Q: Are all of the job listings from the newspaper
in the database?
A: All of the listings from the two most recent Sundays' Washington Post are
available in the Career Post database. In addition to listings from the newspaper, there
are more than 14,000 listings that are direct from employer web sites. The entire
database includes more than 27,000 job listings from 180 sources. This is the largest single
source of jobs in the greater Washington region.
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Q: Why aren't all of the categories that are in
the newspaper online?
A: In the newspaper, all listings are organized alphabetically by keyword--there
are no "categories." In striking a balance between thousands of possible key words and a
reasonable number of categories, we've arrived at a list of 100. All ads are mapped to one or
more of these categories. In many ways this makes it more likely that you will find the jobs
that are right for you. For example, a job listing for a restaurant manager can be found by
searching in either the restaurant category or in the management category.
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Q: How do I find a listing that doesn't fit into
one of the categories?
A: Rather than selecting a category, try using the keyword field. Type in
the functional area or industry you are interested in (using a 'single quote' around literal
phrases, AND or OR between terms) and press the search button. If the results are too broad,
use additional keywords to narrow the search.
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Q: Why doesn't the summary information always
match the information in a job listing?
A: This is most likely a bug. The Virtual Database Technology we use allows us to
capture information from many sources and normalize that information into a common,
searchable format. Occasionally, that process may confuse a "widget" with a "whatsit."
If you see this happen, please send an e-mail to webads@washpost.com letting us know.
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Q: Why can I only view the first 25
of a series of Summary Results? The next button is enabled, but all I get
is a blank screen.
A: The inability to navigate beyond the second page is most
likely because your browser has an option set that rejects "cookies". Cookies
are a common method used to store relevant information that would otherwise
be lost as you moved between the different pages of the application. Without
them it is not possible to implement the high level of functionality that
we provide and searching for a job would be far less convenient. This problem
is usually corrected once cookie support is enabled. For example, if you
are using Netscape Communicator 4.x, go to the Edit/Preferences dialog then
click on "Advanced," choose either of the "Accept" options under "Cookies."
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Q: Why must I enable cookies? I've
seen sites that don't require them.
A: We have looked at a number of alternatives and it is simply
not possibly to provide the level of functionality that we do without them.
Though it might look like you are inside an application that is permanently
running, when you are on the Web you are usually involved in a series of
separate transactions, each one operating on your latest action (for example:
"Search," or "Next Page"). In many cases the action requires information
that you entered on a previous page (for example a selection in a list
box, or checking some check boxes). While there are other ways to temporarily
store this information that avoid the use of cookies, this is not possible
in all circumstances.
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Q: Don't cookies take up a lot
of space? How long are yours valid for?
A: CareerPost uses the W3C specification for
transient cookie usage. That is, we do not set an expiry date, in which case the specification
defines that the cookie generated will be set to a value of "Max-Age" and
will be discarded when you exit your browser. Under this specification,
no cookie should be stored on your hard drive at all. Netscape has implemented
this in their browsers, and from our investigations it appears that the
latest Microsoft products have as well.
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Q: Do you use any Java or JavaScript
running on my browser?
A: We use neither at present. In many cases we could provide
a better user experience if we used either or both on the client browser,
however we have elected not to do so at present to ensure that the widest
possible audience has access to our services.
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Q: What does the Keyword text field
do and how should I use it?
A: Keywords allow you to search for words in the body of the
job listings directly. You can enter one or more keywords separated by
AND or OR, or enter 'a phrase in single quotes' to ensure that all the words are
treated as a single entity.
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Q: Can I search for jobs by company on companies that aren't in the Featured Employers list?
A: Yes, you can enter a 'company name in single quotes' to search for jobs with companies that are not in the Featured Employer list.
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Q: Does the Keyword box on
the Summary Results perform the same task as that on the Search Page?
A: Not exactly. It lets you refine your search by only operating
on those listings in the Summary.
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Q: There is a problem with a job listing that ran in the newspaper. Who do I contact?
A: You can send an e-mail to careerpost@washingtonpost.com
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Q: There is a problem with a job listing that was loaded from a Featured Employer web site. Who do I contact?
A: You can send an e-mail to careerpost@washingtonpost.com
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Do you have a question that is not answered here? E-mail us at careerpost@washingtonpost.com
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© 1999 The Washington Post
