This information provided by Dennis Stuempfle of Palatine Technology Services, LLC as a courtesy to our candidates. Dennis can be reachedby phone at856-358-0320.
Despite what job boards will tell you, posting your resume online is not right for everyone. Deciding whether or not to post your resume on a major job board will depend on your unique situation.
If you have a good skill set, a stable work background and can afford to be selective in looking for the right opportunity, use caution regarding “continued” posting. A well-planned, targeted approach to your job search will serve you well. At the very least, follow the advice of Careerbuilder.com and make your posted information “confidential” or “non-searchable.”
On the other hand, someone with very limited experience in their field, extended periods of unemployment, some work related problems or someone changing careers or needing residency sponsorship may not have the luxury of being able to implement a more controlled and focused approach.
That said, here are a few things everyone should be aware of:
- The job boards are really newspapers! It’s all about numbers, not effectiveness. The more resumes, the more subscribers (companies) and the more that can be charged for a subscription. The Wall Street Journal studied job changes a few years ago and learned that only 4.6% of new hires came from a posted resume.
- Posting puts your personal information in the public domain and adds risk in terms of identity theft, scammers, spammers and your own company learning about your job search. A quote in an August 2007 letter from Monster.com CEO, Sal Iannuzzi demonstrates one of these hazards: “As you may be aware, malicious software, known as Infostealer.Monstres, was recently used to gain unauthorized access to the Monster resume database.” This can happen on any public site.
- Corporate recruiters “cherry pick” (top 5-10%) from the job boards to fill known job openings only. It’s like panning for gold in an ocean.
- Using Job Boards exclusively in your job search eliminates most small to mid-sized companies who only selectively hire and do not find the job boards to be a cost effective recruiting tool.
- Posting or sending via an “Apply Now” button to a company database (blackhole.com) ensures that you’ll have a tremendous amount of competition for what may be a limited number of openings. That of course assumes that a corporate recruiter actually reads your resume. Remember, also, that not all posted jobs are real!
- Posting does not get your resume in the hands of the decision maker who oftentimes has other positions that get filled without advertising.
- Posting reduces the effectiveness of good third party recruiters who will likely cover 80% of the market for you. They’ve spent years building long-standing relationships with key contacts, including former applicants, at their client companies.
- Companies pay third party recruiters to find the “best” candidates. Whether they are right or wrong, corporate recruiters make the assumption that most of those candidates are not active and not posted on the job boards.
- Posting can affect your perceived value. Companies are more likely to “stretch” on their total offer packages for the “passive candidates” who are harder to find.
We are NOT saying that job seekers should not use the Internet or the job boards! The web can be an effective job search tool if it’s used properly and you measure and maintain control of your information. Unfortunately, most candidates give the web posting process little thought because posting, and clicking on the “apply now” button, is intuitive and a lot less work than coming up with a direct contact, like a hiring manager.
Web veterans, however, are more likely to limit their web exposure and avoid the “resume to blackhole.com routine”. They use a few recruiters and do their homework on prospective companies including uncovering key contacts and getting their information in the hands of the right people.
So, what should you do?
- Take a minute to consider the impact of resume posting.
- Have a plan and a search strategy that will maximize your efforts – not detract from them.
- Use the Internet and job boards as research tools to your advantage – not to your disadvantage. Even if you must post, there is an optimum way of doing so!
We can help you avoid the posting pitfalls and plan the right job search strategy to maximize your efforts.