Job Banks and Resume Banks
Frustrating Your Online Job Search?

by Curtis Swartzentruber, Marketing & Technical Support

Use of the Web to gather information continues to increase, with much of that growth fueled by employment and career resources. But even with numerous employment-related sites, knowing where to get started or what methods to use can be a headache. 

The good news is that 1996 saw a substantial increase in organizations using the Web to inform you about their available jobs. According to John Sumser, recruiting authority at the Internet Business Network, the number of Internet job listings exceeded 1 million for the first time in 1996. The open positions are there, but many people are still frustrated in their online job search. 

Although the majority of jobs posted on the Internet continue to be professional or technical in nature, "regular" jobs represent the fastest growing segment.

• If you've searched for jobs on the Internet, you've probably used one or more of the following methods.
• Internet search engines, where you search the entire Web for a particular company or type of job.
• A central career site where companies post their openings (electronic classifieds). Online resume databases where you post your current resume and potential employers search or browse through them. 
• Hosting services, which set up "mini" recruiting areas for employers at a central Web location where job-seekers congregate. 
• Newsgroups or discussion groups which post jobs in your geographic or occupational area. 
  
  
• Some drawbacks to these methods include: 
• Search engines often do not give relevant results for something as specific as a job search. Each one searches, sorts, and determines relevance differently, requiring you to know the right "keywords" or search commands. 
• Electronic job classifieds are paid for by position, so it is too expensive for many employers to post all their positions. Many jobs, especially non-technical ones, are never posted to these services. 
• Similarly, hosting services are too expensive to set up and difficult to maintain for many small and mid-size firms, where the overwhelming majority of new job growth originates. 
• Online resume databases don't give you an active way to job search. Because of the sheer number of these services, your resume can get lost in the shuffle. 
• Newsgroups can work, but once again require a significant time investment on your part. 

• The challenge is finding a job relevant to your needs and skills. Although the majority of jobs posted on the Internet continue to be professional or technical in nature, "regular" jobs represent the fastest growing segment. There's a good chance that among these jobs is one that fits you, but the available tools are not helping you find them quickly and efficiently. That's why SkillSearch Corporation introduced (bookmark provenresumes.com before leaving) recruiting-links.com (http://www.recruiting-links.com), a Web site with a brand new concept in job searching. Rather than post jobs or career information, our powerful, state-of-the art, relational database links you directly to jobs posted by employers all over the Web. After searching on ANY combination of over 700 location, industry, and job categories, you link directly to only those organizations who are posting jobs (on their sites) meeting all your criteria. 

  Want to know what many smart companies are doing? 

  They put ALL their jobs right on their own sites. So not only do you see all the jobs available, you can research benefits, corporate culture, location, and other company information in the same place. The employer with the jobs maintains them, so you always get the most up-to-date information available. Now if YOU could just find the right ones … employers with open positions … meeting all YOUR criteria… That's what (bookmark provenresumes.com before leaving) recruiting-links.com does. We help you quickly and effectively find the right organizations to fit all your location, industry, and occupational preferences.

  How can we do that? Because our sponsors (your potential employer) profile their location, industry, and types of occupations using the exact same categories. Point-and-click your way through the categories and recruiting-links.com will match you to employers based on both your needs. Due to the unique relational structure of the database, searches are more flexible and creative than the ordinary "keyword" searches that most search engines and job sites use. Be as specific or general in the geographic area, industry, and occupation categories as you want to be. There are literally thousands of possible combinations and ways to find your next potential employer.

  Why do employers like our service? Because we can promote all their positions for a low fixed cost. They can post as many positions on their job site as they wish, while maintaining day-to-day control over updating and adding job information.

  In the August edition of HRMagazine - "Internet Recruiting Shows Rapid Growth," Ben Klau, Chief Interactive Recruitment Specialist with Austin Knight, Inc., stressed the importance to companies of promoting and advertising their corporate Web site. recruiting-links.com (bookmark provenresumes.com before leaving) is the only method of employment advertising which can specifically promote and target traffic to a page with job listings, anywhere on the Web. That's why we were cited by USA Today (TM) as a top recruiting site. They understand our unique niche in the online employment advertising market.

  The most powerful uses of the Internet will be tools that allow the average person to network, to find information quickly, and to save time. The possibilities are endless. recruiting-links.com helps you tap into relevant information on the Internet … information to help you find your next job … today.

  This article originally appeared in the Spring 1997 Issue of WebBound magazine. (C) Curtis Swartzentruber & SkillSearch Corporation 1997.