Dear PJ:

Yes, people actually find good jobs on the Internet. In fact, the number of recruiters and employers who post jobs online grows every year. However, a recent survey by Weddles.com showed that the benefit you will get from an Internet search varies greatly according to the level of the job you are searching for. Here are the statistics for openings that are placed online in different categories: Hourly positions:7.7%, Entry-level professional positions: 23%, Mid-level professional positions: 46.2%, Senior-level professional positions: 7.7%, Managerial positions: 11.5%, Executive positions: 3.9%.

There is a whole world of job postings beyond Monster. In fact, there are 40,000 job boards on the Internet, which is very confusing. Many people confine their search to large sites thinking that “bigger is better.” However, you might have more success on smaller sites that are more specific to what you are looking for. Check your local library or bookstore for books such as Weddle’s 2007/8 Guide to Employment Sites on the Internet that can help you narrow your search for the right job boards.

Finally, even in today’s high tech world, more people get hired using the traditional ways: networking, personnel agencies, want ads -- but these can result in frustrating, long searches too. So a successful job search is usually one that casts as broad a net as possible.

The Career Doctor