This morning I received an e-mail from a client who described her online job search experience as follows, "Every time I hit the send button on Monster.com or any of the other sites, I feel like I’m standing on my back deck tossing my resume into the air. Most of the time, according to the NY Times, online applications go nowhere - they become, like the 1977 Kansas song, "Dust in the Wind." If I could come up with an environmentally-sound paper that would recycle itself into bird seed (new business idea!), it would probably feel a lot more satisfying and productive to sail resumes across the backyard all day!"
How true! While there are the occasional exceptions to the "Monster.com just gobbled up my resume and threw it into a big black hole syndrome", most people experience little success with the big job sites. That is why I have long advocated that you spend minimal time working with the mega-sites and concentrate the majority of your online job search efforts on niche job sites. Fortunately, finding suitable niche sites just got a little easier thanks to the Top 100 Niche Sites list compiled by InternetInc.com. From their list, you can link to sites specific to your target industry (non-profits, publishing, accounting, etc.).
By focusing on niche sites, you'll increase your odds of being noticed and avoid looking at the same jobs every other job seeker is looking at. Give the niche approach a try and let me know if you experience better success online.
