If you want a leading edge in finding work, then log on. York grad Mark Swartz, an independent career consultant based in Toronto, says times have changed, and savvy job hunters use online resources as well as the want ads.

    Swartz (MBA '84) explains how to self-direct a job search and manage a career using Canadian resources on the Internet in Get Wired, You're Hired: The Canadian Guide to Job Hunting Online (1997: Prentice Hall Canada Inc.).

    Swartz says companies expect employees to have basic computer skills. In his book -- so far the only Canadian resource for job searching on the Internet -- he explains how to use computer technologies to self-assess skills and interests, research potential companies, network with contacts who can help find work, and even send a resume in the right format through email.

    Most Canadian companies have a website, but only 12 to 15 per cent of people have the Internet at home. So people who use the Net are more likely to get noticed, he claims.

    "If you opened up the Toronto Star two years ago you would have seen a telephone number and maybe an address to send your resume to," he says. "Today you rarely see either, but more and more you see either a Website or an email address. That's a big change." He says being able to use these tools shows potential employers you know how to use the technology.

    While he admits he initially resisted the Net, he wrote his book after many clients asked how to search for job postings on the World Wide Web and e-mail resumes. He found some answers in U.S. books, but none specifically for Canadians.

    "It may not be mandatory right now, but if the last two years have been any indication of the future, in the next two years these are going to be basic skills which companies will expect you to have," Swartz says.

    "I don't want to mislead anyone. The Internet will not change things overnight. But in the overall career search, it will help."