Advice for Job Board Users
by Motte Brown on 02/17/2009 at 2:24 PM
Job board sites like Monster and Career Builder have great commercials. They're so good I get sort of a left behind feeling because my resume's not "out there." They want you to think that your dream job is just a click away. Is it?
Today, The Wall Street Journal asks the experts to weigh in on whether or not those sites will help you land a job or advance your career. Here's the gist:
- Monster, Career Builder, and Hot Jobs "are nice for very young, entry-level job hunters," but more experienced professionals do better with "industry-specific" sites.
- Experts favor Jobing.com because it provides local listings, and Craigslist.com and Execunet.com because they "cut right to the noise and get to the actual job."
- Most of the sites "have pretty good security" except for Craigslist.
But I think their last question and answer is the most helpful.
Q: What advice do have for job hunters searching employment boards?
A: Don't put too much time into them, advises Mr. Cohen [career counselor and executive coach in New York]. He recommends investing heavily in networking in person and online.
1. Ted Slater said the following at 2:57 PM on Feb 17:
Pretty much every job I've held has been the result of nepotism.
FWIW.
2. Motte Brown said the following at 3:51 PM on Feb 17:
Ted:
I've gotten all mine from networking as well.
I'd love to hear from anyone who has received an offer using a job board.
3. Keith said the following at 4:17 PM on Feb 17:
In this job market, one has to be willing to try almost anything and everything. Every site has something to offer, and you don't know which one you will have luck on, so try them all.
I personally have found my last three jobs on Graigslist - Not the most professional site, but beggars can't be choosers...
4. Kristen said the following at 6:10 PM on Feb 17:
Sure, one has to do what one can to obtain a job. However, I would like to caution people as spammers got a hold of my posted resume and have used my e-mail address mercilessly. If you are going to post an e-mail address, then create a separate account (another mistake of mine) on some generic server. I am still adding addresses to my blocked list on a weekly basis and wish I had stopped to think a moment or two about the costs of using such websites.
5. KR said the following at 6:11 PM on Feb 17:
I actually found my current job using Monster. I applied to several other openings with Careerbuilder as well. A few led to phone interviews and one eventually landed me this position.
It was hard work, no doubt, and this was early to mid 2008 before the recession hit. I agree that trying anything could be useful in these times--newspapers, job boards, and networking. In general, the more human interaction you get, the better chance you have of landing a job.
6. Joyce said the following at 6:18 PM on Feb 17:
Hi! I got my first job from JobStreet.com. But I also gave out 100 copies of my resumes, went to 15-20 interviews and had two job offers. Good luck!
7. Dr. Ransom said the following at 6:18 PM on Feb 17:
With Craigslist, it's very hard to short all the fake "jobs" from the real ones. However, with CareerBuilder, half the jobs are for "secret shopper" programs; the other half are in the medical professions.
So the truth comes out, eh wot? That "Dobson" name must have been just a pseudoym. The real Focus founder is actually named Dr. James Slater.8. 'Guerite ~ BoldLion said the following at 6:41 PM on Feb 17:
Thank you for the other job links that I can go to! I told one of my other friends who is also job hunting as well.
So far, I haven't been able to get a job that I would like to get when I had apply number of them online with my resume. They don't reply to you any more.
I am told that the big secret to get a job out there is to know someone in the company personally to pull or to bat for you to get a job in there.
I am still job hunting since July but had found a part-time job with min.wages which is better than not getting any unemployment pay. I am hanging in there until I can find a full time job with benefit. So far, nothing.
It isn't like the good old day when you would hear from them to set up the appointment for the interview. I would love to see the good old days again.
Giving them the resume isn't enough information for them judge it? How can they not reply to me?
I also am learning that temp agency isn't being fair because I had try to get a job with someone that I had to go through temp agency when there were an opening at that time. Temp tell me no opening but to call them back one a week after 5 o'clock and leave the message on the answering machine. This is playing game tag. Plus, they will not hire anyone who had been fired at all.
Hungry to eat His Word,
'Guerite ~ BoldLion
9. james said the following at 7:25 PM on Feb 17:
Here's 3 job sites from about.com's top ten job sites-
www.linkedin.com (professional networking)
www.indeed.com (aggregated listings)
www.realmatch.com (matches jobs based on your skills)
good luck to those looking.
10. Marilyn said the following at 9:35 PM on Feb 17:
My husband is an IT professional and as such has had many different jobs in the last 10 years. He's been out of work for over 5 months now.
After applying for nearly 100 jobs, interviewing for less than a dozen, the most promising prospect came through networking.
We live in a state that has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, I am told there are anywhere from 300-1200 applicants for every job opening that gets posted. Try not to take it personally when you don't hear back from prospective employers or land the first few jobs you apply for. The market is very tight and it will take some time.
I wouldn't bother with Craigslist...too many scammers there. Monster was okay, DH got one of his jobs through them but since re-posting his resume we've been getting spammed mercilessly.
Good luck to all who are searching.
11. obewan said the following at 6:45 AM on Feb 18:
I got my dream job from careerbuilder.com. My employer uses their services all the time, and I work for the Fortune magazine "Most Respected Corporation in the World."
I acutally got the job from Management Recruiters Intenational, but they had it posted on Careerbuilder. I wound up doubling my salary.
I don't believe in posting resumes online. But, responding to very specific job leads can turn up dozens of interviews. I had probably 12 fly in interviews that were paid for by the employer who posted on monster.com or careeerbuilder.com the last time I was laid off.
For a person like me with a highly specialized degree, the Internet job boards is the only way to leave no stone unturned in the search. I can get to hundreds of job leads in a matter of seconds, and it only takes one mouse click to respond to them.
I never got a job by networking. I only know 5 or 10 people in my degree speciality for one thing. I would only recommend networking through a good contingency recruiter. They are being paid to fill a job, and will go to bat for the right candidate. But then, it helps to be in a field where a headhunter is required to actually find a person qualified to fill a stated position.
12. Michael Thiebaud said the following at 7:51 AM on Feb 18:
I've been with my current employer for 11 years. This doesn't mean I don't look for new work. I used to go to each job-listing site and search there. I have since found an incredible tool through MySpace Jobs. In seconds, it searches through ALL online job posts...even the local newspapers! It's super easy to look and you don't even need to have an account! I've found many jobs through the site all over the US...one of which asked if I was willing to relocate. We didn't want to move from California to Wisconsin but the offer was there...and the pay was about 7 dollars an hour more. So, yes, jobs are attainable through search boards.
13. Sylvia said the following at 8:25 AM on Feb 18:
Networking feels so unnatural for me. I have always been a very poor person, and trying to connect with successful people in hopes of getting something out of them always felt so wrong to me. Maybe it's just because I never had enough to offer them to make it an even-footed relationship.
People definitely get hired because of who they know a lot of the time, and I don't begrudge them that at all. I think God puts us where he wants us and puts the right people in out paths. What I can't get my mind and conscience around is any way to actually make "networking" happen that doesn't feel like I am focusing my God-given energies impressing the rich when I should be serving those who cannot repay me.
Any thoughts?
14. Mike Theemling said the following at 9:21 AM on Feb 18:
There's nothing wrong with posting your resume at "generic" job sites like Monster.com (et al), but you can't expect too much from them.
I agree that industry specific sites are more likely to garner views. Even better are sites of the individual companies themselves.
Another option is to work with a recruiting agency (sometimes referred to perjoratively as "head hunters"). They basically help find you work and get compensated by the company hiring if you remain employed for a certain amount of time (the model works because the hiring companies save money from doing their own recruiting efforts). By the way, you should never have to pay to work with a good recruiting company.
usajobs.com is the site for Federal employment. It has a lot of opportunities, but be aware that some of these jobs are "legally required" yet defacto closed (meaning per law they must post the job publically but they pretty much already know who they want to hire). And the turn around time from applying to actual job could take many months.
But as many have stated that networking is the fastest, most effective way to get a job. But of course it also requires a fair amount of luck.
Looking for a job is tough work, and almost a full time job in and of itself. The most important thing you can do is to be persistent. Treat looking for work as a "normal work day" (e.g. get up early, dress up, plan your agenda, etc) and don't limit yourself too much, especially in this economy.
If you are employed and suspect that your current job might be in jeopardy, it's never too early to update your resume and put your ear to what the latest trend is in your industry and to learn some of it. Those that fail to quickly adapt are the worst off.
15. P&P said the following at 10:27 AM on Feb 18:
I've had interviews (and one job offer) from Monster, so don't discount it. Also, both Monster and CareerBuilder are partnering with local newspapers in an effort to "regionalize" themselves more.
I also wouldn't discout Craigslist, either. Although many of them are scams, a lot of smaller companies post there because of the reduced cost. Just make sure you do your homework on the company before you apply, which is a good rule for all job applications.
All that being said, the best thing is to turn off the computer and get active. I've rarely had luck at "official networking" events, but by participating in hobby or community related activities I've managed to expand my circle and made some good contacts.
Your local church might be a good starting point, but when you really need to put yourself out there, put yourself out there. Join a local civic association, volunteer at a different church's soup kitchen or even just join a local group that shares your passion (knitting, bicycling, cooking, etc.). By stepping outside of your comfort zone, you're allowing for greater possibilities in your life.
Job hunting, like life, is not a passive activity.
16. BDB said the following at 11:36 AM on Feb 18:
Interesting that the WSJ article doesn't mention one of the WSJ advertisers, Theladders.com. It's targeted to senior-level positions.
A company I used to work for finally started to post openings on Monster.com. This is an important way to widen the pool of applicants. Most newspaper classified pages (at least around here) have gone way downhill. My local paper outsourced it to HotJobs.com, for example.
I've gotten interviews from things I applied to on Monster.com. Typially they were companies or organizations that posted their own openings. All the interviews I've gotten happened when I sent my resume in the first day or two after the job was posted.
Keep in mind that for EEOC purposes, using Monster.com or another job board, along with on-line job applications, really helps a company show the government that they are engaging in "outreach" to underrepresented groups. When recruiting is only based on who you know, it is more likely t result in discrimination. That's less of a problem today than 50 years ago. But all Monster.com resumes look the same, regardless of the race of the applicant.
Specifically, they look bad. When we've posted jobs, they do result in dozens, if not hundreds, of applicants. I would always interview a minimum of 3, but a maximum of about 6-10. Those applicants all needed to have either a) experience in my industry or b) significant experience one of the essential tasks of the position.
I've hired a few people who applied on Monster.com. Partly this was because I knew that I needed to bring in certain skills that we didn't have in the organization. I would usually alternate between an in-house promotion and an outside hire. Hiring from outside would make people in the organization unhappy, because they think they "deserve" the job to to seniority, even if they fail to take initiative and get things done in their current job.
Whenever someone says, "It's who you know," I ask them, "Do you know people you wouldn't hire?" Everyone does. Schmoozing isn't enough if someone gets a reputation for not being able to get the job done.
So, when hiring from outside, it would almost always be someone who was overqualified for the position so the in-house people would recognize that they brought new skills to the table.
17. BDB said the following at 12:00 PM on Feb 18:
Job boards serve a few other purposes:
1) It shows you which companies are located in your local area. If you need to change industries, you may not know WHO is nearby. In my area it's hospitals, universities, retail and distribution centers.
2) It shows you who is hiring. If the company is posting it's entry-level positions, it might mean it is growing. Then you can check their company web site for other jobs.
3) It shows you what industries are hiring. Yes, they are full of commission-only sales jobs. But if you sort by function, such as finance or management, you can figure out what types of companies are doing ell enough to grow their work force. You can also check the web sites for all their competitors. You should be checking company and their competitors web sites to research the company anyway.
4) Recruiters often post to job boards. It's good to talk to recruiters. Unlike regular companies you apply to, recruiters will give you honest feedback about the strengths and weaknesses of your background. For example, Financial Planning and Analysis is different than preparation of financial statements. A finance/accounting recruiter will learn about the company opening and determine if they're really looking for one or the other. Companies are so worried about litigation risk that they will usually not tell you why they said no; they will only say they "selected candidates with qualifications closer to what they are looking for."
18. Mac said the following at 12:03 PM on Feb 18:
48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller
This is the best job hunting book I've ever read. It helps that it's written from a Christian perspective. It really helped my confidence when I was in the job market. He doesn't advocate much time spent in job hunting sites at all. The trick is getting interviews, lots of them, and knowing the right attitude to have when you talk to possible employers.
19. Kate said the following at 6:22 AM on Feb 19:
This would appear to be in agreement with this posting, but gives some ideas of how to go about it if you are using online job boards, "8 technology etiquette tips for job-seekers:"
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090218/ap_on_hi_te/job_search_tech
20. Rita said the following at 9:05 PM on Feb 22:
Just a tip on doing a Craigslist job search. You might consider using a tool like http://www.CraigZoom.com , which will allow you to search for jobs in multiple cities by keyword. This can be handy, especially for people who are willing to relocate to find the right job.