by Shanna Kemp, CCM, CPRW
It seems like everyone is using the Internet in their job search nowadays and for good reason. Posting job positions and seeking qualified candidates via the Internet is relatively simple and inexpensive compared to the cost and return on investment of newspaper advertising. Both recruiters and employers are using the Internet as a first source to advertise available positions and seek qualified candidates for jobs that cannot be filled internally or through a network referral.
While the Internet offers a wealth of job search possibilities to anyone with web access, it can also offer a wealth of confusion. The most common question my clients ask is “how do I decide where to post my resume online?”
With so many job boards on the Internet, knowing where to go is a challenge and there is rarely a single job board that is the sole answer to any job seeker’s dilemma. Rather, the answer is to identify which of several boards will suit your needs the best and post to multiple locations.
First step, start big. While job boards do save companies and recruiters considerable dollars in advertising, they still must pay an annual or monthly fee to access the résumés posted online at most job board sites. This means not all recruiters or companies access candidates from every job board. So, use the most popular and well advertised boards first. Monster.com, Headhunter.com and Jobs.com are three big ones – but there are others. Pay attention to local media advertising and use boards that are heavily promoted in your area (especially if you do not wish to relocate).
Second step, start small. Identify job boards that are local to your state or city and post your résumé there. This is a particularly good method if you do not wish to relocate. If you do want to relocate, identify job boards that target your desired location and post in those areas. A simple Internet search by keyword of city and job will often easily find what you need and many times it is as easy as typing in your desired city name plus “jobs.com” – for example, dallasjobs.com or chicagojobs.com. No, it doesn’t work every time, but it works enough times that it is worth the effort to try this method of identification.
Third step, start focused. Last, or maybe first depending on your circumstances look for job boards that specialize in your particular industry. There are several boards that work only with technical professionals (brassring.com / onlinejobs.com) and many web sites of recruiters who themselves specialize in certain industries such as sales and marketing or finance. Targeting those sites can be beneficial to you in contacting companies who hire large numbers of professionals in a certain industry.
Once you have identified the job boards you want to post to – get busy doing it. Some boards take less than 10 minutes for the average typist to post to as you can copy and paste your résumé right in an information box – others (like monster.com) require more information and therefore take longer to complete as the user is required to answer multiple questions that are used to help employers identify key candidates with more precision.
Remember, posting your resume to the Internet is one of many tools we use to conduct a job search and it is not always the best tool for every client. Do not limit your search to an online campaign. Network, research companies you want to work for (company websites are a fount of information and current job postings as well) and email or mail your resume in with a specific job in mind. A hammer will not drive nails without a carpenter’s effort – same for the Internet, do not expect results without constant effort.