The question is, which online job boards actually have viable job listings? If you are in a job search, you are online. You are building your online profile, establishing your brand and searching online job boards.
Time management is crucial in any endeavour but when it is related to a job search and you are not receiving any income it becomes even more critical. For this reason, it is important that you closely monitor the time spent on online job boards and which ones you choose to visit.
Recognizing that, as a job seeker you are not paying anyone for the opportunity to submit your resume for a potential job is probably key to understanding how online job boards work. The company or organization that is seeking an employee is the client. So it only makes sense that the goal of any online job board, if they are not the client themselves is to provide service and support for their customer. As a job seeker, you are not their customer.
There are companies who establish web sites posting jobs which are solely to attract customers, those that are seeking employees. The idea is to show the quality of candidates that they have the ability to attract. It is strictly a marketing tool and it is possible that the jobs are an embellishment or long expired.
In order to streamline your job search and not waste your time submitting your resume to invalid job postings here are three things to look for:
1. DATE: The date posted on all job postings should be within the last four weeks. If it isn’t, it is likely invalid or has been filled and no one has updated the site to remove it.
2. COMPANY: What is the company name of the “job site”? Google it to find out if it is the main company or just an associated name to establish a marketing tool to attract companies seeking employees.
3. REFERENCE: Have you received a referral or reference from someone who has successfully acquired a job from the online job board?
It is also important to consider the fact that recent studies show the success rate of online job boards is between 3% and 4%. However, networking statistics show success rates of approximately 80%.
Your number one job search tool is a professional resume but if no one sees it, how effective will it be?