Job Newsgroups
Part III
How do I participate in job newsgroups?
If you're not sure, I recommend that you first visit "help" sites. I
list some in Job Newsgroups.
You'll need a newsgroup application, typically called a news reader. Even though they're called readers, most also allow you to post messages. While there are standalone news readers, most Web browsers and some email applications come with news readers built-in, or as an add-on available for free downloading. If you installed all components and add-ons of later versions of Netscape or Internet Explorer, you already have a news reader. As a test, click here to see if your newsreader opens.
You may need to configure options for your news reader, especially to add the address of your Internet service provider's Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) server. It's not as scary as it sounds. The NNTP server address may be as simple as news.provider.net, and you just type it in where appropriate. If you received the news reader from your provider, they may have configured it for you. If not, check with your provider for their NNTP server address. Typically, help is located on the support page at your provider's Web site. For instructions on configuring Netscape or Internet Explorer, click on Help from within either browser, check with your provider, or click the appropriate links in Job Newsgroups.
If you have correctly configured your news reader but are unable to contact a newsgroup, it probably means that your Internet service provider (ISP) does not subscribe to it, or the newsgroup has gone out of service.
Where can I find newsgroups?
Your news reader may allow you to download some or all of the newsgroup
addresses that your ISP has included on their NNTP server. It typically takes
awhile to download all newsgroups. It also takes up disk space and may slow down
your news reader.
If you don't want to fool around with downloading and sifting through hundreds of addresses to find the job-related newsgroups, I list several in Job Newsgroups, along with brief descriptions. (For groups that don't provide descriptions, I go by content, as do most directories of newsgroups.) I periodically add new groups, so check back often. If you're running a recent version of the Windows™ operating system and have correctly configured your news reader, in most cases all you have to do is click on a newsgroup link, and your news reader will open automatically.
If you don't want to fool around with a news reader at all, try Deja News. It's a Web interface to newsgroups, providing you with a way to search, read and post, right from your Web browser. Just browse and search it as you would any other Web site. It requires registration to post messages, but it's free. If you prefer, you may search Deja News from right here at Job Searching - Technical. For your convenience, I've preset the search form to search only job newsgroups.
If you don't want to fool around with searching through job newsgroups one-by-one, download Job Watcher for Windows 95/NT. It scans messages for the keywords you provide, within the job newsgroups you select. For accurate and faster searches, you need to know in advance which of the job newsgroups are appropriate for you, as the current version of Job Watcher doesn't provide descriptions. For example, you wouldn't want to search atl.jobs (Atlanta) if you're looking for jobs in Chicago; instead, search chi.jobs (Chicago), il.jobs.offered (Illinois) and maybe us.jobs.offered (US cities). You might want to visit and preselect appropriate groups first, in Job Newsgroups. Job Watcher is a bit clunky to set up, and is not too friendly for first-time users. You also need to know your NNTP server address. But, it's free if you don't mind putting up with banner ads.
Some career sites offer job newsgroup lists. CareerMosaic allows you to search job newsgroups from within your Web browser.
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
Clipart Gallery Live.
Copyright © 1998, J. Steven
Niznik. All Rights Reserved.