By CityTownInfo.com Staff
Rather than utilizing online job boards, job seekers are increasingly turning to other methods to find work.
The Wall Street Journal reports that companies are cutting back on advertising on online job Web sites, and are instead focusing on their own company Web career pages to attract applicants. In turn, job seekers are beginning to search for jobs by consulting company Web sites and utilizing more social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
The move comes as online boards such as Monster and CareerBuilder are being flooded by applicants, and employers are searching for ways to better screen potential new employees. Companies are finding that people who apply through their own Web sites are generally better qualified than applicants who come through job boards.
Craig Halfman, a chef from Virginia, is one such example. He found that job boards directed him towards positions which were not at all suitable. "I'd get responses for nurses and medical stuff," he told the Journal, "and jobs that didn't apply to me whatsoever."
Halfman joined a group on LinkedIn hosted by Sodexo Inc., which provides food services to institutions. The company spotted his LinkedIn profile and suggested he apply for a position as executive chef at a university in Virginia. He was hired last month.
"You should really tailor and target your cover letter and resume to the needs of the company," advised Mark Stelzner, a principal at Inflexion Advisors LLC, a management consultant. He said that some job seekers are meeting with more success using Halfman's method--by first networking with employers through LinkedIn and then applying directly through the company.
Similarly, the Examiner notes that effective social networking can be extremely valuable in a job search, and advises job seekers to create or update profiles on LinkedIn and Facebook. "Your social network can be your biggest asset in your job search," reads the article. "Getting the word out about you is a key step."
In a nod to the trend, last month software company Intuit launched a new part of its career site which allows visitors to view pop-up videos, photos, and a short virtual representation of what its offices are like.
"Part of it is letting people know who we are as a company," said Melissa Rutledge, an employment-branding manager at Intuit, who was quoted in the Journal. "We are getting away from the job boards a little bit," she noted. "We will probably never get away from it completely, but we are moving more toward viral advertising."