Newspaper Articles

This collection of articles was published in the Detroit Legal News from 1995-1997. All were written in the infancy of the modern Internet, before the landscape surrounding Internet legal and business issues began to develop. Access to the Internet largely consisted of dial-up connections on a 14.4 kbs modem or slower. Both the technology and state of the law have evolved considerably since these were first published.

The World's Largest Job Bank

Originally published January 15, 1997

Need help with that job hunt? Willing to relocate? Look no further than your laptop.

Among other things, the Internet is the world's largest employment resource, providing a tremendous tool for employers, recruiters and candidates alike.

Job postings on the Internet have exploded over the past year. Many private employers are posting positions and accepting resumes and applications via the Internet on their own sites and through employment specific job banks.

Postings relate to public and private sector positions available throughout the United States in virtually any occupation imaginable.

Once a prospective employer is identified, the Internet is a tremendous resource for learning detailed information about a particular company or position. Information is available on both public and privately-held companies from a wide variety of sources.

It's no longer necessary to trudge over to the library to spend hours researching about a particular company in preparation for a job interview. A wealth of company information can be accessed in minutes at home or the office.

From the employer standpoint, Internet-based job recruiting offers a quick and inexpensive way to screen from a tremendous pool of candidates across the country.

According to David Galbenski, founder and CEO of AmeriClerk, a temporary legal services agency, "Using the Internet to locate candidates for a position offers a number of advantages over traditional recruiting."

"Our Web site <www.americlerk.com> allows us to screen and respond to candidates quickly and at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods."

"Responses to job postings can start arriving in hours rather than days or weeks from a national - or even international - pool of Prospects."

The AmeriClerk Web site contains a CGI script driven "registration form" and accepts resumes via e-mail. Galbenski notes that he receives 60-70 new resumes and applications a month through his Web site.

Employment recruiters have also flocked to the Internet. Most major recruiters have Web sites with an ever changing range of employment opportunities. Some even offer e-mail update services which are automatically delivered to subscribers as new postings are added in an area of interest (part of the current Internet trend toward utilities which continually update and deliver select information to the user).

Finally, many Internet sites offer tips and strategies for selecting and hunting for a position. Employment trends, how to prepare an effective resume, interviewing tips, negotiating payment and benefits and networking are among the topics discussed at a variety of sites.

Locating or Posting a Job

Many employers post job opportunities on their company Web sites. There are also a growing number of on-line employment classifieds, employment-related listservs and job networks on the Internet.

What claims to be the largest on-line employment classified is America's Job Bank: <http://www.ajb.dni.us/-about-ajb.html>. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, this site links 1,800 state employment agency offices and boasts over 250,000 posted jobs in government and the private sector. Best of all, its totally free for both employers and candidates.

For law-related employment, the Law Journal Extra Law Employment Center <http://www.lawjobs.com> contains hundreds of legal employment listings from the National Law Journal, New York Law Journal, Law Technology Product News, and various legal recruiters.

Sites comprised entirely of links to other sites provide invaluable assistance in locating Internet resources in a particular area. One such site, The Legal Employment Search Site <http://www-.wulaw.wustl.edu/-gjhickel-/jobs.htm> is dedicated entirely to links to Internet sites offering legal employment opportunities.

Web sites linked to include Counsel Connect Classifieds, the Lexis/Nexis Employment Center and career services offices from various universities.

Company Information

The Internet contains a wide variety of company-specific information. The best starting point for information about a particular organization is the company web site. Company sites let the candidate learn more about the company and its philosophy.

For companies traded on the NASDAQ exchange, <www.nasdaq.com>, financial information as well as links to the SEC Edgar database and most listed company Web sites are available.

Candidates for legal-related employment will be interested in the electronic version of Martindale Hubbell <http://-www.martindale.com>. Like its print counterpart, the online version of MartindaleHubbell offers information on most major law firms in the country.

Finally, there are a number of "helper" sites that link to resources on business and company information. One of the best is CEO Express <www.ceoexpress.com>. The site "designed by a busy executive for busy executives" contains links to hundreds of business resources available on the Internet, including business and financial publications, annual reports, Dun & Bradstreet, wire services and Hoover's Company Information.

Whether you are actively involved in a job hunt, seeking a qualified candidate or just looking, the Internet can be a valuable resource in your employment repertoire.