Hot Jobs, Lukewarm Results
Written: Jan 06 '01 (Updated Sep 01 '06)
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Founded in 1997, Hotjobs.com is an internet service that specializes in finding employment for both job seekers and employers. This company is headquartered in New York City, and it has branch offices in Miami, Austin, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, and Sunnyvale, California. There are also some International offices, in Australia, Canada, and the U.K.
Features of This Service:
When you begin your job search with Hotjobs.com, you have the option of first setting up a user account and password. You can then build a resume, into the site, or copy/paste your resume from a word document. You are not required to establish an account, in order to search for jobs, but it does make the process easier and faster.
Hotjobs.com gives you several ways to search for employment. You can search by keyword, location, company name, by international location, or by channel (job category). The most popular way to search is by location. If you select this option, you will be asked to type in a city name, then select the state. You can also widen your search by then clicking a box to include the greater metropolitan area of your selected city. If you choose to search by city, Hotjobs.com doesn't give you any way to narrow your search down by category; only by keyword. But, if you use the keyword option, you have to go back to the beginning of your search and enter both the city name and the keyword, in order for the search to narrow down properly. If you don't go back to the beginning, and instead you just type in a keyword and select search, Hotjobs.com will conduct a general search of all cities, based on your keyword. This feature needs to be improved, because it clearly says on the screen "refine search", which sounds like you can enter a keyword and get a subsearch of the existing results. But it doesn't work this way. It performs a brand new search, and includes all cities!
The option to search by channel might be the best way to go, if you want to narrow down your search to a specific subcategory. Here's how it works: Let's say I'm interested in seeking a job in Seattle, in finance or accounting, but there are specific areas in finance and accounting that I specialize in. Using the search by channel method, I would first select accounting/finance, then I can select up to three subcategories, like taxation, auditing, financial analysis, etc. I then enter my city and state, and Hotjobs gives me the resulting jobs that match my criteria. The results can be sorted by date, or by relevance, which means the jobs will be grouped according to the type of business.
If you have established an account with Hotjobs.com, you can logon at any time and check your individual stats. These stats will show you the number of times your resume has come up in a search by a member company; the number of times your resume has been viewed by a member company; and the number of jobs you have applied for. You can also setup a block, to prevent certain member companies from viewing your resume. You also have the option to block all companies, with a single click of your mouse, so that only the companies that you directly apply to can see your resume.
When you find a job you like and you want to apply, you can send your Hotjobs.com resume (if you have an account set up) or you can copy/paste your resume. I have an account setup with Hotjobs.com, so I just send my resume directly. But there is one annoying thing about this process that Hotjobs.com needs to improve: Each time you apply, you have to re-enter your e-mail address and password, before it will let you send your resume! You shouldn't have to do this. Once you are logged into the site, you shouldn't have to keep entering your personal logon information. You should be allowed to just click a button, and send your resume. It should be quick and painless.
Besides searching for jobs, Hotjobs.com offers other tools to the job seeker. You can look up information on topics like relocation, job benefits, resume writing tips, and interviewing advice.
Customer Service:
If you have any questions, comments, or problems, you can contact Hotjobs.com by either calling one of the regional offices directly; by faxing your question; or by e-mail.
Final Thoughts:
Hotjobs.com is a decent employment service, but it could use a few improvements to make it even better. I haven't had much success with it yet. According to my personal stat page, my resume has come up in searches by member companies a total of just 35 times (my account has been setup for about 6 weeks now) and it has been read a total of only 2 times! The accounts that I have set up with other job seeking internet services have fared much better than this.
Some more personalized services; a little more efficient navigation; and some key improvements (like those that I mention above) would make Hotjobs.com a much better service. Until they make these changes, I will continue to check this site every now and then, but it won't be my primary job search web service. There are others that are much better.
Be Sure to Click the Links Below to Read Reviews on Related On- Line Services:
Careerbuilder
Job Direct
Jobsonline
CareerPath
Nationjob
Career City
Monster
Yahoo Careers
Recommended:
Yes
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