You think you're the only one using this site?
Written: Jul 08 '05 (Updated Jul 09 '05)
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| Full Review |
Careerbuilder.com is a job hunting site which allows employers to post job ads and search employees resumes. Job seekers can upload up to five resumes and a cover letter for free. Job searches can search the boards and apply instantly using their posted resume and cover letter.
The site indicates it is the largest online job network with more than 560 partners, 21 million unique visitors and over 900,000 jobs from the nations top employers.
My Experiences
When I first decided to look for a job I decided not to post my resume online because I did not want to deal with staffing agencies. I quickly realized that I could use a little help even if it were from a staffing agency so I went ahead and posted my resume online. I started with Monster.com and was disappointed that no one was looking at my resume so I listed it on Careerbuilder.com with better success.
My husband just finished his job hunting and Careerbuilder.com was a positive step in his hunting. My husband works full time and did not have a strong motivation to change jobs so he posted his resume on several of the job boards online. Nearly everyone that left a message was calling based on the resume that they saw on Careerbuilder. I think 100 percent of the calls were from staffing agencies however they were really good leads for jobs that he would want to do with a generous salary.
My newspaper uses Careerbuilder.com for their job ads now. I do think it is much easier than looking at the printed newspaper.
My Frustrations
When I first began using the service I was excited by how easy it was to find jobs that I was interested in. But then I started thinking. All of my competitors are also using this site and my resume looks rather dull in electronic format.
I can not imagine a company having time to look at all of the resumes that are posted on this site. When you are logged in you can see how many employers have actually viewed your resume. The numbers are so small that it is discouraging. I am not sure how accurate this number is however because I have received more emails than I have views.
Hardly any of the ads mention the pay range.
Resume
I was pleased with the ease of posting my resume on the website. I had the option to upload a current resume, cut and paste, or build one on their website. This allows the user to put their resume up in any format they choose. I found it best to save my document in Plain Text format and pasting it into the block.
Upgrades
Careerbuilder offers a variety of extras to market your resume better and get more exposure for a price. You can pay to have your resume appear at the top of the list, pay for a resume polished by a professional in your industry, distribute resumes, and verify information that you have listed on the site.
Advertising
This service may be free to your wallet, but is not free of advertising. You will repeatedly have to click no thanks for advertisements each day as you browse the site. Offers are usually for things such as furthering your education or joining the military or adding upgraded services. Just because you say, no thanks one day it does not mean you won't see the exact same add later in the day.
It is annoying, but I understand and would prefer to endure the ads than to pay a fee.
Searching
The searches seem to be pretty good. I get a morning email with job recommendations which are very close to what I'm looking for. If you don't have time to search the huge database you may want to consider receiving the emails. It can be found under the Job Alerts tab.
I like how I can search the suburbs by narrowing my driving radius.
Applying for Jobs
It is very easy to apply for a job. Simply email your resume or reply with your posted resume. The individual ad will give more guidance of how they wish to receive the resume.
Overall
I can't help but spend time on this site because it has oodles of jobs listed that I would be interested in. This seems to be a general job board so it's not focused on a specialty. Like most job boards, the majority of listings are entry level jobs.
I certainly will not spend 100% of my time on this site because it doesn't seem to be an effective method for my job hunt.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
xyzwyatt
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 - Top 50 |
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Location: Nashville, TN
Reviews written: 542
Trusted by: 172 members
About Me:
Be a coffee-drinking individual - espresso yourself!
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