Internet job boards have their drawbacks
The number of Americans on unemployment rolls has reached its highest level in about nine years, according the Labor Department, which reported 3.182 million people on jobless rolls. One result: A growing number of job seekers are posting résumés on Internet job boards.
But less than 5 percent of all hires result from job boards, according to Top Echelon, a placement network in Canton, Ohio. The firm also points out that:
Hiring is largely a local phenomenon; the big boards are national in scope.
Job boards are often filled with run-of-the-mill candidates. Employed, high-caliber candidates don't usually surf job boards.
Recent layoffs have flooded the marketplace and job boards with candidates. But typically the worst employees are the first to go, further muddying the job-board pond.
Large companies considering who to let go may surf the Web looking for "disloyal" employees who've posted their résumés. These employees are often the first to go in layoffs.
Through data-sharing agreements, a résumé posted on one board could appear on a half dozen, which could make a job seeker appear desperate.
