Most people start with the big employment sites such as Monster, but they are not the only or the best place to look. Smaller, more focused sites can often be much more useful to you. Below are some ideas for your job search.

Search the Internet  - You are doing that now!  The "Internet" will not hire you, so use it for what it is -- an excellent source of job information.

Employer Web Sites - get a list of local companies and visit the web site. Believe it or not, many employers do not use some of the more popular job services.

To find some employer Web sites, you can visit:

• Academic360 - a directory of college and university Web site employment sections
• USAjobs - the job site for Uncle Sam, if you want to work in the U.S. Federal Government.

Professional Association Sites - If you have been in the work force for any length of time, you will be aware of the associations related to your area of expertise.

Recruiter/HeadHunter/Staffing Firm Web Sites - Careful here. There are good and there are BAD. Talk with you friends and get recommendations for ones they have dealt with before and have been both professional and successful in helping your friends find a job.

Networking - Still the best. Always has been and always will be. According to experts, only 10% to 15% of all job openings are posted on the Internet or other publication. The trick to being successful through networking is contact, contact and contact. You have to meet... call... visit... and you have to be persistent -- otherwise your network of contacts will cease to grow! 

Economy and Jobs The Dallas/Fort Worth area is sometimes called "Texas' Silicon Valley". Also, there are more than 40,000 telecommunication employees in the "Telecom Corridor" housing such companies as Southwestern Bell, AT&T, Alcatel, DSC Communications, Ericsson, Fujitsu, MCI, Nortel Networks, Rockwell, and Sprint. Central Dallas is supported by more than 100 miles of fiber optic cable. According to the Dallas Women's Covenant, there are more than 81,000 women-owned firms in metropolitan Dallas. Although the Telecom industry was hit hard in the latest recession, most businesses in Dallas performed better on average than other regional economies. Major companies based in and around Dallas Companies based in the Dallas city limits: 7-Eleven  Amresco  Belo Corporation  Blockbuster Video  Brinker International  Centex  Central and Southwest Electric Utility  CompUSA  Dean Foods  Excel Communications  Greyhound Bus Lines  Kimberly-Clark Corporation  Kinko's  Mary Kay Cosmetics  Neiman Marcus  Perot Systems  Pizza Hut  Southwest Airlines  Taylor Publishing  Texas Instruments  Wyndham International AMR Corporation (parent company of American Airlines), Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, FUNimation, Radio Shack, and Pier 1 Imports are based in Fort Worth. id Software is based in Mesquite. ExxonMobil, Michael's Stores, and Zale Corporation are headquartered in Irving. Electronic Data Systems, Frito Lay, Dr Pepper and JCPenney are headquartered in Plano. Educational Products, Inc. is headquartered in Carrollton. Sabre Holdings, the owner of Sabre Systems, is headquartered in Southlake. Daisytek is headquartered in Allen. Halliburton Energy Services was once based in Dallas, but moved to Houston in 2003.