Monster and Other Big Job Boards Yield Pitiful Results

Richard Nelson Bolles, author of “What Color Is Your Parachute?” and the job search expert for almost 40 years, was quoted in last Sunday’s New York Times after speaking at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan about the changing job search landscape.

He recommended several job hunting Websites, including job-hunt.org and Indeed.com.

Unimpressed with Monster.com and other job boards, he noted,

“There are too many jobs that have complicated job titles. Consequently, employers may call a job by one title and the job hunter may call it by another; therefore, the site will say there is no match.”

Just one more reason why the big job boards usually don’t work. This points to the disillusionment that so many executive job seekers who come to me are dealing with. They’re literally wasting precious time investing too many hours in this direction when their efforts would be better spent concentrating on proven methods.

I don’t recommend completely abandoning the job boards. Spend a little time on them. You might get lucky. But you’ll greatly improve your chances of landing a job that’s a good fit by concentrating more of your efforts on a targeted campaign, locating and contacting the right employers.

Do some targeted career research and put together a list of companies that you’re interested in working for and that you feel will be a good fit. Take a look at their websites. They will often post jobs on their career pages that aren’t posted anywhere else. You’ll also find valuable background information about the company to help you in an interview with them. Tossing “inside” references into an interview conversation will position you as an engaged, knowledgeable candidate.

You can find more on how to go about targeting your executive job search on the Executive Resume Branding website.