December 23, 2002
Ayers' Internet Resource Center Helps Candidates Harness the Net
The Internet offers job seekers a wealth of options, but finding the right information can be overwhelming. "The Net has been described as the greatest library in the world, but all the books are on the floor," says Ayers Director of Research and Internet Technology David Lockwood. To help the firm's candidates harness its potential, Lockwood has scoured the Net for the best links and created the Internet Resource Center (IRC).
Key features of the IRC include resource links—a comprehensive list of Web sites and databases organized into more than 40 categories, ranging from publications to career hubs to industry-, function-, and level-specific jobs—and job postings, organized by industry, from more than 1,000 potential employers. Candidates can post their profiles on the IRC for participating companies to review; store favorite links, contacts, and other job-search information; and register online for seminars held at Ayers Group offices.
The IRC also gives candidates access to Ayers' subscription databases: CareerSearch, Dun & Bradstreet's Million Dollar Database, Hoover's, Insite2, and Pratt's Guide to Venture Capital Sources. Each month, Lockwood conducts Internet research seminars focused on how to use these databases. "My primary objective is to teach candidates how to build target-company lists. I want them to realize it isn't about numbers. You don't need a list of 1,000 companies; you need a list of companies truly in your search arena.
"The beauty of the IRC is that candidates can access it—including their profiles and stored information—from anywhere in the world 24/7," Lockwood says. "Those who have completed their programs receive an extension of their access to this resource."
For senior-level candidates, Ayers Research Associate Trish MacKay, who received training in library science at Cambridge University, is available to conduct research on Nexis and other databases. "We also use Nexis to help other candidates who are not finding desired results through their own efforts," says Lockwood. "Unearthing and providing them with a lead or two usually helps send them off in the right direction so they can continue to research on their own."
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