Pros and Cons of Online Job Hunting

Landing on a new job after college/underemployment or Finding a higher paying job and thus increasing your income is one of the most important aspects of personal finance. There are few other articles on career and productivity that I wrote in last couple of years. In this blog post I’ll talk about finding job through internet.

Sociologists conducted a survey, the topic was: “What do you do when you need to find a prestigious job quickly?” The results were the following: 6 % of the respondents will go to a recruitment agency or labor exchange; 7% of them will ask their friends and relatives for help; 9 %  will look through the newspaper for a suitable job; 16% of respondents will search for a job through the Internet sitting at home; 62 % use several of the above mentioned methods.So, it’s worth to say a few words about the pros and cons of Internet job search as it is the newest and the most widely used means of job hunting.

(Also Read – 101 ways to become better at work)

Benefits of finding job through Internet

One of the most significant benefits of job search via the Internet is that you can save plenty of time and money and avoid sending your resume to various companies and firms. You just need to post it on several different sites. But the choice of the site is also important. There are better chances to find a position if you choose the site that is popular not only among job seeker, but many employers and recruiters visit it daily too.

In the Internet you will also have one more distinct advantage: you can look through the available jobs and avoid contacting possible employers, you can ask for wages without uneasiness, see the future work schedule, your duties and other important job search options. And in case if everything suits your needs, you may contact the employer by the given e-mail or phone and make an arrangement for the interview.

You won’t need a lot of time to submit your resume on a specialized site. It will take you about 10 minutes to register on the site (but there are some resources that do not require the applicant to be a registered user) and about 15 minutes you will spend on filling in a form of the resume.

Typically, such forms are standard on every site. You will need to specify your location and position you are looking for, the wages you are expecting to receive and working hours, you will have to tell about your work experience in the similar position and some additional information about you. In general, everything is like in a standard resume.

Do not forget that you need to be accurate and brief. There is no need to provide information that has nothing in common with the position you are searching for. If the potential employer is interested in your resume, then he’ll ask you to send your detailed CV.  But as the experience shows, even the shortest resume can attract the employers and recruiters.

The Cons of finding job through Internet

As per this Linkedin article, about half of position now a days are getting filled out by referrals and networking. You might never get a call for interview for a position you applied for over the Internet, unless you network with the interviewer.

For my department, I take part in candidate interviews and selection. We definitely give more importance to aspirants that we already know off or referred by someone we know off well.

At the end, a friendly advice to all Internet job seekers. You must spend some online time in networking with your circle of friends. This is the best place to chat for a few minutes with your ex employer, ex manager.

Readers, tell us more about your experience in finding jobs online.