ALT-4 Assessing the Efficiency of Job Search Websites
Over the years job hunting has had quite an evolution. Back in the day, when women still wore dresses all day, in the times of June Cleaver, men followed in the footsteps of their fathers. It was a given that they would grow up and take on the family business or study to be a doctor just like Dad. For those who didn't do that, they might take the "Help Wanted" sign out of the window and the deal was as good as done with a handshake and a smile. Moving on through the years, we see portrayals of people with the newspaper spread wide, red pen in hand, circling every other job that caught their eye. They might go their in person, or in a rare instance send in a resume. In times before the Internet and e-mail, people would most definitely mail their resumes in, or they would find out about job opportunities through word of mouth, what we now call "Networking". Enter the era of the Internet. Welcome the fax, e-mail and websites. We still have all of the previous options as well but in today's fast paced world, it seems that everyone is going electronic.
Today jobs are found out about by postings in newspapers, word of mouth and by job search websites. Job search websites actually act as a duel tool. They are both a place to post your resume for companies who are looking for candidates with specific qualifications and also for those employers to post jobs for candidates to look for specific types of jobs. But is it effective? Well, some are firm believers that they are, others not so much. I say that there are pro's and con's.
It is a true fact that by the time a position is posted in the newspaper, and by the time that ad reaches your door, it will most likely already be filled. By that time, the position has most likely already been announced internally, and on the Internet, perhaps even by word of mouth from people who work at the company. The newspaper is not the best mode for job seekers. I would recommend this as a last resort.
The job search websites do offer what the newspapers do not. They offer the efficiency of quickly getting the add out to thousands of perspective candidates, and it offers those candidates the opportunity to instantaneously apply for the position through electronic submission of their resume. Most employment websites also offer search engines that you can set up to constantly send you positions that meet your job search criteria. So what is the catch? Well, in my experiences, this just doesn't work too well. I've gotten jobs for all over the country when I expressly put in my zip code. I've gotten jobs that have requirements that I cannot fulfill when I put in my qualifications. And the ones that I hate the most are the ones that are for "Any State" and that are marked "Confidential" I don't like not knowing who I am applying with. And what about the SPAM you get from posting your resume on the sites? Sometimes, I get three a day for offers to work overseas. It is very annoying. One other thing that you must watch out for on the websites are the ones that say "Work from home". You really have to be very careful when considering a work from home opportunity. Many of these places tout that you can earn $5000 a week from the luxury of your home with your computer. And what they negate to tell you is that you have to pay x-amount of money in start up fees. There is always a catch when you have to pay to make money. It is never a good idea. If you decide to pursue one of these opportunities, I would suggest that you read very, very carefully the fine print.
Some of the more popular sites out there are monster.com, hotjobs.com, careerbuilder.com however there are also sites for specific industries. For example, if you happen to be in the software industry, you might consider checking out dice.com, or if you want to work from home, freelance.com. If you are in the medical field, you could check out jobfactory.com. For just about any profession out there, you can probably find a designated website to help you find a job, and that is a definite good thing about using websites for job searches.
Another great thing about using websites for job searches is that they have tools to help you look your professional best. There is often times forums that you can go to, tips on resume writing, some even offer templates, there are tools to find out what your salary range is for your locale, and also for those of you who aren't sure what you want to do, there are some useful tools to help you figure out what you want to do, what is up and coming, and how to get there.
So while employment websites have much to offer, they are lacking in a lot of ways too. Something that has always worked, and is still the best way to find a job is by networking. Social networking. This is talking to people that you know, and them talking to people that they know, building business contacts, and getting your name out there. How does this play into the web world? Well what is becoming the trend now, is networking websites. One such site is linkedin.com, some people use myspace, or facebook. Linkedin was founded in 2003 by Reid Hoffman and four others. Since that time, the site has grown to over 700,000 new users each month and is considered to be the model for business-oriented networking sites.
No matter which way you go, you should always make sure that you are utilizing networking at the core of your job search. Websites are a valuable asset to any job search and have much to offer, but you should not limit yourselves to solely using them as your mode of searching if you are serious about finding a job.
References:
Bel Bruno, Joe (2007)Adults Using Networking Websites To Find Jobs. The Associated Press Retrieved January 6, 2008
