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2 - Portfolios
3 - Job Boards: The Supersites
4 - Job Boards: Job Search Engines
5 - Job Boards: Regionals
6 - Job Boards: The Networked Sites
7 - Job Boards: College & Graduate Sites
8 - Job Boards: Niche/Trade/Specialty
10 - Job Boards: Government
11 - Job Boards: Contract & Temporary
12 - Job Boards: Executive
13 - Job Boards: International
14 - Job Boards: Links to Job Boards
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16 - Volunteering
But exceptions are legion, and people do find jobs through these sites. And to enjoy the greatest likelihood of success, it makes sense to go where the most job postings and resumes are. Think about it: if you put your resume where there are, say, a hundred jobs available, you're not as likely to find that perfect job as if you go to a site where there are thousands. And that means the Supersites.
The Supersites - Monster, Careerbuilder, HotJobs, and America's Job Bank - dominate the other job boards on the Internet through size alone; it is not greatly superior quality that put them where they are. If you strike out at the Supersites, don't be discouraged; try the job search engines and explore the specialized and "niche" sites as well.
As always, there are a few things to remember about job sites, and this applies to the Supersites in particular:
- For the most part, the "extras" that they have for helping job-hunters - articles, quizzes, sample resumes and cover letters, etc. - are done better at the Gateway job sites like Job-Hunt, Jobstar, and The Riley Guide.
- With notable exceptions (America's Job Bank would be one), most job boards are commercial ventures. When they offer services for money, check around to make sure that the same services and quality (if not better) can't be found elsewhere for free.
- Many of the job listings on Monster, Careerbuilder, and America's Job Bank are not for actual jobs; they are really just advertisements, placed by agencies and recruiters. If you end up getting a job through one of these, there are likely to be fees involved, and they may have to be paid by you. These ads-disguised-as-jobs happen on many job boards; obviously, you should try and avoid them. They are generally easy to spot: when you look at the details of the job, it will mention that it is a "third party listing". These ads help to make the advertised number of "job listings" in the sites' databases meaningless.
- When you put your resume up on a job board, you generally lose control over what happens to it after that. Read their privacy policy very carefully before you post. Some sites have had complaints in the past about how their customer's data was used. If you don't like the terms of their agreement, don't post.
- Particularly with the Supersites, listings on one job board are not generally on any of the others. That means that if you are going to use one, you should probably use more than one, if you want the best chance of finding a job - remember, this is a numbers game. The extra time is minimal, and may make the difference for you.
You will quickly notice that there is something missing in Hotjobs’ database of job listings: ads. While all of the other Supersites accept “job listings” from agencies and recruiters --- which are often not real jobs at all --- Hotjobs only accepts listings from principals. As with the other Supersites, employers are charged to list their job openings or search resumes, while services are free to the job-hunter once you register
HotJobs brings Yahoo!’s resources and experience to the table in the community and networking arena. For example, if you click on the “Communities” link, you will see a list of about 35 professions where you can join in discussions with people seeking work in those fields. As with all such chat facilities, you do need to choose what you read carefully; there is a lot of complaining here… but regardless, there is still information to be had and contacts to be made.
America's Job Bank
Since a large part of the job listings comes from state EDDs, this is not a bad place to go if you are looking for jobs in state and local governments, school districts, state-run secondary education, public utilities, and so forth. Not all of the jobs listed here are gems; but there are a lot of them. You are allowed to sort the job listings by relevance to your search keywords, but there is still a lot of chaff to be culled.
Possibly more than with the other job boards, you should be careful about the currency of job listings on America’s Job Bank. Not all employers pull their listings once they are filled. Before applying for a position that is some weeks old, you might confirm that it is still a viable opening.
Monster
Most of the job-hunting resources that Monster (and the other Supersites) offer are done better at the Gateway sites… but not everything. Poke around a bit; Monster’s basic services are free to the job-hunter, although you must register. It is funded by employers’ job listings, and by on-line advertisers (with some pop-up ads). Much of what is good about Monster has to do with its size alone, but it also a well-thought out and -designed job site.
CareerBuilder
Registering with the site allows you to search their database by keyword, field, and location; they offer newsletters and other services. Because of their newspaper background, they also partner with websites that offer apartment rentals, autos for sale, and networking across the country.
This site is more commercially oriented than the other Supersites, and there are certainly more pop-up ads. I was struck by their Resources page; the vast majority of links on the page lead to a fee-based offer, rather than the more typical free Internet resource.