Job Newsgroups
Part I
What are newsgroups?
In a nutshell, they
are online, message-based communities of people with common interests. Each
newsgroup is dedicated to a topic, and you may write (post), search, read and
reply to messages about that topic. With over 30,000 newsgroups all over the
Net, topics are plentiful.
Newsgroups are also called Internet discussion groups, Usenet forums, Usenet newsgroups, and just Usenet. We'll stick with newsgroups.
Several newsgroups are dedicated to job searching.
It's one of the most popular topics. Many of the jobs are computer-related, but
most groups also list other types of jobs.
Some groups are dedicated to job ads, while others are dedicated to résumé submissions, job-wanted messages, or general discussions about jobs and careers. Job sites, résumé banks, recruiters and employers often visit newsgroups to retrieve résumés, read job-wanted messages or post job ads.
Networking is what job-related newsgroups are all about.You may even run across your own résumé. Some recruiters, job sites and résumé banks post résumés to newsgroups, to give you maximum exposure.
Many job newsgroups are picky about what you post.
Before you post, study the messages to get an idea of what is allowed, so you
aren't banned from future postings. You also want to avoid getting flamed
for posting inappropriate messages.
Some are controlled by rather anal moderators, but they are picky for a good reason: to keep the topic on track and eliminate the riff-raff. For example, in a newsgroup that accepts only résumés, the moderator may screen out job postings, job-wanted messages, advertisements, general discussions, and questionable "opportunities," such as work-at-home and management-trainee schemes. That's good.
Newsgroups that aren't moderated can be a free-for-all for unscrupulous opportunists, con artists and spammers. That's bad. More on this later.
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Write your messages clearly, and never, ever post job-wanted messages and résumés with typos! It implies that you have poor communication skills or don't pay attention to details. While moderators may not care, recruiters and employers do. |
Comments, suggestions or questions? Found a great career resource and want to share it? Want to network and discuss technical job searching, employment, and careers with others? Send feedback, or go to the chat room or bulletin board, all open 24 hours daily.
JSN
Job Searching - Technical supports
Equal-Opportunity Employment
Clipart courtesy of Microsoft
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Copyright © 1998, J. Steven
Niznik. All Rights Reserved.