They May be Hot for Someone, But Not for Me!
Written: Apr 13 '01
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The Bottom Line
Too many jobs and applicants, no responses from employers.
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| Full Review |
HotJobs is one of the jobs web sites that I visit on a regular basis. When you're a freelancer, you tend to visit a lot of sites, looking for ideas and assignments.
I've posted a resume at HotJobs, and applied for numerous jobs through their service. I've never had a response on ONE! Now, I may not be the most qualified person to apply for a job in the world, but I do have good work experience, good references, and publishing history that can be verified online. I only apply for jobs that truly interest me, and that I know I'm qualified for. Why is it that no one ever responds to my resume and cover letter?
I think just as with most job sites, HotJobs attracts a lot of visitors, and each job is getting a lot of attention. So, perhaps hundreds of people are applying for the same job. Some employers must be simply overwhelmed by the response, and weeding through so many resumes, and I think that's one reason many applications go unanswered. I don't think it's a good practice, but I think that's what happens.
HotJobs also keeps jobs in the database for a long time, which is just silly. I just searched for "freelance writer" and a job from last October came up! I don't know about you, but I usually won't apply for a job if it's over two or three weeks old, unless they give a definite date the recruitment ends. I think most jobs that old are already filled, and it's pretty useless to apply. So, a job that's six months old is pretty lame, to say the least! HotJobs should remove jobs after a certain period of time, even if they haven't received a cancellation notice from the employer.
In short, I've found many of the online job sites pretty worthless. Employers may get a good response, but they sure aren't passing that along to their applicants. I've had better results at Guru.com, Monster.com, and FlipDog.com, but even then, not stunning or even great results, just OK.
My best results come from the more specialized job boards, that cater to writers. I get a better response from them, and they post more jobs that are in my field -- that I'm qualified for. I'd recommend taking the time to look for a job board in YOUR chosen field, and avoid the more generic boards online. The big boards offer a lot of jobs, but also attract a lot of people, and you have less chance of finding just the right position for your skills and experience.
Recommended:
No
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About the Author
Member: Sherril Steele-Carlin
Location: Reno, NV
Reviews written: 315
Trusted by: 79 members
About Me: I'm a full-time writer and researcher, who loves to work on the web!
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