Net Playing Role in Job Searches

According to a survey released by SBC Internet Services, 82 percent of collegians who graduate this spring and summer will use the Internet to search for job openings or information on careers, and 66 percent will actually email a resume to prospective employers.

Contacting potential employers by telephone and the US Postal Service is fast becoming a thing of the past, according to SBC Internet trends expert Barbara Brown.

"The Internet is arguably the most immediate, convenient, and comprehensive resource for college students and other employment seekers to research careers and prospect for jobs," Brown said. "They can email their resumes to employers, research different careers through online career data banks and newgroups, and learn about specific companies by visiting corporate Web sites any time of day."

The survey also found that 75 percent of 1999 spring/summer graduates will use the Internet to research a specific career or job. Even more graduates (79 percent) will research a specific prospective employer on the Internet.

Seventy-four percent of the spring/summer grads will use the Internet to search for a job in specific geographic location. More than half (55 percent) will post their resume through an online job service

Companies are recognizing the role the Internet plays in the employment arena. A report by Forrester Research found that classified advertising will make up 27 percent of all online advertising by 2003.