Date: Fri 08-Jan-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

business-Cascella-internet

Full Text:

Taking The Job Search To The Internet

(with photo)

BY KAAREN VALENTA

When Ms Cascella got a computer as a Christmas gift from her husband, Bob, a

few years ago, it opened up a whole new world for her.

"The Internet was fascinating," she said. "I like challenges, and I saw that

it provided unlimited possibilities."

So when she saw an advertisement for a job with a company that uses the

Internet to recruit, she quickly responded.

"They said they would provide training, so I applied," she said. "I was the

third person hired for the new company."

Ms Cascella works for Interactive Technology Consultants (ITC) of Trumbull, a

company that was spun off from The Huntington Group two and a half years ago.

ITC provides temporary computer technology specialists -- consultants with the

expertise, experience and training that corporations need to solve information

technology problems.

"The only place I recruit from is the Internet," Ms Cascella said. "And

although I specialize in technology (jobs), I'm familiar with sites that

aren't technology sites."

She will present a program, "How to Use the Internet to Post Your Resume," at

the Tuesday, January 12, meeting of the Newtown Jobseekers Support Group,

which will be held at 7:30 pm in the Monsignor Conroy Room of St Rose School.

The jobseekers group is facilitated by Bill Brimmer, a member of the Board of

Selectmen in Newtown and an executive with Drake Beam Morin, an outplacement

firm in Stamford. Mr Brimmer's firm is hired by companies to help their staff

members who, because of relocations, cutbacks or other reasons, are losing

their jobs. He organized the jobseekers group as a community service to help

Newtown residents who are unemployed or are considering a career change.

"Bill asked me to speak because there apparently are a lot of people who don't

know how to use the Internet to look for a job," Ms Cascella said. "If you are

computer savvy, there are search engines you can use to find sites, then it is

either a cut-and-paste operation or an attachment (to post a resume)."

ITC pays for the right to use job sites but postings by persons seeking jobs

are free, she explained.

"I also go in and post our jobs and people respond by e-mail. I average 150

e-mails a day," she said.

The demand for temporary workers in the technology field is so great that ITC

did $1.8 million in business the first year it was created, and $8.5 million

the second year, Ms Cascella said. Its parent company, The Huntington Group,

which recently was taken over by Hall Kinion Inc., handles only contract

(permanent) placements.

"Hall Kinion is buying up boutique companies like ours," she said. "We've gone

from a company of 20-30 people to 500 overnight."

Besides short-term and long-term consultants, Ms Cascella said she places a

lot of persons who have just graduated from college and others who might not

have enough experience yet to find the permanent job they are seeking.

Ms Cascella had worked for about 10 years for the Newtown schools, most

recently as administrative assistant in the business manager's office, then

briefly for a local credit union. This job, she said, was an entirely new

venture, one which would not have happened if she had not become interested in

computers.

"I like it -- it's a challenge," she said.

The jobseekers group meets monthly except in July and August. All meetings are

free. For more information, call Bill Brimmer at 270-9885.