ALT-6 Assessing the Efficiency of Job Search Websites
Unfortunately, job search websites are no longer as efficient or reliable as they were at the beginning of their popularity in the early 2000s. Websites such as Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com used to be the best places for finding job listings if you were looking for an employer or posting job listings if you were looking for an employee. These websites boasted easy access, free search capabilities and hundreds of resources on improving your resume, writing successful cover letters and ultimately finding your dream job. Millions of people (including the author of this article) found employment via these websites using a method that was faster, simpler and much more successful than the "old" methods of hunting through newspaper classifieds, combing local businesses for help wanted signs or mailing piles of resumes to potential employers.
Today, while most job search websites do still offer efficiency in the areas of resume writing and job hunting tips, they are no longer efficient or even particularly reliable when it comes to actual job listings. The reasons for this are twofold: #1 - the unemployment rate in the United States is once again on the rise and so there simply aren't as many jobs to list, and #2 - these websites do not screen their job listings for SPAM and scams. As a result, if you were to go to Monster or CareerBuilder right now and perform a job search, about 60% of the results returned would be ads for get-rich-quick schemes and "work at home" opportunities and the other 40% would be either ads from staffing agencies or ads from union delegates, depending on the employment field you've searched for.
It is possible that the administrators of these websites feel that in order to retain their popularity they must ensure volume in their search results and so they allow anyone who is willing to pay the fee to post a job listing. However, doing this will ultimately be a detriment to the reputation of these websites because as more and more people are discouraged by the lack of useful listings (and possibly taken in by the scams), both those seeking employment and those wanting to post legitimate employment positions will begin to look elsewhere for their needs. As a result, when the unemployment rate decreases (as it always does) these websites will not be able to regain the usefulness they once had because no one will want to use their services. The administrators of these sites would do better to screen their listings and post only legitimate job offers. Yes, at this time doing so would mean less search results but in the long run the websites would keep their reputations for efficiency and successful job placements which could be put to good use once the employment rate again takes an upswing.
As it is, anyone looking for a job these days would be better served by going directly to the websites of potential employers. As well, municipal and state websites often post local job listings and are a much more reliable source than traditional job search websites have become.
Job search websites are still useful for finding tips on organizing your resume, preparing for interviews and writing various correspondence such as resume cover letters and interview thank you notes. For these resources, job search websites are *very* efficient and using them is much easier than researching the information on your own. For actually finding a job, however, job search websites are no longer efficient nor reliable resources and the smart job hunter would do well to not waste his or her time using them.
