Are Job Boards Really All They’re Cracked Up to Be?

Interview, Job Search, Networking, Resume and LinkedIn

In many ways, the Internet has made searching for a job much easier. Compared with having to scour classified ads in newspapers, subscribe to trade journals, work with recruiters and cold-call prospective employers, the task of learning about open positions and applying for jobs has never been easier.

Despite the pros of searching for a job online, however, there are also some cons, especially when it comes to job boards sites. We’d like to help you weigh the benefits and drawbacks before searching for your next career.

 

Pro: Job Sites Make Searching and Applying Easier

Sites like CareerBuilder, Monster and Indeed make job searching easier than ever. With options to easily search for careers based on location, field, salary and job requirements, these sites collect jobs from all over the world. They also make it easy to post a cover letter and resume and apply for several jobs within minutes. Online job boards have helped thousands of applicants find jobs and remain gainfully employed.

 

Con: Job Sites Make Searching and Applying Easier

Yet the same trait that makes job sites easy to use also gives them a low success rate. Because they make it so easy to post resumes, applicants face serious competition when using them. On Monster alone, 427,000 new resumes are posted every week, and an average of 250 applicants apply to each job opening. Other job sites boast similar statistics.

The numbers don’t lie: Less than 10% of applicants who use job sites today get a job through these sites. (Tweet this stat.) This isn’t due to lack of experience or qualifications on the candidates’ part, so much as it is to the overwhelming competition from other candidates on the site.

 

Con: Job Sites Don’t Focus on Networking

Forbes reports that although there were 3.6 million job openings in 2012, roughly 80% of those jobs were never publicly advertised. In other words, around 2.9 million job openings that year were never published on job sites. Although the statistics for job openings have changed in 2014, the percentage of “private” hires has not.

To be considered for that 80% of job openings, applicants need to know someone with a connection to the job. Networking with other professionals and businesses in their fields and making strong, personal connections is the best way to do that. Ultimately, employers are more likely to hire people they know or those who come with a personal recommendation than people they don’t know. And it saves time and energy for businesses to not publish their openings and rely more on networking.

Rather than spend time applying to job sites as another “anonymous” applicant, job seekers should focus on building and using personal networks. Applicants should spend time reaching out to online contacts to meet in person, attending conventions, visiting trade shows and joining networking clubs and events.

But focusing more on networking doesn’t mean the applicant should forget entirely about job sites — people are still finding success on these sites, however limited, and applicants should always hit their job search from as many angles as possible to find success.

 

Pro: Job Sites Depict and Forecast Growing Job Sectors

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics points out that between 2012 and 2022, the job sectors with the greatest amount of growth will be the healthcare, social assistance and construction sectors. Sectors on the decline during this period include federal government, agriculture, information and utilities.

Viewing job sites to see which careers are growing — based on the job postings in certain categories — might prove useful to determine what type of degree to earn, what to go back to school for if needed, or what extra training or specialization is necessary to get a job.

 

Conclusion

Ultimately, job sites can help you find a job, but building and maintaining a strong personal network is much more likely to yield fruit. For applicants with small or limited networks, online sites can still help, and should still be used — but not relied on exclusively.

Online job boards are trying to bridge the gap between networking and job searches by offering more ways to interact personally, and the social media site LinkedIn specifically is trying to fill that void. It’s tough to say exactly where job searching will go in the future, but right now, personal connections are essential to landing the best careers.

Where have you had the most luck in your job search? On job board sites, or elsewhere?

Image: Flickr

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