Online job sites

Last week was definitely one to be thankful it's over.  I missed a blog post, missed a discussion board follow up, didn't get near enough work done and spent the weekend with either a nasty stomach bug or food poisoning.  I'm leaning a bit more towards the food poisoning since no one else at work or home is sick - and I am very thankful that nobody at home is sick.  It's a new week, and hopefully I'm back on track.  This week I will be watching The Graduate for drama class.  I've never seen it so I have to solely focus on the movie to be able to participate in the online discussion.  We have an audit starting Monday at work along with a Board meeting to review and approve third quarter financials.  And my co-worker is out for the rest of this week at a seminar - there is a lot to get done in the next few days.  Now on to the topic of this post.

Online job sites.  I've never used one.  When I started working many years ago, it was done the old fashioned way - you looked through the newspaper, called each posting that looked promising, went and dropped off a resume or completed an application.  My next few jobs came from friends and family - personal referrals and recommendations.  Then I went back to the newspaper and happened to fax my resume to a headhunter.  The company she represented was looking for administrative support, didn't need experience in the industry and they were willing to train.  Honestly, I took the job because I had to - I was being laid off with two week severance and had bills to pay.  Through hard work I was able to advance and grow.  After 10 years, they closed the company and through personal referrals and recommendations, I'm at my current job for over 8 years.  How can these sites be helpful to someone starting out in the work force?  I think if you are new to the work force or looking to switch careers, online job sites can be a wealth of information.  You can find what opportunities are available with your skill set, training and experience.  You can see what additional experience or training you may need to acquire.  You can see what employers are looking for, where the jobs are, what benefits are being offered.  You can see new companies, or companies that are growing and expanding - find a chance to get in on the ground floor and make an impact.  I think in this day and age online job sites can be very useful in matching potential employers and employees - but I hope I never need to use one, hoping my current employer is my last employer.

Now it's time to wrap up and get some rest.  I've got a couple of busy days ahead to get ready for next week.  The to do list is growing, because there is always too much to do.