According to the article "As Job Seekers Multiply, So Can Empty Promises" by Julie Flaherty in the New York Times, the jobless rate now stands at an eight-year high of 6 percent, and economists expect little improvement when the Labor Department releases its next report. More than half (51 percent) of those currently unemployed have Internet access. On an average day, a tenth of the unemployed Internet users are online scouring job boards and corporate sites looking for work. In addition to the huge amount of unemployed individuals, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the average American changes jobs 10 times and switches careers three times over the course of a lifetime-indicating that many employed Internet users are also looking for work.

Forrester Research interviewed 3,000 Internet users to assess the state of online recruiting. Forrester found that while job seekers are using the Internet in increasing numbers, they also reported dissatisfaction with today's job boards.

For many job seekers, finding employment via the Internet is believed to be the simple and fast way to find a job. No more scouring newspaper ads. No more fancy letterhead. No more trips to the post office. Just insert resume, click "send" and wait for the phone to ring off the hook, right? Wrong. Job hunting is job hunting regardless of the medium you choose. You need to do your research, have goals, be patient, and most of all; determined.

The largest job boards are Monster.com, HotJobs.com, and CareerBuilder.com and boast regularly updated listings from major employers. One of the problems with large job boards is that they are not niche-specific, possibly missing out on jobs in your specific industry that are not posted here, and employers typically receive hundreds of resumes (often from people who don't have the appropriate skills). You'll most likely get a canned response in your email bin. Additionally, since the major job boards are being added to so regularly, you may not see the older open position or assume that they've already been filled. Bill Warren, executive director of DirectEmployers.com, an employment search engine, says that even dated postings are worth scanning. "It may just mean that the position is hard to fill," he says. "Typically, once jobs are posted on a commercial board for three or four days, they fall so far down that people don't bother to consider them. But these could be some of the better opportunities," he says.

Unless you are willing to aggressively scan the Internet, do corporate research, and follow-up on your postings, working with a reputable recruiter may be a better option for you. Most recruiters work closely with employers gaining a clear perspective of the open positions. A recruiter will have insight to the personality of a corporation as well as the management in place that could prove beneficial to you. It is not enough to just match skill sets and skill requirements to fill a position, there needs to a personality fit as well. Finding the right recruiter to be your job search assistant and advocate may be the appropriate first-step for you.

2003 - 2004 Claudine M. Jalajas. Printed with Permission.

About the Author
Claudine M. Jalajas is the owner of Ink Free Media, a company which focuses on content and copy for new media. Claudine frequently authors articles for many professional newsletters and websites on technology and consulting. Claudine can be emailed at Claudine@InkFreeMedia.com.

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