Job hunting is a job in itself, but college students and other job seekers now are equipped with effective weapons to help take down their desired prey.

Although big job search services such as Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com and Hotjobs.com are helpful, they are not the perfect resource for everyone, Career counselor Bob Norwood said.

“They all provide good services,” Norwood said. “They may be a valuable resource, but they are not the only ones out there and they are not necessarily the best.”

Other resources are less known.

“Victor eRecruiting is an example of a resource students don’t realize exists,” he said. “It has state-by-state job listings and the site focuses on specific disciplines.”

Norwood said the Victor eRecruiting Web site is a valuable university resource and encourages students to search for jobs through it because employers who post job openings on it are looking for NIU students or alumni.

Norwood said there is a word search involved in the application processing stage.

“Resumes are going to be scanned for certain pieces of information and key words and then categorized,” he said.

Posting a resume online is just like walking into an office and giving a resume to a potential employer, but with a few minor differences.

If an employer is interested in a resume, he or she will contact the person through e-mail or over the phone.

Checking and reviewing resumes is not the responsibility of the Web site, but the responsibility of the company which posted the job.

“These online job services are just a conduit,” Norwood said, “It’s the employers who actually contact you if they are interested in hiring you.”

Some NIU students have successfully found jobs through the job-searching Web sites.

Cheron Buckley, a public health major, found success in applying online.

“Applying online is convenient because it gives me the opportunity to apply for positions at locations I can’t get to at any given time,” Buckley said.

Rita Nesbitt, a junior family and child studies major, said applying online speaks volumes to potential employers.

“Applying online gives your potential employer the knowledge that you are capable of operating and skillfully using a computer,” she said.

“Online job searches are an excellent outlet for finding a new location that you may not have otherwise had the opportunity to know about unless you applied online,” Nesbitt said.

Some NIU students are not sold on applying for a job electronically and prefer a more personal approach.

“I would rather try to get an application from a manager instead of applying online so the person could at least see my face,” said Chris McBride, a senior music education major.

Sophomore history major Dave Kleinschmidt said he would rather apply in person because he feels it is more professional.