Forget the job board, check out the networking part of the site.
Written: Jul 11, 2005 (Updated Jul 11, 2005)
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Monster.com is a website for job seekers and employers to find each other. Job seekers can search for posted jobs, post their resume, network with others, and read information collected for their field.
In the past my opinion has been that Monster.com was the biggest and therefore the best. After being a stay at home mom for nearly 5 years I GET to go back to work. Monster.com was one of the first resources that I started with. I was surprised to find that not as many jobs are advertised on Monster as I once remembered. Out of curiosity I searched my heading and 87 listings came up. I did the exact same search on Careerbuilder.com and was given 192 results.
There are many listings on Monster.com so it’s good that there is a lot of search option to narrow your search. Search options include company name, job keywords, job category, and the state. You can search by one or more of these search options. The more specific you get in the search the less work you’ll have to do to find jobs that interest you.
The majority of results that I receive are for entry level jobs, a few jobs that require experience and only a handful are for seasoned highly experienced and qualified individuals. I am sure that results will vary by industry and day but it’s my observation that most of the jobs are entry-level. A lot of the ads were for recruiters which I am okay with because it is a fast method for finding a job.
Only large cities are included on the state search. Once the criteria comes up you’ll have the option to narrow your options by entering your zip code at the top. This is an improvement since my last job hunt. When you live in a large city it can take a very long time to drive to the other side of the city.
You can search the jobs listed without even signing up but if you want to apply to jobs, post your resume, or network free registration is required.
I signed up about 6 months before I started actively looking for a job. I unchecked the boxes for newsletters and did not request any job alerts. Aside from the welcome letter I never received any unwanted email. Later I changed my account to start receiving messages to be delivered to my email address which is helpful because it saves time searching.
Once you find a position that you’re interested in you can respond to the resume that you have on file. I would like to go into more detail on this but I haven’t found anything to apply to.
I was disappointed that I could not see a list of employers that advertise on the site. It leaves me wondering if my favorite companies are not advertising on the site or if they don’t have open positions at the time. If you are singling out a company you could put the company name in the search box.
The site lets you see how many potential employers see your resume and how many ads you respond to. Only a handful of employers have seen my resume, far less than on other sites that I have registered with. I do not even receive scam-looking emails for non-traditional positions which I get from other job boards.
Resume
I was not pleased with how my build-a-resume was posted. Chronological order is the only option for building a resume on Monster. If you have a resume in Word format a .doc file can be uploaded.
Once you finish your online resume you can click the link at the top which shows you what the employers will see. I was very disappointed in the presentation of my online resume. All formatting and tabbing is erased which is disappointing after spending days making the perfect resume.
Show Me The Money!
Another huge frustration is that the salary is usually left blank for most of the ads which is frustrating for me. Many of the ads request that you list your salary requirement or salary history with your application.
One Step Ahead
I find more value in the system, career advice, message boards, questioners and calendar than the employment ads. I spent some time in these areas and have found some valuable information.
Networking is a newer feature on Monster.com. It was not very clear to me how this worked when I signed up for the site. I was required to sign up for the free networking service and then the explanation of what the networking entails is more clear. I can look up people who work at places or in the industry that I am interested in and ask them questions which is actually really helpful.
The message board is also a fantastic way to network. There is a link on the My Monster menu for the message boards which is titled boards. The boards are divided up into job-related interests. I enjoy these boards because I can ask my questions and get advice from others in the industry. I found it helpful that a detailed profile of the individual is listed so you’ll be able to make a better decision of how good their advice might be.
The Career Advice tab holds a wealth of information for the job seeker. There are profiles for jobs, a salary center, self-assessments, advice for each industry, advice for interviews and resume writing, blogs and more.
Overall
It certainly would be rude of me to complain about a free service but I am not interested in any of the advertised jobs on this site. I know, I know. Some people have found luck using the site. I just feel that if I can’t even find an ad that suits my needs to apply for then it’s going to be tremendously difficult to find a paying position through the site.
I have found a lot of useful reading information on the site and what I like best about it is that it is broken down into specific fields which contain more appropriate information than generalized resources.
I do think that the networking and message boards are superior to other sites. Research shows that more than 60 percent of jobs are found through networking. Networking is the way to go and this site has it.
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Location: Nashville, TN
Reviews written: 778
Trusted by: 195 members
About Me: I <3 Mickey Mouse.
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