Anyone have experience with Monster.com or the like?

[Orrex]

I'm trying to get my resume out there but am reluctant to make use of these services if they aren't worth the trouble. Does anyone have any success stories to share? Or can anyone recommend a different site that might accomplish the same goal?

Thanks very much for any wisdom you care to share.

[Nikia]

1. When I posted my resume on Monster.com

I got a few calls from companies outside my area where I was not willing to relocate.
I did get a temp job, after seeing the posting for it on Monster.com.
Since then, I have gotten interviews from posting my resume and applying to job posts on careerbuilder.com and the Wisconsin jobnet http://www.dwd.state.wi.us/jobnet/. I have also gotten interviews by applying to jobs posted on companies' websites. I got my current job, which I got last summer, by applying to a job posted on the Wisconsin jobnet.

[Lindsey]

2. I've had quite a few years in the job searching industry and the boards

are very effective (at least from my experience). Monster and CareerBuilder seem to be the best. I would go for it with FULL gusto. Good luck!

[thefool_wa]

4. I'm sure they are great

for those who are hiring, but I have had no luck whatsoever using them as a place to find a decent job.

[thefool_wa]

3. That place is not worth the hype

I have had my resume on there for a year. I have recieved 2 emails from companies looking to hire me, and no response from them when I responded to their email.

I send resume after resume out when I get my search results and never get calls, or even emails back. Oh, and I have gone on ZERO interviews. I don't think this is due to a lack of skills, I have done some very cool things in my career, so I don't get it.

I'm just glad I didn't pay for the service.

[Nikia]

5. I think that some locations and industries

Might be represented more on those big national job boards than others.
Does your state have a job service board like Wisconsin does?

[thefool_wa]

7. Yes

we have a state-wide service called "workforce" that works with the unemployment department.

I would agree with you about some industries and skillsets being better represented there.

[judaspriestess]

6. I think its ok

I'm in sales, so for a while I was getting bombarded by flippin insurance companies, very annoying. I finally made it private.

[leftofthedial]

8. posted my resume there for the past two years

applied for something in the vicinity of 500 jobs there in that time

not so much as an interview

[IdaBriggs]

9. If you go to www.resumerabbit.com and then click on the "where we'll

post your resume" you will get a list of some of the "best" job sites. You can post yourself if you wish, and don't have to pay the fee to the resume rabbit people. For technical people, I am very fond of www.dice.com, but I know there are others out there, too. Good luck!

[Jagrett1]

10. It depends...

upon the location and vocation. I have yet to get a response from career builder.

[Kutjara]

11. It's a lottery.

Back when the Net was new, job boards were a very effective way for people to apply for jobs. I remember, back in the late 90s, I'd get a response from nearly every application I sent, with an interview for most of them.

That all started to change a couple of years ago. Many applicants, particularly in the tech sector, set up software "bots" to apply to just about every job on the boards, day after day. They didn't care if their qualifications fit or they even wanted the job; they're were simply playing a numbers game, trading a very low percentage chance of success per application for an enormous volume of total applications.

The inevitable result of this was that recruiters got bombarded with applications. A couple of friends in the recruitment business told me they regularly got 5,000 applications for jobs they posted on the boards. Some popular positions attracted as many as 15,000 applications. 99% of those applications were from people who had no relevant experience at all.

So the recruiters got smart and set up bots of their own. These software agents scan submitted resumes and CVs, looking for partucular keywords that match the positions the recruiter wishes to fill. If the keyword isn't there, the resume gets dumped. It doesn't matter how well constructed or beautifully presented your resume is, if the bot doesn't like it, no human ever sees it. The big bookstores have even started selling books in their employment departments that are nothing but lists of keywords. There are also keyword lists online.

The net result is that applying for a job on the boards is a lottery. Even getting your resume looked at by a human being is a chance in a thousand.

[Kerrytravelers]

12. Mr. kt has used Monster over the years and got his last two jobs there.

The first one was great, but the sales dept went overseas and he was one of three sales guys that got to save their jobs by going into the customer service dept. While we were thankful for the paycheck, the sales job was much better. Three weeks ago he got a call and interview for his dream job- which he got. Great company, great job, five miles from where we live.

We recommend Monster, but only because it worked for us. I think it really depends on what field you are in.

[Orrex]

13. Thank you all for your responses

I have a secure job at the moment that pays a moderate salary, but it's a long commute and I'd like to find something closer to home. I guess I'll post to Monster and CareerBuilder as a start, but I'll hunt around for company websites where I can submit my resume directly.

Thanks again for your input!

[Deja Q]

14. Got the occasional headhunter, but nothing substantial.

Still, when the time is right I will move on.