BlogBreak

By MikeG

December 29, 2008 8:05 AM | Link to this

A complete waste of time. After posting to 50 of them over a 3 month period, I learned through a friend at an HR position that 95 percent of these jobs are “dummy jobs” that don’t even exist. They are simply there so the companies will have 100 applications per position just in case someone quits or is terminated. Anyone here who has tried these phony job boards will agree with me. Hit the streets and sell your self if you really want a job. Hiding behind a computer will get you no where.

By jm@123.com

December 29, 2008 8:08 AM | Link to this

A complete waste of time. After posting to 50 of them over a 3 month period, I learned through a friend at an HR position that 95 percent of these jobs are “dummy jobs” that don’t even exist. They are simply there so the companies will have 100 applications per position just in case someone quits or is terminated. Anyone here who has tried these phony job boards will agree with me. Hit the streets and sell your self if you really want a job. Hiding behind a computer will get you no where.

By lovelyliz

December 29, 2008 8:19 AM | Link to this

I too have found them to be a big waste of time:

I did find some success years ago, but that’s because I directly contacted the company after applying at one of those job sites 3 times. Those hiring never got the resume. I went in for a interview the next day and 2 days later they hired me.

There have been several times when I’ve posted resumes on those sites and applied for jobs listed. I’ve never had ANYONE contact me this way. The only responses I’ve gotten were when I went directly to the company website and applied or took a chance and faxed in a resume.

By Job Board Opportunist

December 29, 2008 8:25 AM | Link to this

I’ve had three jobs in the last 10 years and ALL of those jobs I acquired through online job boards (CareerBuilder & Monster, in particular). Are there “dummy” jobs on those boards?? Absolutely. As job searchers, however, you have to be savvy enough to be able to spot which ones are fake and which ones are real.

If you see the same job posted for more than 30 days or keep seeing the same job repeated (with the same company) every few weeks then this is a tip that this job is a fake. Also, you should filter out placement agency jobs and look strictly at jobs listed by actual employers.

All, in all, you are the architect of your own life. If you are a resourceful hunter, self-marketer, and tenacious - jobs can be found online. Negative people who don’t get results tend to bash everything as a “scam” or “waste of time” but tens of millions of people have found jobs at online job boards. I am living proof of that.

By Jan

December 29, 2008 8:29 AM | Link to this

I have not used the boards but my sister posted her resume on monster.com and had two job offers. If I remember correctly the one she took wasn’t one she applied for, the company found her resume.

By Vincent

December 29, 2008 8:37 AM | Link to this

I’ve found job boards to be helpful. My last tech job was found on computerjobs.com. I posted my resume there and I was contacted.

Job Board Opportunist, thanks for the tips. I usually only apply to jobs when there’s a direct contact name and/or fax number. I cant bad mouth all of the recruiters. I got my present job when a recruiter found my resume and contacted me.

Persistence and perserverance are the keys to finding a job. You cant send off 2 resumes and sit around complaining about not being able to find a job. You need to saturate the job market with your resume. Whatever is meant for you, you will have it

By marcus

December 29, 2008 8:39 AM | Link to this

I have found them to be very useful I got a 90 day contract of the boards last summer. I also find that when a job comes across all the boards at the same time that means that they need someone right away and a recruiter will call you

By Dee

December 29, 2008 9:04 AM | Link to this

Job boards are helpful for those individuals in a specialized field. I’ve learned that most of these job posting were filled internally rather than hiring an outside candidate. Why would these employers post openings externally when they know internal candidates are going to apply? Be extremely careful when viewing a posting from a “Confidential” employer. I’ve found that some of these so-called employers are scam artists.

By ArtVandelay

December 29, 2008 9:08 AM | Link to this

They have been helpful to me. I’ve never accepted a position I have been contacted for from a job board but I have been contacted and interviewed more than once from posting my resume.

They are by no means a waste of time, when trying to find a new position you must use whatever tools are available to secure that new role. Not doing so will probably result in the lack of work for a longer period

By AlisonLovesSean

December 29, 2008 9:40 AM | Link to this

I found my current job through Dice.com; rather my employer found me. I’ve also received numerous calls from other employers who found me on a variety of job boards.

Research on the Internet for the best way to fill out online job applications. You have to be very detailed and make sure you include all of your skills.

Don’t just cut and paste your resume. There are ways to set it up so that it’s easy for employers to read. And, don’t forget to include keywords in your resume that match the job description.

By bizezgrrrl

December 29, 2008 9:40 AM | Link to this

I had the good fortune of having outplacement services when I went through a layoff last year. The most eye-opening session was one about networking where the leader opened by asking five simple questions. The questions were:

1) How many in this room [of 30 or so experienced professionals] have ever gotten a job by applying to an online posting?

No hands went up.

2) How many in this room have ever gotten a job by applying to a classified ad in the newspaper?

One or two hands went up.

3) How many in this room have ever gotten a job by following a lead provided by a friend, family member or business associate?

All hands went up.

4) How many in this room are spending most of their time in front of a computer scouring the internet for jobs and responding to them? All hands sheepishly went up.

5) Now, from the results of this survey, how many think they might have better luck getting out from in front of their computers and start networking more? All hands up!

Good luck to all looking for work. It’s a scary time, but we’ll get through it.

By southside girl

December 29, 2008 9:46 AM | Link to this

I got my present job through Monster.com I posted my resume and had numerous calls for interviews and settled on this position I have now.

By Mike

December 29, 2008 9:51 AM | Link to this

I did have success using the job boards, particularly with Monster.com, and some with ajcjobs.com. I agree with Job Board Opportunist, that you have to be savvy enough to spot the ones that are fake, and narrow your search to jobs in your field of work. Don’t just apply for anything. If you are looking for a Marketing job, apply only to REAL marketing jobs. I will say I found more success going to the actual company Web site. Between the Job Boards, and going to the actual company site, I averaged 3 interviews a month over a 6 month period, interviewing with companies such as Home Depot, Delta, and GE just to name a few. I will also say you have to have a good resume that will stick out from the flood of resumes for the position. I have a GREAT job, and actually got it by going to their Web site and applying online.

By Tony

December 29, 2008 9:56 AM | Link to this

I find them to be very helpful I have gotten several interviews from jobs on the boards no offers but I average 1-2 interviews per week and all of these are from the the boards. Now I may send out 100-200 resumes weekly, but I do get called.

By Reese

December 29, 2008 9:57 AM | Link to this

Careerbuilder.com has been offering the same Account Executive position with its company for over 2 years. I am sure this job advertisement is unethical. Most jobs are posted to meet government regulation hiring practices EOE MFDV etc. Monster.com is a complete waste of time; by far the worst employment website. Monster should shut down its doors and request a bailout.

By LWA

December 29, 2008 11:07 AM | Link to this

On-line job boards helpful, valid and useful. I have found my last 3 professional jobs on-line.

I use to think that they were fake until my husband and neighbor found their jobs and then in 2002 after my 1st layoff, I was hooked. BTW, I don’t work for small companies either.

I would suggest that if a position looks interesting on a job site that you visit the web page of the employer. The employer’s web site may list additional jobs.

Once you go to hotjobs/careerbuilder etc and put in your search words, a lot of times you get a long list of jobs that are similar. Take a look at the name of the company and then go to their web site. There are a lot of companies out there that you may not have heard of but have a job to offer. When I drive down the street, I would look at the names of the trucks passing me by and I would jot down the company name that I was not familiar with and look up the compnay. Also, think of all the companies that you come in contact with each day: Kroger, Procter-Gamble, NCR (the machine that you use to process your debit card payment), Banks, Coin Star (the coin counting machine), management comapanies of the shopping center in your area (Simon manages Town Center Mall and they have a web site), Racetrac, QuikTrip (one of them has a regional or corp office in Atlanta) etc. My list could go on an on. Think outside the box when looking. The AJC lists the top 100 Companies in GA. Take a look at that list in the business section and go to the web site of each company. I have been laid off 3 times since 2002 so I have tried to use everything I would think of to find a job.

Oh, the college advertisements you see on the t.v. while at home during the day, look up the college and see if they are hiring. Everyone needs an hr person, IT, etc. Someone has to help run the school.

Never stop networking, however, the on-line job postings do work, or they did for me and several people I know.

By GaNative

December 29, 2008 11:26 AM | Link to this

They are a complete waste of time. In the IT industry all they do is give recruiters who can’t speak english an easy way to waste your time with phone calls.

By Tru

December 29, 2008 11:37 AM | Link to this

The two tech jobs I had in ATL were through Monster, but they had nothing to do with me posting resumes and actively searching. The recruiters for SunTrust and Spherion called ME. So does it work?

Maybe.

That I can see there was nothing special about my resume that made them call me and when I asked I got a shrug in both cases. Each job turned out to be a 2 year long nightmare. The pay was okay, but the jobs themselves were stressfull as all get out.

Monster is a joke. Computerjobs isn’t much better and the people who post on Craigslist are downright creepy.

I say, do your own search. Contact the company you want to work for directly since it seems to be the norm that you have to chase people down with baseball bats to get jobs here lately. Failing all of that, start your own company…

By non-believer

December 29, 2008 11:57 AM | Link to this

After years of watching my wife search for jobs on-line with not one single interview, I would say NO. They are a waste of time.

By MANGLER

December 29, 2008 12:01 PM | Link to this

The vast majority of postings through job boards are by recruiters or staffing firms. That makes me almost completely ignore it and move on. Sure, the first few times some high energy recruiter calls with that perfect position for you, then starts reading your resume with you over the phone, you feel good that you’ve been found. Then, when 15 more recruiters from the same company call you about that same job over the next few weeks you realize that they have little chance of helping you. The extremely rare chance of finding a company name listed with a job is almost something to jump up and down for. It also seems like the same position is listed 50 ways on 50 different search engines. So, at least for me, job boards have proven to be a waste of my time, energy, and hair.

By FoundASite

December 29, 2008 1:02 PM | Link to this

I realized sometime ago that most of those sites were not providing any type of response to the resumes I submitted, however I found another site www.employondemand.com and posted my resume there. The recruiter I spoke to had referred me to the site, stating he was directing his employers to visit the site for good candidates before paying for the other sites. I was called within 24 hours and started about a week ago.

By seahawk

December 29, 2008 1:17 PM | Link to this

I have received professional management jobs from online postings . Macy’s,Wachovia, First Data It has always work for me . Numerous call backs, and interviews. For some reason it works for me and not my husband. My present position with Kaplan came from hotjobs

By GaNative

December 29, 2008 1:21 PM | Link to this

Most of the time I got a call from a non english speaking recruiter that made me wonder if he or she ever took the time to read my resume before giving me a call, because during the call they would finally tell me that you’ve got to have this or got to have that to be qualified. And most times I found myself educating them to some of the lingo and acronymns used in the IT Industry such as SDLC (Southware Development Life Cycle). Most are just looking for a body or a resume to submit hoping they get a hit from a potential employer. They are a total waste of time.

By BossLady

December 29, 2008 1:23 PM | Link to this

I found my current job online 3.5 years ago. I was sitting at home and about to give up (sell my home, furniture, etc) when the phone rang from this company to hire me for employment. What I had been told by a recruiter is to everyday go into your resume file and update even if no change, it puts the resume back on the top since most employers only will read maybe 50-100 from top. Refresh your resume on the website each morning. Be specific in your field (insurance, banking, automotive) don’t just put your resume on jobs that you would take to just make money. Also, have several resumes in different field highlighting certain areas that would emphasize a particular field. Title, type of industry and duties with requirements. If you can wear several hats on a job you can wear several hats when looking for work. I hope this is something that helps someone out there. I have been using the job boards for hiring too.

By BA

December 29, 2008 1:39 PM | Link to this

For IT, the boards are great. I have been offered several positions after applying for a job I saw on a board. I have also had recruiters place me for a different position, one which I did not apply for.

I understand that for non-IT positions, the boards may be pretty much a waste, but almost everyone I know in IT has accepted at least one job from these sites (monster/computerjobs.com).

Also, in IT, these boards provide good information on the job market. In early 2000 I remember seeing over 300 jobs for my skill set, by early 2003, it was under 50 (yes, many are recruiters with the same job), but it gives you an indication of the number of jobs available, like the old newspaper help wanted index.

I think job boards are more useful for certain industries and jobs than others (I doubt that you will see many jobs for “warehouse help” listed on the job boards, but the classified’s won’t list many jobs for Oracle DBA’s.) It just depends on what field you are in.

By DMB

December 29, 2008 1:53 PM | Link to this

I hate those job boards, although I found my current job on American Job Bank two years ago, I have not had luck finding anything else.

By NappyD

December 29, 2008 2:28 PM | Link to this

Easy answer is, it depends on what type of work you’re looking for and how good your resume actually is.

For people who can’t write one, or try to lie & pad it, employers & recruiters can weed those out fast. So no, they don’t get results.

Also, it can help to get more specific, as in looking for industry job boards and responding to postings there.

Personally, the company I’m with now found me through monster.com. I’ve learned to stay away from careerbuilder.com based off of removing my profile/resume and turning off email notices, but continuing to get them and other junk mail on the one email address I’d set up to use with their site & theirs alone.

By homeowners-insurance

January 11, 2009 2:25 AM | Link to this

The foreign exchange (forex) market is the largest market in the world because currency is changing hands whenever goods and services are traded between nations. The sheer size of the transactions going on between nations provides arbitrage opportunities for speculators, because the currency values fluctuate by the minute. Usually these speculators make many trades for small profits, but sometimes a big position is taken up for a huge profit or, when things go wrong, a huge loss.

By Jk

January 22, 2009 3:51 PM | Link to this

Online job postings and searchs are useful and helpful looking for a job. But getting a job usually comes from people to people contacts. Its all about who you know, and who they know.

By LexusLikeMine

January 29, 2009 2:58 PM | Link to this

I have got a few interviews from internet job boards that I posted my resume on. However for anyone looking, I don’t recommend the using the auto send features, especially if your looking for a particular field like IT. I got prank calls, international calls, it was ridiculous. The best thing to do in my opinion is try to bypass the recruiter sites becuase they are trying to get a percentage of our paychecks anyway when we use them, and try to link directly to the company’s website to apply.

By JULIE

February 3, 2009 12:40 PM | Link to this

HI I TOO HAVE HAD NO SUCCESS. I HAVE APPLIED TO MANY SITES. SOMETIMES YOU BEGIN TO WONDER IF THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU. I WORKED AT MY LAST JOB 25YRS,ANOTHER 5YRS,ANOTHER 7YRS,ANOTHER 5YRS. I THINK THAT IS A GOOD WORK EXPERIENCE RECORD. THE ONLY SITE THAT CALLS ARE THE WORK AT HOME SITES AND MOST REQUIRES A FEE, ALSO YOU DON’T KNOW IF THEY ARE LEGITIMATE. BUT I WILL NOT GIVE UP.SO I SAY TO YOU ALL DON’T GIVE UP. ALSO SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO TAKE A REST AND LET GOD WORK. GOOD LUCK TO ALL AND GOD SPEED.

By Pam

February 10, 2009 2:48 PM | Link to this

Julie: Review your resume. There is no need to list every job you have had in your entire life. Listing your employers for the last 10-15 years is more than enough. The HR person looking at your resume didoes not see steller work experience, that person only sees a person who has been working for longer than the HR person has been alive. Your 42 years gives away your age and may be the reason you don’t receive any response. Also remove all other indications of your age from your resume such your date of birth, year your graduated from school or earned a certificate or degree or membership in AARP. Also look at the jobs being offered in your field. If the job is being listed by an employment agency, contact them. Good luck