Searching for a job or internship might be easier in the Internet age.

According to a Western Career Services survey, 27 percent of the surveyed May 2005 graduates found a job through the Internet.

Web sites such as www.monster.com and www.CareerBuilder.com feature thousands of job listings and opportunities to post resumes.

Both sites allow searches for specific types of jobs and searches within a city or region.

The Career Services Center has its own job search site, said Lana Riney, assistant director of career services.

The site, TopJobs, is available for all students and alumni.

TopJobs has about 1,357 job postings, Riney said.

“It is similar to CareerBuilder or monster.com, but our employers want Western students specifically,” she said.

Most of the employers listed on TopJobs come from Kentucky, southern Indiana and Tennessee, but there are also some listings from across the United States.

Riney said members can find full-time, part-time or seasonal jobs and internships through TopJobs.

Most of the employers that are coming to the Spring Job Fair on March 28 list open positions and search for employees on the site.

There are about 5,100 registered students and alumni on the site, Riney said.

To register, students can go to the career services home page and create a profile.

TopJobs also allows members to upload resumes and other career documents like transcripts and cover letters, Riney said.

She added that career services sets up interview days with employers on the site.

“We call them campus interviews where the employers come to us,” she said.

There are 18 interview days listed.

Owensboro senior Amy Gray said she has been using TopJobs since the beginning of the semester and she has had two job interviews so far.

Gray likes the site because the employers find her resume and contact her for interviews, she said.

Riney said the Internet has made job searching easier because it allows students to search any time of day instead of just during business hours.

“Students have busy schedules. If they only have time at two in the morning, they can do their job search at two in the morning,” she said.

The Internet has also made it easier for employers because they can advertise more and choose from larger candidate pools, Riney said.

Enterprise Car Rentals in Kentucky and southern Indiana use TopJobs, CareerBuilder and monster.com to find employees.

Enterprise Recruiting Manager Mike Hammond said the sites are more affordable than using newspaper ads or an employment agency.

Those hiring methods can cost 10 to 15 times more than using the Internet, he said.

The Internet is also faster.

“You can be in the office and search,” Hammond said.

Before the Web sites, employers would have to travel to find employees, he said.

Riney said she doesn’t think the Internet has made searching for a job more competitive.

Those who work the hardest will still find the best jobs, she said.

Riney compared searching for a job to a three-credit hour class.

Students should spend at least three hours a week doing job searches and compiling a resum?, she said.

A majority of that “class” could now be done online, she said.

Reach Christina Howerton at features@wkuherald.com.