How does Aker, 53, help Unisys's 33,000-plus employees keep their careers up to speed? With the Career Fitness Centre, an internal Web site launched in 1998. The site helps employees identify their strengths, as well as what they need to improve. It also offers tools that they can use to track their progress. "The bar keeps rising on performance," Aker says. "What better way to communicate the need to stay fit and develop new skills than the fitness-center metaphor?"

In the Fitness Centre, users can go to the jobs section and browse through a list of open positions. They can get their manager's approval online to submit a résumé. Moreover, users can track their "workouts" -- skill assessments, feedback, coursework -- in a Career Portfolio.

Meanwhile, the Feedback and Coaching Corner is staffed by Unisys volunteers who've agreed to serve as coaches for one year. "This is not a technology application," explains Aker. "It's an application by and for people."

Coordinates: Dave Aker, david.aker@unisys.com

Sidebar: Cyber Schmooze

One year ago, Lisa Imm, 25, an assistant marketing manager at Commtouch Inc., a global provider of Web-based email, was looking to change fields -- from database marketing to Internet marketing. But she had no idea how her current skills would transfer. Bottom line: She needed to network, and fast.

She didn't hit the party circuit or attend career fairs. Instead, she joined the email list for Silicon Valley Web Grrls, a networking group for women who work in the technology sector. "I instantly had access to more than 1,000 people without physically having to meet them," Imm says. "The list is my virtual Rolodex."

Imm used the network not only to tap into what jobs were available but also to get valuable advice when she was considering offers: "People wrote back saying, 'I wouldn't work for that company, and this is why.' It was like having 100 personal recruiters and career counselors." A month after gathering information from the Web Grrls community and other sources, Imm landed her job.

What's her advice for others looking to take advantage of the power of a cyber-schmooze? First, be sure to join a group with credentials: "You can refer to the group on your résumé. Many times in an interview people will say, 'Wow! I've used that group too!' It's a great conversation starter." Also, give as generously as you receive. "If you don't respond to people when you've got the advice that they need, then you won't get much out of it."

Coordinates: Lisa Imm, lisa_imm@prontomail.com; Silicon Valley Web Grrls, www.webgrrls.com