Job Search Online

Job Searching and Online Resumes

Online job recruitment has exploded in recent years. An article by the Washington Business Journal reports that "...national online job boards produce the greatest number of job applicants." One reason for this surge is that it's simply easier to search for employment online, rather than through the more traditional methods of print ads.

Online access is available at any time of the day, and employers upload jobs on a steady basis. A job-seeker does not have to wait for the Sunday edition of his or her hometown paper to see which jobs are available. An potential candidate can search for jobs at 2:00 in the afternoon or 2:00 in the morning. The flexibility with online job searching is much greater than with older methods.

Another reason for the success in finding employment via the internet, is the convenience that this method holds for employers. As per Stephen Kennedy, a Human Resources Director in New York City, "We no longer have to wait for potential employees to fax or mail their resume. They can simply email it to us. Mailing and faxing has become antiquated."

Yet another bonus with Internet job seeking is the amount of control a potential applicant has. No longer does the applicant have to wait until a suitable job is posted. The applicant can post his or her resume and have an employer seek them out. Monster, Career Builder and HotJobs are some of the most popular jobs websites that offer this feature. A job seeker uploads his or her resume to the website, and simply waits for the offers to come in. Also, a job applicant can post a resume directly to a company's website, employers often have a link to their main website on the advertisement for a position.

But the downside is that through online canvassing, companies are interviewing a greater than average amount of unqualified candidates. It seems to be that the ease of online job submission allows for a larger pool of applicants that are not qualified for the posted positions. Some say that's why Craigslist has become so popular for both job seekers and employers who want to list jobs.

Other Online Job Search Benefits

Internet job searching is also convenient for those seeking employment outside their immediate area. Let's say you were a job seeker in California, looking for work in New York, or London or Tokyo. You would once have had to rely either on headhunters from those cities, or at least from newspapers from those areas. With the Internet, and online job search engines, you can do a search for employment locally, nation-wide, or internationally.

Another bonus, says Kennedy, is that with Internet job-hunting, "employers are no longer limited to the standard 2x2 ad", where they try to give representation to the company and details about the offered position in a relatively minute amount of space. Most job search sites offer employers at least 600 words, plenty of room to outline the company's mission, vision, and applicant requirements.

Before you begin your job search process, check out About.com's Job Searching section and pick up some pointers for writing resumes, filling out job applications, and doing interviews. Of course there's always the temptation, particularly after a frustrating day at work, to seek alternative employment online. But it's probably not a good idea to do it AT work! Keep in mind, your employer can usually obtain a list of websites you as an employee visited during the workday. (See Computer Privacy at Work for more on that.) Unless you're ready for immediate dismissal, it's perhaps a better idea to do your job searching at home, not in the workplace.

Have you found a new job by searching online job boards? Tell us about your experience.