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by Mike Masnick


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Can You Believe People Find Jobs Online?

from the oh-my! dept

I'm only posting this because I had to triple check the date to make sure this article wasn't actually from six or seven years ago. The Scripps Howard News Service seems positively shocked that (get this) companies use the web to help find employees these days. Stunning, isn't it? Who knew? I'm not really sure who the article is directed at, but if companies don't realize this fact, they've got quite a bit of catching up to do.

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  1. What about non-IT professionals though?

    by dorpus - Apr 21st, 2003 @ 4:05am

    How much good do web engines do them? It would be shocking if it was as useful for non-IT as it is for IT.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  2. Re: What about non-IT professionals though?

    by Anonymous Coward - Apr 21st, 2003 @ 4:50am

    It might be more useful. There are 100,000 web developers and sys admins looking for jobs, there might be only a handful of attorneys that are expert in administering trade programs with the Far East, or whatever.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  3. Re: What about non-IT professionals though?

    by dorpus - Apr 21st, 2003 @ 5:00am

    Yeah, that's possible. Commerce on the net seems more useful for hard-to-get commodities than common ones.

    Along the lines of "don't call us, we'll call you," I wonder at what point web engines will start telling IT professionals not to submit their resumes.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  4. Re: What about non-IT professionals though?

    by thecaptain - Apr 21st, 2003 @ 5:36am

    Considering that these sites are being marketted (at least in the promos sent to my company) as having "the most" or "zillions" of resumes...I'd think for the next while it'll go the other way; these sites will encourage postings and even multiple postings to boost their numbers.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  5. Jobs are still best gotten through personal contac

    by wonko - Apr 21st, 2003 @ 10:55am

    In years of using web-based job sites, I have yet to ever actually get a job that way. I've gotten plenty of phone calls from and interviews with temp agencies and the like, but never have I actually succeeded in getting a job (I only once even got an interview with anyone other than a temp agency).

    On the other hand, I have a 100% success rate in getting jobs based on personal recommendations from friends, ex-coworkers, and other acquaintances. Interpersonal networking is still by far the best way to get a job these days. That's been my experience, at least.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  6. No Subject Given

    by david - Apr 21st, 2003 @ 4:51pm

    i must admit i've found a job using an online job site AND hired someone for a job by posting on a jobsite. personal rec's are by far the best, but there is hope for all those poor saps looking for a job online. i'm proof. :-)

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  7. Re: Jobs are still best gotten through personal co

    by dorpus - Apr 21st, 2003 @ 9:19pm

    The problem with personal contacts is that in their eagerness to hire a friend, they may refer you to jobs that do not suit you. If you aren't the right person for the job, then the relationship ends on a sour note and you are left with a poor recommendation. It's possible to foresee the poor fits in advance, but your friend may still feel offended at getting his/her offer turned down.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  8. That's odd....

    by Anonymous Coward - Apr 21st, 2003 @ 9:59pm

    Since 1999 all of my jobs have been found on-line.

    Actually, I almost landed a job (internship at SGI
    back in 1990; ended up going to the HITLab instead... what a mistake that was) and that offer was conducted entirely through e-mail.

    Everything else has been either social network stuff (phone contact), usenet postings or web/email.

    I'm constantly befuddled when people yammer on about cover letters and what to wear for interviews. Jezzz.... a good portfolio beats a cover letter any day of the week. What the hell do people think the web is FOR anyway?

    And, yes, I still own a suite and tie... and yes, I know how to interview "just in case", but all of that is a last resort.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

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