JOB HUNTERS CAST WIDE NET ONLINE

The Internet and the commercial online services offer careers
bulletin boards as well as help wanted sections.

Looking for work? If so, your search ought to take you online.
   Although the Internet and the commercial online services are in their
infancy when it comes to helping people find jobs, they can be a viable
part of a job search. They're also a good way for employers to seek out
candidates, especially in high-tech fields.

   Each of the major online services--America Online, CompuServe and
Prodigy--have areas for job seekers.

   Prodigy maintains a careers bulletin board where members exchange
job-hunting tips as well as a classified advertising department with a
help wanted section.

   America Online users can type in the keyword "jobs" to locate job
search tools that offer information from employers on several thousand
jobs. Jobs are listed by category, skill area and location. And, unlike
the old-fashioned classified ads, you can use sophisticated search
techniques such as "chef and Los Angeles" to broaden or narrow your
search.

   The Internet's World Wide Web, which can be accessed from any online
service, campus computers and Internet service providers, has information
from companies seeking workers as well as a place for job seekers to post
their resumes. Some resume services, charge job seekers. Others, including
1 Stop Job Service, will post your resume for free. Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com),
a popular Internet search feature, lists resume service providers.

   Internet Executive Professionals of Palmyra, N.Y., operates a resume
service (http://www.webcom.com/) on the World Wide Web. You send
in the text of your von paper, by e-mail or on a floppy disk and,
for $25, the company will post it on the World Wide Web after first
converting it into HTML--the language used to create web pages. Each
client gets his or her own page with a unique Web address (called a URL,
short for Universal Resource Locator). You can include a photograph
(which they will scan) for an additional $10.

   Employers and recruiters can search this and other sites to locate a
candidate but,  posting an online resumeis not an automatic ticket to employment.
Often it depends on the type of job and the time of the year as well as the economy.
Technical careers are more in demand. Now that the economy has improved there are less people on the job market. Recruiters say there are many jobs for accountants and computer programmers

On the other hand, Daniel Hawthorne, a technical writer and high-tech
systems analyst from Fairfield, Iowa, also posted his resume and,
though he hasn't been offered a job, has received several calls from
recruiters and potential employers.

   Pamela Nagle, who owns IEP,a recruiting firm,  acknowledges that people in a high tech
field are more likely to find employment online, but says she has helped
place professionals and executives in a variety of nontechnical fields.
She cautions clients that posting a resume online should be only part of
an online job search strategy.

   "I urge my clients to be active on the newsgroups," she said.
Newsgroups--the Internet's version of interactive bulletin boards--are
areas where people can exchange information, resumes, tips and anything
else.

   You'll also get and commiseration from other job seekers and may
even find a posting or two from an employer. Newsgroups to search include
alt.jobs.offered, biz.jobs.offered and ba.jobs.offered.

   Other web sites to check out include the Online Career Center
(http://www.occ.com), which lets you search for jobs by city, state or
industry. This site, which is funded by employers, also maintains a
resume database that can only be read by its member companies.

   CareerPath (http://www.careerpath.com) provides employment ads from
the pages of six major newspapers: Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Los
Angeles Times, New York Times, San Jose Mercury News and Washington Post.
The service, when we checked, listed more than 48,000 jobs in the
metropolitan areas served by those newspapers. Job seekers need to
register with their real name and e-mail address. Once you register, at
no charge, you can search by newspaper or job classification.

   Career Mosaic (http:/c./www.careermosaicom) lets you post your resume
for free and provides links to employers seeking applicants. Most of the
companies listed are in high tech fields, but there are several notable
exceptions such as Noah's Bagels, Ross, PetsMart and, for those who are
anxious to get out of town, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Saudi Aramco.

   Monster Board (http://www.monster.com) says it offers 48,000 job
opportunities worldwide. You can post your resumeonline for free and,
unlike some online resume services, your name and contact information
will not be released until an employer's search matches your
qualifications. The service allows you to develop your resume online and
update it as your qualifications change. The career search database lets
you look for jobs by keyword and there is also an area that lets you
search by keyword through job related newsgroups.

   Helpwanted.com (http://www.helpwanted.com/) is yet another database of
available jobs. You can't post your resumebut you can search for
offerings by company or keyword.

  DICE (http://www.dice.com/) allows you to announce your availability, if  you are seeking contract work in a technical field by filling out their form. This career site is free. Once a week job information  is uploaded to the internet. You also have the opportunity to search the U.S. for jobs in your field  by keywords and respond to the employer. There is also the option to upload your resume.

  Software Contractor's Guild (http://www.scquild.com/) has a database of resumes of technical folks who are seeking contract jobs.  For a fee you can  post your resume for a year.

   Thinking of moving to the San Francisco Bay Area? Don't head up there
until you check out   IntelliMatch Online Job Center
(http://www.intellimatch.com/). The free online resume creation tool lets
you create and post a confidential resume that will only be seen by
employers you specify.

   If you have your eye on certain companies, be sure to check out their
Web site. Many post employment opportunities and some provide tips on how
to apply. IBM (http://www.ibm.com), for example, offers an employment
section that lets you search its openings by country and discipline. If
you find an area that interests you, you'll get information on where to
mail, e-mail or fax your resume.

   Although not every company is online, a surprisingly large number are.
The easiest way to find a company is to use one of the Internet-wide
search tools such as Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com) or Alta Vista
(http://www.altavista.digital.com/).

By LAWRENCE J. MAGID, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Los Angeles Times   Monday February 26, 1996
Home Edition Business, Page 20