Job Search Engines - what they don't want you to know - effective ways to look for legitimate positions

I know it's been awhile since I've published an issue of Career Focus (I know we're all busy, and I really have no excuse!). I really have been busy putting together some great, valuable career resources that will be coming out in the next month. As my loyal subscribers, you will of course get to preview and see the information first. In addition, I'm going to launch a new monthly contest where I'll be giving away books and resources (the first one will be the exciting new book by Tim Ferriss called "The 4 Hour Workweek" which has been getting rave reviews - you can get excerpts and more at Tim's website: 4 Hour Workweek). I'll send an email out once I get everything set up.

Job Search Engines - What they DON'T want you to know

What I'm going to tell you may infuriate the big job search engines (Monster, CareerBuilder, Hot Jobs). But it's high time someone told you the truth about their practices and about some of the jobs posted on their websites.

1. Who are the job search engines' real customers? Is it you, the job seeker? No, it's not. All the basic information on their sites is provided to you without charge, and you can post your resume without any charge. The REAL customers are the employers who post their positions, and the advertisers who pay to put their ads on the sites. I noticed that Monster now charges job seekers for access to certain information - I can't really say whether it's worth the money or not ($8.95 per month, $15.95 for the first month). In order to provide value to their clients (employers and advertisers), they have to provide enough potential job seekers. Often this means that you're competing with hundreds (or even thousands) of other candidates for the same position.

2. Legitimate Jobs or Business Scams? One of the biggest problems I see with the big search engines is the number of scams disguised as "job postings." You can easily spot the scams because they have benefit-oriented wording (such as "Make $250K from home with no experience"). Another tell-tale sign is the vagueness or general nature of the job requirement. Ususally you have to fill out your name and email address to get more information (and then they'll start bombarding you with "opportunities" that will cost you money). It doesn't even look like the job search engines are trying to stop these posts, because they're so blatant and frequent. Many of these companies are Multi-level marketing or direct marketing sales companies, and use these job postings to generate leads and make money. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it is!

3. The third biggest problem with the big job search engines is the amount of advertising you encounter. Often when searching for a job, you have to go through one, two or even three or more pages of forced advertising, before you get to the results. This can cause you frustration, as well as wasted time.

So, what can you do? In my opinion, smaller, more targeted job search engines are the way to go. Look for local job search engines (search for "job search + your city") check Craigslist.org (a GREAT job search resource, by the way!), trade associations related to your industry or profession, chambers of commerce, and websites of top employers in your area. Using these resources can help you save time and effort in your job search, and can help you avoid some of the pitfalls of using the larger job search engines.

Thank you!

Best wishes to your success,

Kristen

www.career-development-help.com