Let me preface this by saying that I'm not referring specifically to the job sites mentioned in CNN's article on a job finding people jobs. Rather, it's the concept of everyone and his or her brother jumping on the career space bandwagon that is bothering me.
My In Box is way too full of pitches for the newest, latest greatest, job site that's going to revolutionize something or other. Granted, there are a few good ones, but seperating the good from the junk is getting to be a lot like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Most of these new sites aren't helping anyone. All they are doing is adding to the clutter and confusion of resources available to job seekers, many of whom don't have a clue where to start. And many of these sites are just looking to make a buck from those who can least afford it.
Useless Job Sites
It's not enough to create a new job site - that's easy. What takes work is to create a site that provides value - real substantial value, is new and different, and doesn't charge job seekers for what they can get free.
Many of these sites, at best, don't offer anything new or anything different - or anything of value that isn't already available. At worst, they take advantage of job seekers who are already in a difficult situation, and, who, in some cases, are in the direst straits of their working lives.
I wrote about what makes a job site good a few weeks ago: provide value, don't reinvent the wheel, don't remix, don't charge for what's available for free. If a site doesn't do those things then it may not be bad, but it's goes in the useless category. The bad ones, I'll save for another day.
Paying for Job Listings
Just as a point of comparison, (disclaimer - I haven't used Hound because I don't pay for job listings), I wonder why anyone would pay $72.95 to access job postings for 3 months from employer web sites when you can access jobs posted on company web sites free on LinkUp, as well as on the other job search engine sites?
That's only one of the sites that charges and it's important for job seekers to know that they can find all the job listings they need without paying a dime. Before you consider paying for anything carefully check out the site to see what you're getting for your money.
Free Job Searching
Job seekers don't need to pay to access job positings, pay for video resumes, pay to post your resume, pay to apply for a job, or pay for the other things that some of these sites say you absolutely have to have to find a new job.
There are a wealth of free resources available to find job postings, manage your job search, network, and to do everything else you need to do to find a job. Job searching can, and should be, free for the job seeker.
Of course, there are resources that can add value to your job search (I have a list of sites worth the investment), but carefully check out any site or service with a fee attached to see what value it can add to your job search and whether you can find a similar resource free. Google it, ask about it, and get recommendations, before you spend any money.
