National Business Employment Weekly

Did you know that there is a weekly tabloid focusing on career guidance and job search? Published by The Wall Street Journal, the National Business Employment Weekly is not only in print, but online.

At first glance, the home page of this site is deceptively simple, having just eight links. However, these links are doors to very interesting job-related topics.

The Best of NBEW

One of the most interesting links is The Best of NBEW, which leads to articles that have appeared in past issues. Topics included are "Why Executive Resumés Are Unique," a column that debunks the one-page resumé guideline; "Make Sure Your Resumé Is a Scannable Document," with 18 tips on designing a scannable resumé that improves your hiring prospects, and "Can I Really Find a Job Using the Internet?", which uses a FAQ (frequently asked questions) format about job-hunting online.

Only the table of contents of the current printed weekly issue is on the home page. In other words, 95 percent of what is found on the printed page is not found online. That's one way they entice you to subscribe to the print publication.

What is found online, however, is Weddle's Web Guide. Peter Weddle profiles nearly 70 career-building sites, including Latin America's Professional Network and the Monster Board. Each review lists the date the site was launched, describes the site's purpose, and tallies the number of jobs and resumés posted. It also cites the top three fields and the salary ranges of jobs.

It is interesting to note that the Monster Board had 45,000 jobs listed and 450,000 resumés posted as of October 1998. Not all sites are that lopsided, however. On Best Jobs U.S.A., 25,000 jobs and 20,000 resumés are posted. So it pays to research a site to find the best odds before submitting a resumé.

The National Business Employment Weekly is a simple, hardworking site that offers clear, usable information. Graphics are almost nonexistent so it loads in a flash. For this plain but intelligent website, I'd give 3-1/2 mouse clicks. The information is good, but there is not enough of it.