Jobs are there for the taking, for the price of doing your homework and presenting yourself properly.

This is the message young people went away with from last week's second annual Career Track conference. The conference was organised jointly by the Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Human Affairs and Information.

Lectures in the morning on the state of the job market and how to get into it gave way to "round table'' discussions with representatives of industries in the afternoon.

In the morning, the messages that were stressed again and again were: network show initiative do your homework and prepare have a plan; don't just go with circumstances know yourself so you can present yourself build yourself into a worthwhile asset "You are really planning your survival as adults, and the survival of your society,'' said Ms Deborah Jackson, the assistant general manager of Appleby Spurling & Kempe.

Resumes were a big area in which job applicants could make a difference, said Ms Carolyn Mello, executive vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce. She said she saw so few organised and well-presented resumes that those who worked on their resumes stood out, especially in Bermuda.

Stressing the importance of organising information on a resume, she quoted an article she had read: "It's not my job to make sense out of your life.'' Researching the company you are applying for is essential before writing a resume potential employers will be interested in.

Interview techniques followed in a later talk by Mrs. Sandra Cann, the human resources manger of Conyers Dill & Pearman.

Interviews were an opportunity for a mutual exchange of information, she said, so reading up and preparing questions was just as important as preparing answers.

"You are not at the mercy of the employer,'' she stressed. "Someday, you will have choices.'' Ms Jackson, in giving a market overview, discussed key employers, key issues and the importance of keeping abreast of current events and the impact these will have.

For example, as the US, Canada, and Britain are taking their bases out of Bermuda, job-seekers should be alert to possibilities, she said.

She also displayed statistics, obtained from the last census, on the labour force by major occupational groups. This showed that the single largest sectors were clerical, including entry-level positions that were leading on to better-paid jobs, and production and transportation, as Bermuda is a major importer.

Professional and technical occupations employ 16 percent of the work force; administrative and managerial positions account for 13 percent; and sales and service 20 and six percent, respectively.

Service was an expanding aspect of sales, Ms Jackson said, because the sale of a computer system created the need for service.

Young people leaving school have a tougher job-search to look forward to than in the '80s, as registered unemployment now stands at 500 out of a workforce of an estimated 33,000 people, said Ms Jackson.

Since some people simply do not register, the actual unemployment figure is unknown.

Before the recession, she said, Bermudians could expect to be overemployed.

"We are reportedly coming out the recession,'' she said. "It is important for you to keep in touch with what this means for you.'' Major changes in the workplace from 1980 to 1991 showed a 14 percent contraction in the hotel, restaurant and club sector, traditionally a mainstay of the Island's economy, Ms Jackson said.

Manufacturing also shrank by six percent, and personal and household services by 1.5 percent.

The biggest percentage increase was in banking, insurance and real estate, she said, with 43 percent growth. This was followed by 33 percent in services, 30 percent in international companies, seven percent in the public sector, and five percent in wholesale and retail, which she named as one of the largest groups of employers.

However, despite all these uncertainties, Human Affairs and Information Minister the Hon. Jerome Dill reassured his audience that Government was doing everything it could to ensure an equal plane of competition in the job market.

His Ministry was driving the Campaign for Unity and Racial Equality (CURE) Act, he said, and was trying to amend the Human Rights Act.

He said, "We are committed to a discrimination-free workplace.'' The 12 industry groups represented in the discussion were international business, hospitality, accounting, computer technology, engineering, private enterprise, medicine, civil service, law, banking, education and social services.