ALT-7 How Effective is Monstercom in Finding Jobs
You might read this article hoping for a quick answer on how effective Monster.com is. A vague but simple answer is that it really is what you make of it. There's also a myraid of factors involved, including job availability in your area, a great resume, and a little bit of luck thrown in.
I speak from personal experience. In June 2001 I lost my job. I had been working as a web manager for a retail company. Although the severance package was decent, I was devastated - my ego had been bruised. After taking the first few weeks to decompress and re-evaluate what I wanted to do, I found myself on Monster.com, doing the job search. The jobs at the time were minimal for my field, but I was able to find out two key things about the site:
1. Find a keyword that best describes your field or related area of expertise. When job searching, I typed "Photoshop" as my keyword in addition to my area range. A search for just "Photoshop" would not only pull up jobs for web development, but for graphic design, flash animation or video production, all areas I had experience in.
2. Fix it and forget it: It's okay to polish your resume and put it up on Monster.com, but do so without high expectations. While it's true that recruiters search the web for potential employees, the chances of you landing a job that you like are better when you're the one reaching out to a employer. Sometimes the recruiter calling you is just looking for bodies, or they try to pull the old bait-and-switch routine - for example, you have a marketing background, but they really need someone in sales. You have to ask yourself if you're ready for such a career change.
Lastly, a simple tip - don't limit your search to Monster.com. As a web developer, I networked through various web and tech-based job sites. I also contacted freelance companies who were able to give me contract jobs until I landed something more permanent. Give yourself the best chance of success by expanding your search and your options. You're more likely that way to come out of your unemployment slump with a new job that'll have you jumping for joy.
