Discussion on:

Poll: Have you ever gotten a job using a job board?

I got a job off a job board, but that was back in 2000 using Monster.com. Since then I stopped using the job boards, as it basically made my email a target for spam. I think 2010 was the last time I tried a job board, and all I got were job offers stating based on a review of my resume, I was a perfect candidate for an insurance sales job. I had worked in the insurance industry but in IT, so some how that made me a perfect candidate to sell insurance.

I'll use a job board to find out who's hiring and then work directly, eliminating the job board. I leave my resume up on line whether looking or not though, I always get interesting offers and you never know when one will open a new door. Personally I think job boards are a waste of time though, the ratios simply do not support the effort.

If I was actively seeking work, a job board would just be another tool in the box, I find it so much easier, a lot faster and results in better salary to hunt direct and skip ads, job boards etc.

Nothing beats calling the employer (not HR) directly and asking for work.

On Monster.com. But the employer didn't find my resume, I found the employer, then submitted the resume.

I've done at least a dozen (successful) job searches since the introduction of job boards, and I have never gotten a job from one of them. With that said, posting my resume to these job boards has resulted in successful placements, but never to a job that I applied directly for. It was always the scenario where a recruiter then found my resume on the job board, and placed me to a different opening - most of which were never listed on the job board.

Hi
All the jobs I get in the last 6 years were by job boards (monster and others) Some of them by active search, others a recruiter called me because my resume was found there.
Direct networking never get my a job, maybe people who know me don't trust on me
My wife worked as recruiter for a time, she used the company's applicants tool but also searched in job boards.
regards
Enrique

I have had over a dozen job placements in the last 10-12yrs from job boards, each of them were job advertisement listings that I applied for, along with more than 30 interviews. The resume builders and job search tips are useful, (albeit not as good as some articles written by employment agencies). That said, I have never had a worthwhile contact as a result of listing my resume on a job board, but keeping your current resume there is handy if you need to make a quick application. I have also got a few jobs by 'word of mouth' and others by direct application, although many employers seem now to go straight to the job ads if they need applicants to fill a position quickly. as I see it, if the employer is looking for long-term, best skilled applicants, they would probably ask around former colleagues for talent. if they are only after a temp/contract position to fill, the online ads are a quick fix.

A recruiter found my resume on one of the job boards and left me 4 voicemails. He was hiring a temp-to-hire position for a large financial company. After a week of interviews, I was hired on as a 3 month Temp-To-Hire contract as a Virtualization Engineer. After 3 months, I was hired on full time. I would not have found this job if I had not posted my resume online and kept my options open. My 2 previous positions I had found posted online and applied to them- that is how I found those positions. So online boards have worked for me!

I post my resume on LinkedIn and other job boards. My current job was from my LinkedIn profile. Most recruiters don't do their homework. They often do a lousy job of matching people to openings. They should also take a lesson in geography. I live on the north shore of Long Island. I constantly get job offers for jobs in Connecticut because my zip code is within 50 miles of the posted job openings. Ever hear of Google Maps??? Just another example of them not doing their homework.

I get the same thing in the opposite direction. My favorites though are the job openings in South Jersey. No reason for those at all.

US recruiters call me due to an online resume and say, is Kelowna really that far of a commute for you? I wonder how many others from Vancouver he's asked to work in Kelowna. No Kelowna's not far, if you are heading out for a weekend but a 4hr drive (on a clear sunny day) isn't really a fun commute.

On a map, things in Canada look pretty close together but you have to understand that there are hundreds of kilometers of nothing between them. A drive to Kelowna, for the next few months anyway, can take easily half a day due to snow.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK!

Not only have I gotten bombarded with job offers from after posting on these sites, but found my current one, which is as close to a dream job as I can imagine.

I suppose its down to what position you're trying to find: maybe there just as many IT blogger openings as there are for DBAs ;0)

Most of the "offers" I see are of the "burger-flipping" class. Even the IT jobs. Or something I'm totally not qualified for.

I've gotten three responses to posts on job boards in fifteen years. two led to interviews, one to a job.
I look at job boards as just what they are: one piece of a job search campaign - no more, no less.

aside: IMO, one measure of the health of the economy is the number of postings. assuming the a constant percentage are garbage, if the total number is increasing, then actual jobs are increasing

I did find my current job on a local job board, and having my resume up there already made it easy to apply. However, no jobs or worthwhile leads ever found me...

I believe this depends on your skill set and qualifications. For example, a SAP programmer with specific modules that are in high demand will most likely find a job lead if they post their profile online or apply. The same would hold true for a physician with rare skills; however, doctors in general use word of mouth and very rarely resort to posting their resume or searching online. In addition to the positions listed above, this also pertains to other jobs that are in high demand as well. Personally, I resort to using friends and previous co-workers when looking for a new position, but from my experience, job borads are just one of the tools we have at our disposal and should not be ignored.

Sources: I implement HRIS systems along with company job boards and my wife is a physician.

I gave up responding to job boards. Never got a response. Had better response doing my own hunting and resume sending. One of the problems of the job boards is that an old resume is still out there somewhere and I occasionally get a call from a recruiter who found it and needs to add more candidates for something I no longer do, and it's usually geographically way off base. I have since deleted my profile from Monster and Career Builder.

Owing to the fact that the last time I changed companies was in 1986 no I have not ever found a job via a job board per-say. I voted just so I could see the results even though the question didn't really apply to me. It would be nice if I didnt have to skew the results just to see the results.

On the other hand the job I found in 1986 with my current company came from a job ad they put in Computer World; I guess that was the closest thing to a job board back then.

Like others have said, I've had some success finding or being found, but job boards are one of many tools and techniques that should be used when looking for work. I look at them as being able to put up a free billboard in every major location.

As for spam, etc, I use a specific email account for work searches that I can activate & deactivate as needed. After I find a new position, I block all messages for a long period. Long enough for bulk recruitment and spam to stop. Then I turn it back on, just in case a real opportunity happens to come in.

I've never had a job actually pan out from a web based solution.

Most frequently it has been social networking (the old, non-digital kind) that has scored me new gigs.

Wait... I got picked up from a job board once by a small consulting agency in Sacramento. It was a horrible experience.

I've used Dice for some time. It was pretty productive for CONTRACT work.

I went independent about 8 years ago. For the first few years Dice provided several decent opportunities. However I now have a reasonably well established reputation and client base so it is not as important. I have also been out in the market long enough that most of the recruiters with anything decent have my info...

My experience is probably not typical. I've worked with SAP since 1994, have a highly polished resume, and lots of industry references / contacts. High demand skills, reasonably well connected, and strong resume.