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* Peel Back Search
Let's say that you've used X-Ray technique and found 400 links. One of those links (e.g., http://www.host.com/group/members/mybio1) points to a corporate site on which several individuals have their biographies. Of course, you can guess that if this one biography matches your needs, there might be other biographies with similar qualifications.
At this point, you can use Peel Back technique. This technique takes one result from previous two searches and drills down into site. It not only reduces amount of time you spend looking at each biography, but it also bypasses any specific walls in place that prevent you from prowling site (e.g., a 403 browser error).
Look at 'members' path in URL. There may be other members of group inside that folder. To take a look, "peel URL back" until it reads http://www.host.com/group/members. In hopes of viewing a list of pages, you press Enter key. Instead, you get '403 Error Message' that tells you that you're forbidden from viewing directory. This usually happens when Web server is setup to prevent 'directory browsing' and there are no default pages (e.g., index.html, default.html, etc.)
To resolve this, you peruse directory indirectly. You already know that biography page is on 'host:host.com' and you know that there is a folder named 'members' in URL. Using this information, you can go to AltaVista and perform an X-Ray search using 'host:host.com AND url:members'. This will return all pages on 'host.com' with 'members' in URL. Viola!
--- Becoming Proficient ---
It is important to use and understand techniques presented so that you can become a proficient Internet Sourcer. The best way to exercise your new talent is to locate various job descriptions on numerous job-posting sites. Prepare a set of keywords from job descriptions and execute various search techniques. Try to fine-tune search to acquire as many specific and relevant resumes as possible.
Additionally, it's important to follow a set of guidelines to provide a professional presentation when looking for and performing various Internet Sourcing opportunities. A subset of some of these general rules is listed below to give you a jump-start on your new career:
- Don't search to find out what you're searching for. To make better use of your time, make sure that you have a solid grasp of target search and expected results.
- Many times, when performing search, keywords at target links are available as used in search keywords. In other cases, however, you'll have to translate search criteria to find most possible returns.
- Start with a small search string that returns a large number of pages. By tuning search iteratively, your string grows and number of returns decrease. Make sure that as string grows, it doesn't become convoluted or contain misspellings. However, also take into account misspellings as some words are misspelled in common ways at target Web sites.
- Assemble your resources to ensure that you can perform a successful search. These resources include bookmarks to search engines, a method of tracking searches, keywords for target search, a list of competitors and their URLs, association sites, universities, company profiles, industry resources, and sites specific to a given discipline.
- Understand and use your techniques for effective and efficient searches. Use advanced search services at various search engines and understand how to apply each technique to each engine.
- Continue working with and learning new search techniques---it is imperative to your success as an Internet Sourcer. Also, visit recruiter-specific sites to read on their latest trends and requirements so that you can stay up to speed with industry.
--- Finding a Job ---
As far as jobs are concerned, once you acquire some experience, go to Jobvertise (http://www.jobvertise.com/) and search for 'Internet Sourcer' and 'Internet Sourcing'. From returned job list, you'll be able to either locate a position or find other keywords that can help you fine-tune your search.
As an added bonus, from information presented, you now know how to best organize your resume to reach largest audience and announce your new profession as an Internet Sourcer. Prepare a searchable resume based on this information and, pretty soon, every recruiter will know your name!
--- What's next? ---
Obviously, in a short article there is no way I can make you an instant expert, but I did provide you with basic information to get you started. Now, you can go out on Web and search information presented here to find additional references and enhance your knowledge of this new position! >From my own experiences, Internet Sourcing is a lot of fun and you can make a reasonable amount of money performing contract Internet Sourcing services.
Edward B. Toupin is a freelance consultant, writer, and published author living in Las Vegas. He currently handles technical writing tasks for various companies in New York, Chicago, and Denver. Edward also provides quality Web site design, development, and marketing as well as writing, document design and planning, and e-book publishing services. You can visit his Web site at http://www.toupin.com or contact him at etoupin@toupin.com.