John J. Casson is an Associate Professor, Management Science Department, Kean University, Union, NJ. He also is a NABE Fellow, an Associate Editor of this journal, and the originator of Employment Opportunities for Business Economists. From time to time we are happy to print contributions from our readers, and we are grateful to John Casson for his article in this issue. —Bruce Kratofil, Editor, Windows on the Web, brucek@bjkresearch.com.

Are you using the World Wide Web to advance your career? You should. A large number of business, government and nonprofit organizations are utilizing the Web to recruit employees. In addition, an extensive amount of information about pursuing a career and searching for employment can be found on the Web.

Are you interested in obtaining a position with a particular employer? Thousands of private, public and nonprofit organizations utilize a portion of their Web sites to recruit employees. The "career," "employment" or "job" links located in the site map and the directory or home page of an organization’s Web site can be used to learn about positions that the employer wants to fill. Companies ranging from Abbott Laboratories to the Zygo Corporation are among the many business organizations that recruit directly on the Web. A large number of federal, state, local and international government agencies and nonprofit organizations also use their Web sites to recruit employees. Links to many of these sites can be found in directories such as America’s Employers and Hoover’s Top Employers.

You don’t have to limit your search to the sites of individual employers to find job openings on the Web. A great many business, government and nonprofit organizations list positions that they want to fill on one or more of the many compilations of employment opportunities that are on the Web. America’s Job Bank identifies about one million openings posted with state employment agencies. More than a quarter million job openings can be found on CareerPath and the Job Factory. NABE’s Employment Opportunities in Business Economics is one of many listings of vacancies in specific occupations that can be found on the Web. There also are sites that provide compilations of job openings in the public and nonprofit sectors and with organizations in other countries.

Many executive search firms have established Web sites. Some provide information about the managerial and professional positions that they are attempting to fill and/or solicit resumes from experienced executives. Futurestep, LAIcompass.com and LeadersOnline are among the subsidiaries that management recruiters have established for the purpose of recruiting on the Web. You can obtain information about, as well as links to, executive search firms on such sites as the Recruiters Online Network and SearchBase.

Are you interested in becoming a consultant or running some other type of business? Information and opportunities can be found on the Web. Advice for entrepreneurs are furnished on the Web sites of the U.S. Small Business Administration and SmallbizNet. Nation’s Business provides information, a directory of resources and links to Web sites of interest to aspiring business owners. If you are searching for consulting opportunities, you can offer your services on Web sites such as the Alliance of Consultants, Experts.com and the NABE Consultants and Services Registry.

Would you welcome an offer of employment? You can make your qualifications known to a great many organizations by posting your resume on Web sites such as Career Mart and JobOptions. Employers and recruiters are able to search electronically through such extensive compilations of resumes for "key words" that indicate that the qualifications of an individual may match the requirements for a position. NABE members can post their resumes on the Positions Wanted section of the association’s Web site. Instructions on how to convert paper resumes into electronic resumes can be found on Career Mosaic, Tripod’s Resume Builder many other Web sites.

The Internet has provided you with an important new means of communication. Email can be used to inquire about employment opportunities, submit cover letters with resume attachments and conduct follow up correspondence with prospective employers. You also can use email to supplement telephoning, meetings and letter writing as means of establishing and maintaining networking contacts. Numerous Internet service providers such as Excite Mail and Net@address offer free email accounts as well as facilities for searching for email addresses. The email addresses of NABE members can be found in the Association’s latest Membership Directory.

Do you want to expand the scope of your networking activities? This can be accomplished by participating in chat rooms, message boards and news groups. There are a multitude of such discussion groups and their areas of interest vary widely. Included are industrially and occupationally focused groups as well as those that offer practical advice and encouragement to individuals searching for employment. Participating in such groups may enable you to obtain information about job openings, career possibilities and prospective employers. Directories of discussion groups can be found on Web sites such as deja.com, Liszt and Reference.COM.

Have your job hunting skills atrophied? A wealth of information and practical advice about searching for employment can be obtained on sites such as The Riley Guide and The Wall Street Journal. This can include suggestions about finding job openings, networking techniques, preparing paper and electronic resumes, corresponding with employers, answering interview questions and negotiating job offers. Many of these sites also provide career information and links to lists of employment opportunities, resume postings and other related Web sites.

Are you thinking about a career change? Several Web sites furnish an extensive amount of career advice. This can include information about assessing personal aptitudes and interests, prerequisites for various careers and the employment outlook and salary ranges for many occupations. Sites such as the Career Resource Center, MSU Career Resources on the Web and What Color is Your Parachute also furnish suggestions about searching for employment as well as links to other career and employment related Web sites. NABE is one of many professional associations that furnish occupational information on their Web sites.

Would an advanced degree such as a doctorate or specialized training help your career? Information about a multitude of educational and certification programs can be found on the Web. Petersons and Gradschools.com are among the sites that contain directories of fulltime, parttime and distance learning graduate school programs. Detailed descriptions of these and other programs can be found on the Web sites of individual universities and other educational institutions. Many also provide facilities on their Web sites for requesting additional information about their programs and submitting applications for admission. Retirement Information Are you concerned about what you should do after the end of your professional career? A great deal of retirement related information can be found on the Web. There are sites that can be of help in determining when and where to retire. Some, such as the Administration on Aging, International Society for Retirement Planning and Quicken provide retirement related advice, including information about pensions, estate planning and managing investments. If you are uncertain about what to do when you stop working, you may find inspiration on sites that contain descriptions of opportunities for volunteers, vacation destinations and hobbies. Some sites such as the AARP Webplace furnish a wide range of information, while others such as Elderhostel provide a narrower focus on subjects of interest to retirees.

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