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What industries use online recruiting sources
If your resume is in an employer's resume bank you could be considered for a fantastic job you didn't know you were qualified for. The search engine might select your resume based on the keywords an employer has used to find the perfect candidate for a job you haven't even thought of.
Bonus Check
Although resume bank sites may fall into the categories listed here, many of them belong to more than one category. For instance, you might find a site that serves women of color (a special interest), in broadcasting (a profession), in the Boston area (a region) by typing "jobs, women of color, broadcasting, Boston" into your search engine's window.
The Downside of Uploading
Not surprisingly, there are some possible down sides to posting your resume online. Here are some of them:
- Your current employer could find out about your job search.
- You could be shopped around by several recruiters without your knowledge.
- Your personal and professional information becomes public knowledge.
These points are worth examining, because they'll help you weigh the pros and cons of posting online.
The Invisible Job Seeker
Your employer may be using an online database to search for future employees, and she could run across your resume in the process. Yikes! The cat would be out of the bag about your job search.
To spare you from such an embarrassing and potentially job-threatening situation, many of the banks have one or more "anonymous" options:
- You can have your resume made invisible to employers you specify.
- You can have your name, address, and even the companies you've worked for blocked out on your resume so that no employers can see that info.
In the last option, the job bank site's system acts as your agent, notifying you of each employer's request for information about you. Then you can decide which opportunities to pursue.
The online job market is bound to have some new twists and turns as it continues to develop. Read your newspaper's career section regularly to get the latest on Internet job-search tips and warnings.
Headhunter Overkill Because resume banks are accessed by lots of headhunters, your resume could easily be picked up by several recruiters and shopped around in your field. Here's why that's not to your advantage: Many headhunters work on a commission basis with employers. If more than one recruiter presents the same candidate, the employer may disregard the candidate rather than have to sort out which recruiter wins the commission, should the candidate accept the job offer.
This multiple-submission problem can be eliminated by carefully selecting which resume banks you use. For instance, some sites are run by reputable recruiting agencies (such as Korn/Ferry International) that maintain strict confidentiality and carry exclusive job openings. Posting on such a site essentially gives you many of the advantages of working personally with a recruiter who has a huge database of employment opportunities.
Career Casualty
If confidentiality is a major concern for you, don't post your resume online. There's no guarantee that your employer won't hear about your job search from another employer in your field or from a headhunter who picks up your resume and tries to sell you to your current boss.
Bonus Check
Reputable headhunters get a job seeker's permission each time he sends that job seeker's resume to an employer.