Successful Businesspeople Offer Valuable Sdmc Hot
Discussion Case Background:
Hot Jobs.com
Internet job sites offer a huge advantage to both job seekers and companies recruiting workers. Postings of jobs and résumés of potential candidates are up and available to a vast audience 24/7. Job hunters can peruse listings and send résumés from the comfort of their computer. Employers can select candidates by exact experience, narrow the field, and simply send emails or call them. Many companies have begun recruiting online on their own Web sites, on group sites such as DirectEmployers.com, or on student-oriented sites such as one hosted by the National Association of Colleges & Employers,1 while others continue to rely on commercial job boards, such as Monster, CareerBuilder, or HotJobs.com.
Yahoo’s HotJobs.com has emerged as one of the largest job boards in the United States. Through a link with an international network of online recruiting companies, HotJobs has extended its reach beyond North America to Europe.2 In addition to providing advertised listings sponsored by employers and recruiters, the site also searches the Internet to include listings from other employer and job-related Web sites, so that job seekers are able to conduct a more comprehensive job search. “We have found that more jobs increase the number of job seekers, and . . . lead to more qualified candidates for our customers, “ says Dan Finnigan, Yahoo senior vice president and HotJobs general manager. 3
If you’re a student near graduation, you’re probably very interested in how to be a qualified job candidate. HotJobs.com executives and other successful businesspeople offer valuable job hunting tips and career advice. First, honestly assess your interests and skills. Matt Hoffman, a world champion vertical biker, channeled his love of an extreme sport into entrepreneurship and started his own bike company. Obviously a risk taker who challenges himself, Hoffman says he has to be hands-on and learns best from figuring out how to overcome failure. Joseph Prochaska, senior vice president and controller for Aon, says to try lots of different things—including a variety of college courses—to find what you like. He started in chemical engineering and ended up in finance, with philosophy, theology, and art courses along the way. Second, find your passion, which may take patience, and do the work necessary to follow it. “Pick something . . . you really believe in and find people who believe as you do . . . work hard to make it work, and have a very long-term perspective,” recommends Garrett Boone, co-founder of The Container Store.
Several strategies will help candidates in pursuing a career. Start building professional habits now, including good cell phone manners and ‘netiquette.’ Research different careers and network both online and offline. Prepare a current, error-free résumé geared toward what the company is looking for. Use the Internet to research, network, look for positions, and post your résumé on a Web site like HotJobs.com, so that employers can come to you. After your entry in the workforce, be prepared to change jobs and careers. Elizabeth Bryant of Southwest Airlines points out that you may feel pressure to make career decisions, but most people don’t know their career path and should be open to choices and change. Today, college graduates are likely to experience many different jobs and even different careers. Scott Ross of Digital Domain, for example, left a secure job to start his own company, now one of Hollywood’s largest computer special effects firms. He recommends being entrepreneurial when you’re young, although he is proof risk-taking later in life can pay off. The best career advice possibly comes from Chinese philosopher Confucius, who said more than 2,500 years ago: Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
References
1Gordon, Joanne, “Battle of the Boards,” Forbes, August 12, 2002, p. 50.
2 “HotJobs Extends Reach to Europe,” Wall Street Journal, October 7, 2003, p. 1.
3”Yahoo Launches New Search Engine for Online Job Site,” Financial Wire, July 13, 2005, p.
Questions for Discussion
- How have job boards like HotJobs.com and individual company sites affected the recruitment process?
- Discuss how job seekers can use the Internet in their search.