Volume 4, Number 4
April, 1999
Get A Job
by Pelican Smith
Hey, it's a good feeling.
Not so long ago, what I do at work was about as useful in the real world as back hair - maybe less useful. I'm a geek. I stare at computers all day. I fiddle with wires. I draw diagrams. I sed, grep and awk. This was of no use when a person is choking in a restaurant, or the car won't start, or your tomato plants won't grow.
But just yesterday one of the neighborhood kids asked if I could help him build a web page. We'll do it this weekend. He wants to have a place on the net that is all his. We're both pretty excited about it.
Then there was a time another neighbor couldn't get her email working. Her husband was away for four months, and email was their main method of communication. She was back up and running in minutes.
But the best - the best - is helping a friend land the dream job. That's better than fixing a car that won't start, because having a good job means you don't have to crawl under the damn thing with a wrench. You can pay somebody else to do that. I've helped a couple people find good jobs. When it's my turn to move on, who knows, maybe they'll remember me.
I don't need to tell anyone how the career system has changed recently. Loyalty between an employee and and employer is now very matter of fact. If they provide for you, then you will provide for them. As soon as one side quits trying, the other side changes players. This means that you have to be ready. Your career is yours to manage. It is up to you to stay informed, on top, and ready for anything.
For this, the Internet is your best friend. Here is an Expanded Links to Make You Think. More than just making you think, these links can make you money. More than that, these links can get you the kind of job that makes you feel good about yourself. And when you feel good about yourself, things just keep getting better.
- Wanted Jobs 98 This tool is, as they say, The Bomb. You download the program onto your computer, give it a job description to look for, and it then goes out and searches all the biggest Internet job sites for the closest match. If you can't find your dream job with this tool, then your job isn't on the net.
- The Monster Board is the biggest and baddest job search site out there. Employers pour though this site daily, hoping to snatch up the best employees before someone else does.
- Headhunter.com For those of you who don't know, a Headhunter is a person who makes a living getting the right people hired by the right company. Usually, a company will pay them to find good employee's. A good headhunter will have all the right connections to all the right people. They are like your personal agent. The better deal they get for you - the better deal they get for themselves.
- Careermag.com An online magazine with lots of good advice on everything from immigration law to salary negotiations.
- What Color Is Your Parachute Job hunting online. Peruse resume's, job counseling sites, and more.
- Mining Co. Telecommuting So, you wake up too early, drive too far, skip too many meals, just so you can do your work in the office. Why, may I ask? Work at home, you'll love yourself for it.
- IBM Employment Just an example of how companies are using the web to haul in candidates. If they are serious about it, don't you think you should be too?
- JobSmart Salary Survey So you make $40,000 in San Antonio. How much do you need to make to live the same lifestyle in San Francisco. (Trick question - you can't live the same lifestyle. The first three letters are all these cities have in common).
- Yahoo Classifieds Check out the competition.
- Cool Works Let's not forget that a job can be a blast. Tell me you don't envy the bartender at Big Bear.