Good 'tips' in the labor market.

The arrival of the labor market on Internet is often said to be a revolutio n that will optimize matching job-seekers with job slots while reducing the constraints related to space, time and costs. Recordings made during an 'e mployment fair' allow to observe how this market has put this technology to use and suggest a more cautious conclusion. First of all, a single process of rationalization - which involves not only accumulating and standardizin g information but also resorting to automated procedures for sorting data w ith parametrables search-engines - underlies the many technical arrangement s made possible thanks to computers. Secondly, the thus rationalized proces ses leading up to meetings with job applicants turn out to have a limited e ffect. To ward off the deviant effects of this rationalization, those who a re looking for jobs as well as those who are looking to have job slots fill ed tend to fall back on more traditional procedures, such as social network s and face-to-face contacts. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicales E lsevier SAS.