The process of searching for a job has come a long way in the past decade as the traditional modes of job searching (newspaper ads, word of mouth, and recommendations) have all fallen by the wayside. The introduction of the internet and its capacity to offer users across the globe to easily search for and find local, regional, and even international employment opportunities In addition, the ability of employers to expand their reach has also grown and in order to accommodate the needs of these people and the seekers, several online resources have been developed to assist both.
Before the advent of internet-based job search technologies, job seekers were condemned to scanning local and regional newspapers in an attempt to stay on top of what new jobs were opening. Newspaper advertisements are often very short pieces about the most basic requirements for applicants and thus many seekers were not always certain about the position they were applying for until the interview process was over. In addition to this, applicants were expected to submit paper resumes via the mail or in person and did not have the option of making quick modifications of a resume on file as they do with internet technologies.
The traditional method of employment via newspapers was equally taxing for employers for several reasons as well. First of all, it was up to the individual employer to purchase the newspaper advertisement and if it was for a long period of time, this cost could add up. Furthermore, if the employer wished to look outside of his or her geographical area to widen the net, advertising costs would go even higher even though there might be a wider pool of talent to choose from. In short, the internet has offered both job seekers and employers a host of newer, more efficient modes of reaching out and has become the preferred method of looking for a job for many people. One of the reasons why so many job seekers have looked to the internet is because they can easily post a resume, modify it at will, and stay informed of the latest job postings far better than they could by scanning several newspapers or relying on other more traditional leads. Employers are also taking advantage of job search technologies as they have access to thousands of resumes that are easily searchable by any number of criteria. Aside from this obvious benefit, they now have access to far greater numbers of potentially interested job seekers from all around the world as opposed to just the reasons where they advertised locally.
Job search technologies have led to far savvier job seekers. Some of the biggest job boards such as Monster, Hot Jobs, Dice, and Career Builder allow users to customize nearly every aspect of their job search. Not only do these popular job boards allow users to post and easily edit their resumes, they also offer cutting-edge news about employment, resume writing, the interviewing process, and a host of other topics. In addition to these services, “Most online job boards also enable users to set up their own personal search agent, which delivers weekly posting updates right to their e-mail inbox” (McLean 38). The ability for job seekers to get daily or weekly information about new positions is something traditional venues could never offer.
This service, which is offered by nearly all the large job posting websites, is also beneficial because instead of spending time each day looking through want ads, even those found on individual corporate websites, the user can simply get all they need delivered directly to them. This technology allows them to narrow down the criteria of potential jobs by any number of factors including the pay scale, geographical location, and the ability to telecommute. Even though there are a surprising number of options available, it is not as complex as it sounds. It is very easy for a job seeker with minimal computer or internet skills to navigate the process. A site such as Monster.com, which is one of the largest and most popular, has only to register for free, set his or preferences, post a resume, and search for jobs based on several different search criteria. Even on sites other than Monster.com, the process is equally easy.
Monster.com and the other major job posting boards such as CareerBuilder.com are not the only options available to job seekers. New smaller companies are starting up that offer users a more complete ability to search openings. For instance, within the past year, “vertical search engines are taking input from job sites and/or job boards, newspapers, associations, and company career pages and pulling them into a single set. Accessing the information is easy as the sites provide Google-like simple search options using keyword search techniques” (Starr 47). One of the reasons sites like this are growing in popularity is because the major job posting sites are charging increasingly high fees for employers to post their available jobs. On sites like Monster.com and CareerBuilder, “employers pay a fee to list their positions, leading to a smaller database and more limited view of jobs available at any given time” (Starr 45).
These new vertical search engines look across a number of databases and are constantly refreshed with new listings are more popular now because they pick up the smaller companies that might have chosen not to go with a large expensive site like Monster. This realization by job seekers has occurred as the large sites’ listings are dwindling slightly. Also, by looking on these smaller job search sites with the vertical search capability job seekers may feel as though they are not “lost in the crowd” since Monster.com boasts of having over one million resumes in its database. Recently, some of the medium-sized job posting boards have put the vertical search technology to work for them, which has been beneficial for both employer and seeker. As one commentator notes, “Jobster includes various social networking and referral tools that can help recruiters find qualified passive job candidates that are hard to identify with traditional recruiting methods and tools” (Bender 212). In sum, with better technology comes better opportunities for job seekers. Websites such as those mentioned have offered job searchers an easy way to look for their dream job (since they can search by specific criteria) and have offered employers a chance to reach out to a large portion of the population they may have otherwise missed. By making it simple for job seekers to find what they want, the internet and new technologies in job searching are creating a whole new way of thinking about employment worldwide.
Other essays and articles in the Random Archives related to this topic include : E-commerce and Ethics: The Amazon Model • Remote Management and Diverse Teams • The Role and Responsibilities of Management in Organizations • Analysis and Summary of General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money by John Maynard Keynes
Works Cited
McLean, Cari. “A Foot in the Door: IT Job-Search Strategies.” Certification Magazine 8.4 (2006): 38.
Starr, Jennie. “The New ‘Search’ in ‘Job Search’.” Searcher 14.2 (2006): 45.
Tinder, B. “Staffing.” HR Magazine 51.6 (2006): 212.
