Job Search Engines: Are they worth it?

Type “full-time jobs in Atlanta, GA” into Google and you’ll be bombarded with more than 17 million sites. We’ve all heard of Monster, Yahoo’s Hot Jobs, Simply Hired, Indeed and all of the other major job search engines. Finding a job takes time and effort, but how can you make sure you’re not wasting your time and effort on sites with jobs that don’t fit you?

Noted career counselor and author Robin Ryan addressed this question of which sights are most helpful. Ryan has appeared on Oprah, Dr. Phil and featured in countless publications including Money, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and more. Of all the sites available to users, she says that Monster.com is the worst for your job search. Her favorites? Indeed.com, SimplyHired.com and craiglist.org.

Why not Monster? In 2007, 1.3 million Monster users' names, e-mail addresses and street addresses were stolen from the site and discovered on a computer in the Ukraine. They used the information to make personalized email in an attempt to steal their money. A week after it happened, Monster said it couldn't determine how many users were at risk from previous infractions that hadn’t detected. This was the largest known instance of fraud involving the use of legitimate accounts as an entry point, according to executives at Monster and CareerBuilder.

Indeed and Simply Hired are “sweep” sites, meaning they collect listings from several job boards. Indeed boasts “a radically different approach to job search.” It includes all the job listings from major job boards, newspapers, associations and company career pages and is updated frequently. It offers a “familiar look and feel of general search engines” to make it more navigable for users. You can save searches as well as receive email alerts when jobs matching your criteria are posted.

Simply Hired, named one of the “50 Coolest Websites” by Time Magazine, partnered with CNNMoney.com and Fortune Magazine this year. This allows job seekers to filter “100 Best Companies” and “Fortune 500” jobs into their SimplyHired.com search. It is the world’s largest job search engine. Simply Hired also has a partnership with LinkedIn, allowing job seekers to search the company posting the job and see if they know any employees.

Craiglist.org allows users to search 570 cities in 50 countries for local classifieds and forums which are community moderated. More than 40 million Americans use the site each month. Users can search for more than jobs: They can browse apartment listings, personals, community events and participate in discussion forums. Craiglist.org maintains its “.org” domain because, “It symbolizes the relatively noncommercial nature of craigslist, as well as our service mission and non-corporate culture.”

ROBIN’S RECOMMENDATIONS ON JOB LISTING WEBSITES
Sweep Job Boards
http://www.indeed.com/
http://www.simplyhired.com/
http://www.careerbuilder.com/
http://www.craiglist.org/

Listings by Profession
Attorney
http://www.lawcrossing.com/
http://www.jobs.inhousecounsel.com/
http://www.constructionexecutive.com/
http://www.jobsinsports.com/
http://www.supplychainbrain.com/

Hospitality
http://www.hcareers.com/

Government
http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/

Education
http://www.universityjobs.com/
http://www.univjobs.com/
http://www.higheredjobs.com/
www.teacher-teachers.com/seekers_welcome.cfm

Media/Journalism/PR
http://www.entertainmentcareers.net/
www.mediabistro.com/joblistings
http://www.journalismjobs.com/
www.prsa.org/jobcenter/main/index.asp
http://www.prweekjobs.com/

Non-Profit
http://www.nonprofitjobs.org/
http://www.idealist.org/
http://www.philanthropycareers.com/

By Kelly Cargill

Reference Page…to Send or Not to Send

Hopefully you know that your references should NOT be listed on your resume. If you have the space, you should simply list, “available upon request” at the bottom of your one page resume. However, there is some debate as to whether or not you should submit your reference page with your resume and cover letter as a complete application package or wait until the potential employer requests them.

This topic was recently addressed on a career counselor and recruiter listserv I read:

What advice do you give students about when to send references? A) Send a reference page only if instructed to do so in a job posting; otherwise take it with them to the interview or B) Send them with the resume and cover letter as part of a complete application packet.

Of the 28 career counselor professionals who responded, 26 advised students to only send references as requested and two advised students to always send references. In general, career counselors worried that to send the references ahead of time would be viewed as presumptuous or as an inability to follow protocol.

Interestingly enough, the majority of employers recommended that students always send references with the initial application packet. (69 out of 112…so not an overwhelming majority…61%...but more than half) The employers siding on the “references included” option discussed the convenience of having the references on hand immediately.

So…what do you do? Research! Follow instructions on the application page. Ask the recruiter. Ask human resources for the company with whom you are applying. Network with company employees. (Are there other recent graduates who have gone before you?) LinkedIn is a great way to network with professionals who work in different industries/companies.

Thank you Kim Muller with http://www.wtamu.edu/career for seeking the answers and compiling the responses.

Print Resumes for Free

FedEx is allowing folks to print up to 25 copies of their resume tomorrow (Tuesday, March 10, 2009). Go here for more information.

Career Expo Feedback

If the tip sheets weren't enough for you to feel confident about attending Career Expo, check out this video to learn what recruiters attending Career Expo Spring 09 were looking for in potential employees:



And here is what a few students had to say about attending Career Expo to ease your mind too:



If you missed Career Expo this spring, plan to attend in Fall 2009 on Monday, September 28 and Wednesday, September 30!

Videos by Kelly Cargill

Assessments: One Student's Experience

Have you ever wanted to take a personality “test” (Career counselors call them “assessments” since there are no right or wrong answers, by the way.) but just didn’t know if the results would be relevant to you? I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I took the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator (MBTI) and Strong Interest Inventory (SII) last week through the Career Development Services website. So, I was amused to learn that your personality type may influence the kind of work environment and occupation you are drawn to, and that your desire to find a job that is fulfilling, a.k.a. utilizes your interests and skills, also influences your career path.

My experience with the SII was interesting because I learned it doesn’t focus on your skills; it highlights your interests. When I chose my major I didn’t choose it based solely on my interests. Instead I choose a major based on my skills and at what I felt I would excel. So the SII, in a way, does the reverse because it looks at your interests and then gives you occupations that fit those. You would then work backwards to identify the best major to get you to a career of interest.

The results of my SII said that my top interest areas are politics and public speaking; however, my top occupation was a foreign language teacher. I agreed that I am interested in politics, but I don’t want to be a politician, so I was confused as to why they cared about my interests when it doesn’t necessarily mean I want that as my job. However, as I processed the results with a career counselor, we talked about the similar characteristics of a politician and teacher: they both help and care about others, like to work with people, and take charge through meeting and persuading. Also, some areas of interest may become a hobby while others may develop into a career. Overall, I felt that the SII was very accurate, and if I didn’t agree with a particular part of the results I just ignored it. Assessments aren’t meant to change you; they are meant to help you identify things about yourself and be able to articulate who you are and how that fits into the world of work.

A last discovery that I made and suggestion for you: Type Focus is very similar to the MBTI, but it’s free. So I suggest taking that one! If you have questions about any of the assessments, just contact any of the career counselors by phone, email or during walk-in hours, M-F, noon – 4 p.m.

By Kelly Mayes