How the world has changed. There was a time when a job searcher was pretty much limited to his or her own personal network and whatever showed up in the classified ads section of newspapers and trade journals.

Then came the Internet and sites like Monster.com and CareerBuilder. Suddenly, searchers had access to tens of thousands of jobs in searchable databases. It was nirvana.

But do we now have too much of a good thing? The folks at Challenger, Gray & Christmas think so.

The Chicago-based  job consulting firm says the proliferation of online job sites - think newspaper online classifieds, places like Hotjobs.com, industry-specific sites and individual company postings - has created a confusing array of options. According to the latest Conference Board, there were nearly 4 million job vacancies posted online in July.

“However, access to thousands of job search sites on the Internet is not necessarily a good thing. The choices can be overwhelming for those who find themselves either voluntarily or involuntarily in the labor pool. One could easily spend all day, every day surfing the Net for job vacancies, emailing resumes and waiting for the phone to ring. Unfortunately, this approach will rarely lead to a new job,” said John Challenger, the company’s chief executive officer.

I wonder if you any of you folks are seeing the same thing. Maybe you or someone you know is searching for a job. How do you navigate the maze?

Challenger argues that too many people don’t yet understand how to use the Internet as a tool to find a job. Here are some of the company’s suggestions:

• Visit company sites to get names of key people. Many employers post job openings on their web sites, but resumes e-mailed by job seekers are probably directed to the human resources department, the last place you want your resume to go unless you are seeking a position in that department. By exploring a company’s web site, however, you will most likely find the name and even a phone number or e-mail address for the executive who will ultimately make the hiring decision.
• Use the Internet to keep up with employer news. Perhaps you have identified some key companies where you would like to find a position. Visit the companies’ web sites to find financial press
  releases which may indicate the areas of the company that are expanding.
• Visit web sites of trade associations. These groups often have the best overall picture about hiring needs and trends among their members.
• Take advantage of free local news. Most newspapers have free editions online. Read them - not just for the classified ads, but for the news stories. Staying up to date on local business news is an effective way to gain job leads.
• Use e-mail to find a job. The more people who know you are seeking a job, the faster you will find a job. E-mail is perhaps now the fastest, most efficient way to publicize your joblessness. Send an e-mail to everyone on your address list letting them know that you are unemployed, providing some brief information about the type of position you are seeking and your qualifications. Ask the reader to forward the information to their list of e-mail contacts, who will then forward the message to their address list. In a matter of days, the number of people who know you are job searching will have grown exponentially along with the odds of finding someone who can help.
• Get connected to social networks. If you already have Facebook and/or MySpace accounts, turn those sites into job-search tools by using them to inform your network of “friends” that you are seeking a job. Most of them may not be in a position to hire you, but many may know of opportunities or can spread the word to new people in their networks. Additionally, take down the pictures of last weekend’s big party and post photos, writing samples, etc., that will give employers some insight about what you have to offer. Other networking sites such as LinkedIn and Plaxo are geared more toward professionals and should also be used to build, expand and mine your various networks of friends, family and business contacts.