The Benefits Of Job Boards

Believe it or not, there are an estimated 40,000 job boards on the Internet that you can search for available job listings. This number is staggering, but it represents a fast and easy way to get results for both employers and job candidates. Of these thousands of services, there are a few major ones, such as Monster, Headhunter, and HotJobs, which get the majority of postings. But there are also thousands of niche job boards that offer more precise listings.

The Big Players

Monster.com is one of the most popular sites on the Internet, attracting millions of visits each year. An employer can post a job listing on Monster and pay extra to view the resume bank. As a candidate looking for work, you have a couple of options here. You can post your resume in the job bank and hope that the employer finds your incredible experience and well-worded function descriptions to be exactly what they need. However, consider that these major job sites charge employers extra for access to the job bank. If you were an employer posting an available position, what would you do? Search through thousands of resumes for a match or post your listing, sit back, and wait for the responses from people who are actively seeking jobs and think this one sounds perfect?

So your best bet on these sites is to enter broad search terms and respond to the listings that appeal to you.

Niche Job Boards

Say you live in Minnesota and you work as an IT professional. You can search HotJobs for IT listings in Minnesota and compete with a nation of qualified individuals willing to relocate, or you can search MinnesotaJobs.com for listings in your area. You can also search ComputerJobs.com for careers in your particular field. This type of niche job board offers several benefits:

• The cost is lower to the employer to post a job listing. This means that smaller companies or those only wishing to hire people in the area will be more likely to post here.
• You aren't competing with the rest of the world. If you are interested in computer jobs and you have very targeted experience with programming, you aren't competing with every person who learned HTML in college. By listing your resume or searching jobs on ComputerJobs, you cut out a good deal of unqualified competition, thus speeding up the process. The employer has less to sift through and will only contact you if you have exactly the skills they need.

Responding to Listings

So you have searched the major sites and found some promising niche boards too. After narrowing down the listings, it can be tempting to apply to any job that you might be remotely qualified for. This is a mistake. Putting your resume out there if you only have cursory knowledge of the field can only decrease your credibility.

For example, if you apply for a job that requires experience operating a 10-key by touch and you have only operated the calculator on your computer to balance your checkbook, it will show. The same company could advertise for a position you are qualified for down the line, but if you misrepresented your qualifications before, they're not likely to hire you later.

Only respond to jobs you know you can do, with confidence. Remember, jobs are posted on these sites every day. Don't panic just because you don't see your dream career right away.

 

 

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