How the Internet Has Changed Job Searching

INTERNET JOB SEARCHING

Searching for jobs on the Internet has become a very popular endeavor in the last ten years. Things have changed considerably in our culture and this is one area that holds a large amount of the responsibility.

A Brief History of the Internet

The Internet was first developed in 1969 by the United States Department of Defense. Created by their Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Internet was called ARPANET in the early years. They developed the Internet as a means of communication between the agency, military contractors, and several research-oriented universities. The Department of Defense was most impressed by the fact that the network would be able to withstand nuclear attack. All were impressed by the speed that information could be accessed. The National Science Foundation became interest in spreading the word about this phenomenon; they set up five different supercomputer centers that connected to the Arpanet. During the late 1980s the first Internet Service Provider (ISP) companies were formed. ISPs are companies like AOL, MSN, and Net Zero, who sell access to the Internet. Later, in 1986, the NSF set up a network of computers called the NSFNET. Around this time the term Internet came into use and other countries became interested in having a share in an activity and possible profits. At first the most common function people used was e-mail. The second most popular application of the early Internet was Usenet, a system of distributed discussion groups that is still going strong today.

In 1990 ARPANET was destroyed and the NSF decided to take control. They did away with the restrictions that had placed on placed on it, largely the use of the Internet for profit. In doing this they change the face of the Internet forever. With this brand new market, Internet Service Providers began springing up all over the place, with the general public in mind.

What is the Internet?

The Internet is an interconnected system of networks that connects computers around the world via the TCP/IP protocol. TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, a communications protocol developed under contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to internetwork dissimilar systems.

Many people think that the Internet is just one big web, the thing that I surf or buy stuff on.

The Internet is really made up of four parts:

* Telnet

* Gopher

* Usenet

* World Wide Web

Telnet. The Telnet, Telecommunications Network, is the smallest part of the Internet. It most useful when searching for jobs in the federal division and is a good place to connect to other parts of the Internet, like a Gopher server.

Gopher. Developed at the University of Minnesota in 1991, Gopher is a system that enables computer users to find servers and files on the Internet. It presents menus and submenus users can select to specify their search. Gopher created the idea of making the Internet a user-friendlier tool for non-computer-people. The two major search engines, Jughead and Veronica, can still be useful if you're looking for some sort of academic position; but popularity is fading as that of the Usenet an the World Wide Web rises.

Usenet. Also known as User's Network, Usenet is a public access network on the Internet that provides user news and group e-mail. It is a giant bulletin board that is maintained by volunteers. A running collection of messages about a particular subject is called a "newsgroup." Usenet began in 1979 as a bulletin board between two universities in North Carolina. Today, there are more than 50,000 newsgroups. They are online discussion groups and also a good place to go if you're looking to network online. Usenet posts many job openings. At last count there were more that 100,000 jobs posted on Usenet groups.

World Wide Web. The World Wide Web (WWW) is what is most often referred to as the Internet. When one talks about surfing the web or buying something online, they are using the World Wide Web. The Web is the chief source for job postings. When I first bought a computer many years back, the Internet didn't even have any pictures. Browsing the Web is a lot different than it was ten years ago.

On the Internet you can:

* Research

* Communicate with friends and family

* Make new friends

* Buy things

* Sell things

* Download software

* Have fun

Top 3 things job seekers do online:

* 24 percent look for Jobs online

* 18 percent use the Internet for research purposes

* 13 percent use the Internet as a source of news

Figure 1

Your Internet Job Search

It seems like everywhere you go these days, someone has a website. Watching the news yesterday, I heard instructions to go to their website for more information. I hear commercials on the radio for MidMichiganHelpWanted.com. They claim, "Long name, amazing results." Everywhere you look: at TV, at politicians, in the grocery store, in your hair salon, and even in the magazines you get in the mail, you get bombarded with website addresses. Everyone wants you to "get more information" about him or her. It is hard to decide how, who, when, and where to start your job search. This day and age everyone is promising something fantastic. There are many resources available for your job search online: resume posting sites, job banks, employer websites, newsgroups, and more. Some sites are national and some are regional or local. A few questions that you may want answered before you start are:

* Who is the likeliest to search and/or succeed?

* What tools will I need?

* How do