Monster.com, Headhunter.net, WetFeet.com, JobTrak.com, CareerBuilder.com. The list goes on. And every time I think the Internet job search market is saturated--I couldn't have said that a couple of years ago--I hear of a new launch. Yes, including a site partnered with none other than the newspaper you are reading right now.

How can you even begin to slog through the mess? How much should you depend on these sites to help you find a new job? Has this replaced face-to-face meetings, networking and pounding the pavement?

The consensus seems to be that at day's end, you might end up with a small number of job possibilities that were a few clicks away (keyword: possibilities). In today's market, the faster a company can snap up a new employee, the better.

But one thing is clear: Don't let the Internet be the only aspect of your job search. Networking is still the most important thing you can do.

No Need to Pay
Searching online for a job can be so easy. Once you find a site that you know is reputable, you can search it with keywords for a type of job, company or location. All sites are different, so you'll probably have to do some surfing before you find the best one. If you're asked to pay for an online job search, don't. There are hundreds of forums to surf that don't charge the job seeker.

(In the interest of full disclosure: The Washington Post Co. has its own free job search Web site, called Jobs. It also features Post reporters, including this one, who do online discussions on the page.)

Once you find a job you're interested in, you usually can hit something that says "click here to apply by e-mail" or gives you the names or numbers to contact.

Yes, it's that simple. The biggest drawback may be that you have to do this search yourself. If you have a professional headhunter working with you, he or she can get after you if you're on the lazy side.

You know what you need to do. But what should companies do, and what are they looking for in Internet job applicants?

Devon Rutherford, sales manager at the fast-growing ServInt Corp., an Internet service provider in McLean, doesn't have the time to sift through hard resumes, looking for people with the right qualifications. But he has time to click on a job Web site or two, put in keywords like "sales" and "Internet" and see if there are any potential employees out there.

"It's a huge help. In today's market, I don't have the hours to sit down and say, 'I'm looking for salespeople,' " he said.

Rutherford said it's important for job seekers to be "specific with keywords" in their online resumes. That way, potential employers will know you might be a good fit for their company before you even meet.

But just because you are job hunting while sitting at your desk doesn't mean you shouldn't work at it. "Be relentless about keeping in touch," Rutherford advises. "If you haven't heard from someone in two weeks, definitely call. Say, 'I just wanted to see where we're at.' "

Hmmm. What was it that Mom always said? The more things change, the more they . . .

Use It for Research
You can use the job sites for more than just getting hired quickly. Use them as a tool. Keyword: research.

Kristina M. Ackley, author of "100 Internet Job Sites: Get Wired, Get Hired in Today's New Job Market," said job seekers can use a job site to see if they would be interested in a particular employer. Places like Vault.com can provide the surfer with "insider" information--what kind of culture is at Company X, such-and-such is all in a day's work at Company Y and the like. Use that to "weed out the jobs you definitely don't want," she suggested.

The next step, Ackley said, is to check out networking resources that are also available online. Talk to professionals to see what it's like to work in their fields. Ackley suggests checking out associations for the career you're in or would like to be in. You can find those by searching the Web, or go to www.asaenet.org (the American Society of Association Executives).

LaVern Chapman, associate director of the undergraduate business career center at the University of Maryland at College Park, advises students not to use the job Web sites just as a place to post their resumes. Posting on the Web should be part of "a whole portfolio of ways" to search for a job, she said.

She tells students to avoid sites that charge for job searching services and to look for viable positions on sites before posting their resumes. Be careful that the sites don't just hold your resume online and sell it to an employer or search firm. Some job openings won't directly list a company, but will list a link to the company Web site. Use that to research the company before you do anything else.

Keep Up Contacts
Just because you can tap at your keyboard and find a job opening doesn't mean you should continue to just sit on your . . . chair. Go out and make contacts, and continue to write that thank-you note after an interview (even if it's by e-mail).

"I think you still have to network and talk with people face to face and give someone something they can take away from that meeting," said Steve Koppi, director of career planning at American University. American just partnered with JobTrak.com, an online job search company that devotes most of its site to college students and recent graduates.

Ron Krannich, president of Impact Publications and author of more than 50 books, including "Change Your Job, Change Your Life," knows the Internet is playing a big part in many employees' lives. In fact, he just lost one to an Internet job search; her name is Kristina Ackley (see above). While researching her book, Ackley posted her resume and did some job searches online. She is now the electronic public relations manager for Network Solutions Inc. in Herndon.

Krannich, who is still on good terms with Ackley, said job seekers must combine an Internet job search with networking. "That is especially effective . . . in the D.C. area," he said. "That will get you into the really good jobs that haven't been announced."

Make sure you conduct both an active and a passive job search, he said. You can post your resume on many different sites; that is passive. At the same time, you can search the sites for job listings, join chat groups and start networking; that is active.

Covering all bases--both off and online--is key. "You've just got to do everything. You just never know," Krannich said. "You might find yourself a terrific job on the Internet, or you might find a lousy job on the Internet."

Amy Joyce writes every other week on career-related issues. Her e-mail is joycea@washpost.com

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