From The 32nd Floor: Internet searches make job-hunting easier, faster

For the last three and a half years I've been working hard to receive a degree. This degree is supposed to get me a job. I would prefer a job in a cool city that pays really, really well. But at this point I'm not going to be picky.

Looking for a job is frustrating, especially when I just know what I don't want to do. In May, I will have a degree in marketing and a minor in public relations. I chose that because there would be a plethora of opportunities. There's sales, public relations, business development, promotions - the list goes on and on.

The problem with having so many options is that I actually have to choose a few to narrow it down. It doesn't seem like a hard task, but it's huge.

I've heard several times that I need to start looking for a job now, not in April or May, so I started looking. I'm not hitting it hard, just surfing the Web a bit to find what's out there in the melodramatic economy. Between three group projects, 18 hours of classes, and all the other things that clog my PDA, the time it takes to really search is eluding me.

Where do I begin to shop for almost anything? Yes, that's right faithful readers, it's the Internet. I visited Monster.com. Under the marketing and public relations heading, there were more than 5,000 jobs posted. As if this weren't hard enough, I have to figure out what key words will help narrow down the sorting.

By typing "entry" into the keyword box, the searched narrowed from 5,000 plus to 425 jobs listed. I was ironically relieved to see the number 425. I figured it wouldn't take me from now until May to sort through that many. After looking at job descriptions and company profiles for what seemed like hours, I realized Monster was less about landing a job and more about finding what kind of job I want.

There are several job-hunting Web sites. Some sites include hotjobs.com, dice.com, fedworld.com, careers.yahoo.com and career.com. The list really is endless, and there a few lessons to be learned from viewing pages and pages of job postings.

First, if the job title has a million exclamation points or has the phrase, "Dream Job, Hiring All Stars," don't waste your time. It's not worth opening because the job descriptions are usually vague and the company profile is over estimated. Second, look at the city profile. If a job is posted in San Diego, check on the cost of living, taxes, entertainment, and housing availability. Realize a $30,000 job in Indiana goes a lot farther than a $30,000 job in San Diego. Finally, don't send a resume as an attachment. Most companies have policies against opening attachment in fear of viruses. The e-mail is most likely to get deleted.

Internet job searches can be more information than useful. It takes hours, but it can be very beneficial.