| How to Utilize Online Job Resources Most job seekers have heard that the majority of positions are never posted, giving rise to the myth of a large, untapped “hidden job market”. Largely, I would disagree with the assertion that most positions are never posted. However, I would agree that most jobs are not posted on the large, online job boards where job seekers concentrate their job search efforts. Therefore knowing where to find positions posted online is a necessary job search skill. Most companies (even those who readily use online job boards) do not post all of their positions on job boards, because it’s cost prohibitive. However, employers usually post most, if not all, of their available positions online, particularly their own careers site. Below is a list of helpful online resources that should be integrated into your job search. LinkedIn. All professionals, particularly job seekers, should be on LinkedIn.com. LinkedIn derives a huge piece of its revenue by charging recruiters to have access to profiles. LinkedIn can command their fee because it’s proven an invaluable tool in the recruiter’s arsenal. If you are not on LinkedIn, you are missing a huge opportunity to connect with a recruiter (corporate or agency) that could help you land your next position. Additionally, LinkedIn allows members to join groups. Within these groups you can follow and engage in topical conversation as well as look at jobs posted to the group. Careerbuilder.com and Monster.com. These sites are still a valuable tool in your job search toolbox. I would encourage any job seeker to continue to utilize the job postings listed on these sites. These sites can also give you an idea of what companies are hiring in your area even if you don’t see a position matching your background posted. Once you see a company that is of interest, take the added to time explore their website and career page to see if there might be any additional opportunities posted directly there. Employer Career Sites. Some companies rely almost entirely on their own career site to drive applicants to their positions. They do this by focusing their recruitment advertising dollars to SEO and SEM. Companies do this so they have the most optimal location to tell their story. Google.com. Google has emerged as a huge piece of the job search equation. Employers have found that a large percentage of job seekers are skipping the traditional job search sites and directly searching for posted positions through their browser. Employers know this and (as mentioned above) are working to harness this trend to their benefit. Job seekers should definitely be allocating some their time to searching for jobs directly on Google, including setting up alerts for positions that may be of interest. Indeed.com. This site is an aggregator of other job boards and employer career sites. It’s a great one stop shop tool to see a large volume of positions posted across the internet. The site also allows jobseekers to set up job search alerts which can help monitor openings as they are posted. |