From SmartMoney.com | September 13, 2010
With the unemployment rate around 10
percent, a growing number of people are scouring the Web for work. But those surfing the big job
boards like Monster.com [MWW: 12.39*, -0.39,
-3.05%] are facing long odds; last year just 7 percent of hires
came from boards, according to a survey by recruiting firm
CareerXroads. Still, that’s not to say the Net is a job dead zone.
Where to look:
Go to the source
Company Web sites are one
of the biggest sources of new hires, second only to personal referrals,
according to CareerXroads. For job hunters casting a wide net,
LinkUp.com aggregates postings just from company sites—and updates them
automatically so people don’t waste time applying for positions that
have already been filled. Many companies also allow seekers to sign up
for extra services; employers like accounting firm Deloitte and energy
company Royal Dutch Shell [RDS] send out e-mail job
alerts and offer an online feed that provides real-time updates
directly from their sites.
Network on the Net
By now many
job seekers know the importance of using networking site LinkedIn, but
experts say a growing number of employers are also trolling for hires
on traditionally nonprofessional sites like Facebook, where they can
post jobs for free. And just keeping in touch with friends can pay off;
employers are now trying to mine their employees’ personal networks
for talent by adding tools that allow them to post listings to their
own social-networking pages. “Good people know good people,” says
Shelly Holt, a recruiter at Concur Technologies [CNQR: 50.76*, -0.16,
-0.31%].
Think small
Not all job boards are a
waste of time. In fact, experts recommend niche boards, which zero in
on a specific industry. The Web site InternetInc.com, which compiles a
list of boards by career field, is one place to get a sense of the
niche options. Of course, some industries are better represented than
others: Nonprofits, for instance, offer a range of boards, while a
search for more general categories, like management, can come up empty.
Experts also suggest skipping pay-for-use job boards, which often
claim an inflated number of listings.