineering.

If you are interested in working for the Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities (e.g., Wade Park VA), the www.usajobs.gov web site will list any available positions.

Finding too many jobs you don’t qualify for?

If you continue to find a lot of jobs that require training that you don't have, why not consider getting new training in the fields that seem to be in demand? Make an appointment with an admissions counselor at Tri-C, LCC or Cleveland State University (CSU). Euclid residents can access Tri-C Metro, Tri-C East, Lakeland or the CSU campus within 20 minutes. Since Tri-C has open enrollment, anyone can take Tri-C courses, some are offered at Shore Cultural Centre, or online from home, depending on the program. Make an appointment with a financial aid counselor at the college you want to attend; this person can tell you about financial programs available. Visit Tri-C online at tri-c.edu, LCC at www.lakelandcc.edu, and CSU at csuohio.edu.

One last point concerning coursework at Tri-C and LCC, if you think you’ll want to pursue a four-year degree later, it's important to know whether the courses you are taking are transferable to a four-year institution. Visit www.transfer.org/uselect/login.htm to learn about course transfers within Ohio and nationwide.

We can do our part to attract companies to our area by increasing the intellectual stock of our area – this begins with educating ourselves!

If it’s who you know, who do you know?

You may know a lot of people, but in social settings, it's often inappropriate to talk about work. However, people can miss out on mutually beneficial networking if they don't start with making connections through who they know. This is what a web site like Linked In is good for; similar to Facebook, but for professional contacts. You create a profile for yourself and invite people you know to join your network. You can browse the networks of the people you're connected to as well. To give you an idea of the significance of this, I currently have 84 connections. There are 5,900 people who I can view as second degree connections because we have a mutual connection. There are 589,500 people that I can view as third degree connections, making 595,600 total people that I can contact, potentially, with an introduction!

A lot of companies don't want to be accused of nepotism, but a natural tendency is that good people probably know good people. Companies can't take a risk in hiring a bad match and you can't afford to waste your time with a company that won't be a good match for you, either. With checks and balances in place, networking is win-win for everyone, and sites such as Linked In are a great way to do it on-line. You can find Linked In at www.Linkedin.com.

Even if you have a job, you never know when you are going to need or want a new one. Start now with a current resume or online profile. Think about your current skill set and any you’d like to add. Begin today and don’t wait until you are facing unemployment (or underemployment) to prepare for a new job or career.