Using an Online Job Board to Find Employment

Online recruitment is fast becoming the normal method of job hunting for hundreds of thousands of people every year. Here is a brief rundown of the top 10 frequently asked questions we receive.

1 - Is online job hunting effective? The short answer to this is probably yes however you do need to approach this method with the right attitude, tools and realistic expectations.

2 - How many "job boards" are there? There are literally thousands from the really big players to very small. You will normally find that the bigger the company the more generalist they are. If you are looking for a job in a particular niche then using a specialist job board would probably be more effective.

3 - How do they work? Basically there are two parts to the online job board operation. The first part is for them to get jobs listed on the site so that we can apply. They approach employers and recruitment agencies direct and charge them to show job adverts online. This is their bread & butter as the more adverts they can show the more money they make. The good news is that you also don't have to pay anything to use their service. The second part is for us, the job hunters. The job boards need to attract a large number of applicants to make it attractive to the advertisers i.e. more job seekers = more applications and this is what the recruiters want.

4 - How do I find a job with the job board? There are 2 main ways to go about this, Search - This involves searching through the jobs listed. Once you have found a role that interests you simply apply using your CV. Additionally some job boards offer a very useful service whereby you set up an email alert based on your requirements i.e. location, salary, hours, type of work etc. If/when a job is placed online that matches your profile they send you an e-mail. This is really useful as you can be quick off the mark in terms of applying for the job. Note if use this option, make sure your CV is up to date and ready to go. CV posting - This way you register (post) your CV online with the job board so that the employers and recruiters can then search through all the CV's online. This way the employers and recruitment agencies can find you when they have a job that fits your profile i.e. location, type of work, salary etc etc

5 - Should I register? This is of course your decision however with most boards you will be able to see the job advertisements but you won't be able to send your CV to apply. Therefore registration becomes essential.

6 - Should I post my CV? This is a good idea. This can be an effective method for 2 reasons, employers will be able to call you if interested and recruitment agencies can ask to get you on their books. Please bear in mind though that all the details that you include on your CV will be available to ALL the subscribed recruiters and agencies. One word of warning however, if you are looking for a role in a competitive area be prepared for a lot of agencies calling you on the "off chance" that you might be interested in something they have.

7 - Would my own web CV be better? You should consider this as an option if available to you as you can control who has access to your CV. The way this works is that you have a unique web address where your CV is stored thus you only need to give the web address to the people you want to see it.

8 - What does "Online Job Hunting" really mean? In effect it is a very modern way of going about recruitment both for employer and employees alike. For the employer it means that they can reach hundreds of suitable applicants relatively cheaply and for us, the employee, it means that we get access to a huge range of opportunities.

9 - Should I apply for jobs that I see online? That is really up to you however what you have got to lose. It doesn't really cost very much to apply and you never know you might get invited for interview.

10 - Do I need to get a good CV for online applications? Definitely yes. It's exactly the same as applying for jobs offline i.e. the CV should be designed to get you the interview.