ALT-1 How Effective is Monstercom in Finding Jobs
How effective is Monster.com in finding jobs?
With all the various job hunting sites available on the web you may want to know something about them before spending a considerable amount of time on the site looking for a job or new career. More importantly you definitely want to know something about the site before you post your resume there! This then, dear reader and fellow job seeker is the article for you as it relates to the Monster Job web site. If you are looking for a quick answer, stop here. Monster is OK! Not great, but it is above average as a job hunting web site. There, that was the quick answer; for those of you who want a little more depth, please keep reading.
First of all, keep in mind that Monster only finds you a job prospect! You have to decide what career field you want to work in and what area of the country you want o search. Then the real work begins! Is your resume all that it can be? Did you have anyone proof read it and offer feedback? Did you spell check it? Is your cover letter customizable for each employer? Do you have the conservative suit to go to the interview in? Your job is to identify that prospect, make your resume and cover letter good looking enough and then be what it is the employer is looking for in a candidate. The interview is your place to shine and hopefully be the candidate that is a good fit for the company.
My approach to this comes from my own personal experiences. In June 2006 I was forced out of the Navy because I'd been there for 30 years which is the limit. Then, on a Tuesday in mid January 2008 I lost my job. While the severance package was nothing to write home about it was enough to keep me afloat for several months while I looked for a job. Needless to say I was a little depressed. I've know guys to lose their jobs and get so depressed they sat around watching TV in the underwear but I'm not one of those types of guys. I took the rest of the day to chill and began my job hunting in earnest on Wednesday, filed for unemployment on Tuesday and proceeded to send out about 20 resumes with cover letters each week after that.
The positions I selected, from Monster, Hot Jobs, Career Builder and several lesser known job sites were all in areas where either my experience or education and training had the potential for a good fit for both my commuting preference and my salary requirements. The majority of responses I got in either phone interviews or site interviews were overwhelmingly in favor of Monster. While I still haven't found the job I'm looking for, I'm in the running for three and we've learned to be quite frugal with the small amount of free cash flow we have available.
Finally, some tips and suggestions:
1. Use Monster and a handful of other sites just in case.
2. Try to look beyond what you did and instead look at skills that are transferable.
3. Follow up interviews with thank you notes. Employers love to see follow through.
4. Lastly, it is OK to use a head hunter (job recruiter) but NEVER pay a fee. The company is looking for the right person and most of them will pay a search firm or recruiter.
Job hunting is a job in itself and it isn't to be taken lightly. Even so, don't go overboard in your job hunting. Take some time to spend with your family, go for a walk and get some light exercise. These things will help keep your mind fresh so you can be your best on the phone or site interview.
