Match Makers.

Online job recruitment is on the rise in Latin America.

IN HIS SEARCH FOR A JOB, JAVIER Miglin, a 28-year-old Argentine computer technician, had one requirement: He needed to find work in the United States so he could be closer to his girlfriend. His initial search efforts were in vain. "I spent many months searching for a job through Sunday newspapers in Buenos Aires, and wasted too much time giving my name to local recruiters," he says. A determined Miglin then logged on to the Internet and soon discovered Superba, a company based in Los Angeles that makes men's ties. The company, desperate to find a bilingual computer technician, had advertised a job opening on its web site.

Superba was even willing to sponsor his immigration visa, something local Buenos Aires recruiters could not guarantee. Miglin took the job, moved to Los Angeles and got married.

The trend of companies posting positions on job boards and waiting for resumes to roll in is still incipient in Latin America, where the executive culture of personal relationships and pedigree maintains a stronghold. In many cases, if potential employees don't bear the right family name and social connections, they are not considered for jobs that offer the best pay and title.

But bilingual Latin professionals hungry to use their international skills are flocking to the Internet. Recruiters motivated by commissions that reach to up to 30% of an executive's first-year salary, are setting up web sites to catch them. Latpro Network, widely acknowledged as the leading Latin American online job site, reports 25,000 visitors per month. Some companies in the region are venturing into cyberspace with greater frequency to woo candidates up and down the corporate ladder. DirecTV, Bank of America, and American Express form part of a growing list of firms seeking people in cyberspace.

The change toward jobs and resume postings on the Internet is readily obvious in the proliferation of general-purpose Internet portals. Job advertisements span the range, from the typical computer technician to more specialized searches for a gay editor for a homosexual publication operating out of Colonia Juarez in Mexico City ([e-mail]) or the services of a self-proclaimed para-psychologist ([e-mail]) offering spiritual cleansings.

Technical postings are still the most common, but other sorts of jobs are popping up with greater frequency.

Companies competing against more traditional methods, such as the Sunday classified section or trade journals, are finding benefits in posting ads online. "Without the Internet, there is no way we could have been able to identify such a valuable talent pool," says Adriana Brier, head of International Resources LTD. Brier's company has focused on placing Colombian middle managers in jobs abroad. Brier and her partners, Amanda Myott and Marcos Herrera, focus on selling their services to large companies and building reams of potential candidates by seeking resumes online.

International Resources is now moving into virtual screening, trying to assess candidates' strengths and weaknesses by administering online personality and database searches. "We get every kind of person applying online, and then we do a lot of filtering with requirements such as years of experience and their alma mater:' says Myott.

Traditional search firms also see automated applicant screening as money waiting to be made. Later this year, Korn/Ferry International plans to launch Futurestep, a search engine that supposedly provides screening similar to a traditional headhunter.

The two-step process uses the Internet to cast a very wide net for candidates before using more traditional recruiting savvy to sort through the catch. "The Internet will allow us to enter lower-level markets in a cost-effective manner while providing high-quality placement in a shorter time," says Monica Seers, Korn/Ferry's vice-president in Mexico. When candidates register with Futurestep, they fill out a lengthy online questionnaire--answering queries such as whether they are happier working on a small number of related projects or a large number of unrelated projects. Futurestep recruiters then follow up with reference checks and videotaped interviews of candidates who seem like a good match for a particular job.

With so much automation, some companies are investing in their own online recruitment centers. High-tech leaders such as Microsoft and Cisco spend a great deal of time, effort and money establishing information-rich interactive recruitment sites. Cisco's HotJobs link in its home page features an online application, tips on preparing resumes, information about locations of Cisco offices, and an intelligent agent that asks questions based on keywords and field entries in the online application.

Intel's recruitment site performs more of a marketing tool function. It is designed to build loyalty and increase prospective candidates' interest in the firm. Much emphasis is placed on benefits programs, the multicultural and diverse working environment at Intel, scholarships and grants, and growth and development. In the site's "Everyday Adventures" link, the company provides a snapshot of the jobs offered.

Such efforts promise to make matching employers and employees less painful for both sides. "Like in my case, if a company doesn't have the right people, it can download them from the Internet," says Miglin.