Job Hunting Online

by Judith Maginnis Kuster - Mankato State University (kuster@mnsu.edu).

In 1995, Money Magazine ranked speech-language pathology and audiology 11th on their list of the "Fifty Hottest Jobs." The employment outlook for speech-language pathology and audiology continues to be excellent. The U.S. Government's Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook for 1996-97 states that employment of speech- language pathologists and audiologists is projected to grow much faster than the average, with an increase of 36 percent or more through the year 2005.

While today's healthy job market suggests employers may need help to find people to fill vacancies -- and several sites below can help them do that -- this column will focus primarily on ways to use the Internet to find a job.

Many sites post vacancy notices.

• ASHA Leader Classifieds, mailed to members twice monthly, are also posted on the ASHA home page making them accessible before they arrive in the mail.

• ASHA's Council of Graduate Programs provides listings for available academic positions. Individuals seeking a position may also post information at no charge.

• The American Academy of Audiology currently lists ads accessible to AAA members.

• Audiology Job Web, maintained by Paul Dybala, is a free service for listing audiology jobs wanted or positions available and is part of a growing resource for audiologists.

• The Chronicle of Higher Education, Academe This Week lists job openings in and out of academe. A key word feature permits rapid searching.

• CALL 24 jobline - Speech- Language-Hearing Career Opportunities, updated bi-weekly, allows a search by region and specialty.

• Job Search maintains a database for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology that lets you search by sub-specialties, regions, states or other criteria. This site includes a CFY category.

• Medsearch provides health care career information. There is no fee for job seekers, who can post their resume or search by job specialty.

• Med Bulletin, billed as "The Internet Medical Jobs Resource," posts employment opportunities for speech-language pathologists.

• Monster Board provides access to a large national database of job listings, a place to post your resume, and information on health care careers.

• JobHunt, "A Meta-list of On-Line Job-Search Resources and Services" catalogs links for job hunting.

• Career Magazine provides searchable job postings from Internet newsgroups, resumes, employer profiles, career links and more.

The Internet can provide valuable background information for your interview. You can use Internet search engines to find sites to help you learn about the company offering the job. Other sites are designed to help make a positive impression in your application and your interview.

• Purdue University's Online Writing Lab contains information for job application. The section on The Latest Interview Trends from Yahoo lists over 150 airline links.

  If you are not flying, the Internet can map out your trip for you.

  • AutoPilot produces a customized itinerary if traveling by car or Amtrack, printing out in detail, the best route from your hometown to anywhere in the United States.

  • MapQuest's FindIt has an Interactive Atlas that provides a map to an exact address in over three million cities.

Finally, you've applied, interviewed and been offered a job. The Internet can help you decide if you want to accept the offer.

• To learn more about the community, Yahoo's Get Local provides maps and information by city or zip code.

• Among the considerations in relocating is whether the offered salary compares to your current one. The calculator at www.rehabjobs.com allows you to compare the cost of living in hundreds of U.S. and International cities to determine the salary necessary in relocating to maintain the standard of living you have in your present location