by Natasha Khairullah
Staff Writer
Long gone are the days of job seekers poring solely over the “help wanted” ads in the Sunday paper. Today, with just a computer and modem, one can research a specific industry, learn about specific businesses and their staffs, network, follow trends and find job openings. The hiring process is made doubly easy for the potential employer thanks to the same technological advances. As the Jacksonville Port Authority’s Jobs Web site turns a year old — and boasts 28,000 registered users — it would be safe to say that the international trade seaport has caught up with the rest of the crowd.
To become a registered user, an individual has to provide some basic information about themselves, including a phone number and e-mail address and in return, they receive access to an average of 30 new job postings each week in addition to the opportunity to send their resume to approximately 110 area prospective employers.
According to Joanne Kazmierski, manager of the Port’s Community Outreach and Environmental Advocacy division, one of the biggest benefits to site users is the 110 or so site links it provides to port-related businesses with openings.
“The links have resulted in a total of nearly 500 positions filled in the last year, 385 of which were unique jobs,” she said, adding the site is a partnership project with WorkSource, Jacksonville’s regional work force development board and equal employment opportunity organization.
The concept for a job Web site through the Port Authority was in the works for nearly five years before its launch in May of 2006, according Kazmierski, but the process took a year to completely develop and cost about $100,000. Over the past year, an additional $100,000 from the Port’s operating budget has been spent on marketing the site.
“We want to be an economic engine for the city of Jacksonville,” said Kazmierski. “This is a service for the public plus it’s also good for employers who can’t necessarily afford to advertise.”
Kazmierski said that with its multiple cargo terminals capable of handling container, automobile, bulk, breakbulk and refrigerated cargoes — as well as cruise passenger service — companies doing business at Jacksonville’s seaport and its tenants employ more than 8,000 workers and support an additional 42,000 jobs in Jacksonville.
There are three ways to search for jobs on Jaxport.com: search Port Partner job postings, search Port Partner job Web sites or search the State of Florida’s job Web site One Stop Management Information System (OSMIS).
Users can also specify the type of position they are looking for, including internship positions as well as temporary positions.
Jeff Geam was a 39-year-old Michigan native who, after 19 years in the landscaping industry in Detroit, found himself jobless for the first time since age 16. That was in 2004. Two years and 30 more systolic (blood pressure) points later, he finally found another job in the same industry – nearly 1,500 miles away, here in Jacksonville.
Geam attributes the long spell of unemployment to his lack of understanding today’s competitive job market and the tools needed to penetrate it — the main tool being the Internet.
“I wasted nearly two years picking up the newspaper and looking for something comparable to what I was doing before, mainly because that’s the way you did it 20 years ago,” he said. “I never thought applying for jobs online was worth anything because you never know where you’re application went or if anyone even received it. I preferred the old way.”
Kazmierski said that while it’s important not to confine a job search to the Internet – since many employers do still prefer the conventional application process – it’s just as important to realize the growing role the Internet plays in the search.
“Electronic media is the way a lot of companies are going now,” she said.
“The best advice I can give to anyone is whether they use the Jaxport site or not, they need to get over their fear of getting on the computer. As technology advances, it’s dominance is inevitable.”