There is no question that the Internet has changed job search and career planning, just as it has touched every area of our lives.
Yet, let’s be very clear--- the Internet is one of the LEAST effective ways of finding a job! That’s right and we are mindful that you are reading this from a web site!
The fact is that only about 10% of all jobs are being actually FILLED currently through job boards. Even among highly educated people the figure is not very high. MBA Jungle did a survey in 2002 of how MBA’s find jobs and only 9% did so online (63% did so by networking). The better the job, the more likely it will be filled via networking.
Nonetheless, the net can be an effective tool in job search and career planning if used properly. Here are a few suggestions:
1. Go to the company’s site--- If you are interested in an organization or hear of a lead about a company, go directly to its web site. Almost all companies with web sites now use them for recruiting and their site is more likely to be up to date. You can also take the opportunity to learn more about the firm.
2. Look for industry niche sites--- If you are in or interested in a particular field, do some research and networking to find out if there are prominent web sites for that industry or profession. For example, when I am doing recruiting for a country inn, I use hospitality.com or hcareers.com. Industry and professional niche sites are a clear trend in recruiting and therefore job search.
3. Use geographical sites--- Geographic sites, like this one, are another clear trend in this arena. If you are looking in a particular town or region elsewhere, see if there is a jobs web site for that area. More and more HR people and job seekers are deciding that they do not want to wade through all the junk on the mega sites. Also, local sites often provide valuable information about the area.
4. Stay off the mega sites--- The trend is clearly away from the ‘mega’ sites, such as Monster, Hot Jobs and Career Builder. First, remember that you lose control when you post your resume and email on mega sites; you don’t know where they are being shared, linked or sold. Second, many of the job listings and resumes posted are old as they are kept on to puff their numbers. Third, pointing and clicking ‘send’ is not really effective job searching. I, like many of my HR colleagues, use the mega sites as a court of LAST resort, not first, because I get so much junk (such as people just clicking me their resume even though their background has nothing to do with the position posted). Spend very little time on the mega sites.
5. Use the net for information--- The internet can be very helpful in getting information in a job or career search. For example, www.bls.gov/oco is a great site for learning about particular occupations—what they do, what they earn and what the demand is for the occupation. Another helpful site is www.salary.com, which allows you to gauge salary levels for a job in a particular area. For those contemplating a move, www.homefair.com is useful. Of course, the major search engines are very helpful in researching occupations, companies and individuals. Try different search engines and different key words. And be careful of scams on the net.
6. Use the vertical search engines, www.indeed.com and www.simplyhired.com. You can enter the type of job you are seeking and the location and these sites will sweep the other sites, both local and national, for job listings recently posted. This will save you a lot of time and allow you to avoid the mega sites.
7. Check targeted web sites often but very quickly.
8. Use the Job Scout (it may be called something else) feature on targeted web sites to alert you when a job meeting your requirements is listed.
9. Avoid ‘e blasts’. It is not an effective way to job search and it irritates HR people and hiring managers. This approach often gives the illusion of job search. It may be working hard but it isn’t working smart.
10.Only spend 5-10% of the time you spend on job search or career planning on the internet. Reread the data above. Spend the overwhelming majority of your time on NETWORKING and spend some time registering with staffing firms (HR is the most outsourced function and this is increasing).
We recognize that things change rapidly in today’s world and especially with the internet. For now, however, when it comes to finding a job and the internet, the ‘surf is NOT up, dude’.
Dick Cipoletti
RCC Associates
www.rccassoc.com
