Do Hotjobs and Career Builders really work?

Question

I've applied, sent resumes, and done everything (yes everything). Why am I only getting a small amount of responses. I send resumes and apply to at least 12-15 jobs daily. I'm only applying to jobs I have the knowledge, skill, and experience to do. I've only been out of work for a week but I need to find a job now. I've had my resume looked over and that's not the problem. I just need a good daytime, part time job. Can anyone help me? Serious answers only please. Thank you.

Answer 1

Not really. Most of those positions are posted by temp job places, which would be your best bet for placement.

Answer 2

Well, these online tools are very helpful, but a lot of the time they encourage people to neglect one of the most important thing of sending out resumes: the follow-up call. The problem with applying online is that often the number for the follow up call isn't given out, so you can't finagle yourself an appointment at a place that might not give you one unless you convince the person on the phone. If you aren't making follow-up calls about a week after you send out the resume, you need to look up numbers and start making them! If you are doing this, there might just be such a flood of people applying everywhere because it's easy online that your resume is one is a sea of resumes. If you've only been out a week, it's possible that some employers haven't gotten to your resume yet. Keep your chin up, I'm sure you'll find something soon!

Answer 3

I like less common job search engines like Americasjobbank, 4jobs.com, jobsniper and local job boards. I also found that the NY times jobsite is pretty good. I can also recommend checking recruiter, employment agency and local/federal government websites

Only about 25% of the jobs out there go public and everybody and their mother reply to the search engine listed jobs.

Resumes send through search engine sites usually get dumped in keyword recognition software. Probably 90% of the resumes submitted do not survive this process, and another 5% get rejected after closer evaluation by a human. These 5% get a call after which another 4% is dumped, leaving maybe 1% of the respondents making it through the pre-selection process.

I recommend you find companies in your area you would like to work for and send you resume in to the company principal. Then follow up in 2-3 days and confirm the receipt with the person. Also ask the person for their professional opinion about the job market in your field and if he know of any companies that might be hiring somebody with your background and experience. I is more work than clicking two buttons online, but it is also much more effective.

Answer 4

Worked for me and I'm a 125-150K senior management type. Last 2-3 jobs came from them. Trick with them is knowing how to search to exclude the silly secret shopper jobs. Hotjobs is worst and I use it rarely. Careerbuilder just use quotes for specific searches or you'll get thousands. Monster use boolean operators - mainly AND and AND NOT. After you spend some time searching you get the hang of it pretty quickly. People will preach networking et al, but Monster especially is pretty much standard for companies large and small these days. Yes you'll get spam especially if you post your CV ( I've never got anything out of that or heard of anyone who has so may just want to not bother) but just set up a new yahoo account for job search only and use the spam button a lot. By the way I've also hired a bunch of people from these sources and do yourself a favor and make sure that job search email address is a neutral one. I have honestly had professional mid-career applicants send CV's from addresses like "BigRod69" etc.

Answer 5

Have you actually posted your resume on the sites? Thats how I got a bunch of responses. One problem may be the fact you are looking for a part time job. It costs quite a bit for the companies to post their openings on these sites, so maybe they think you aren't serious enough to consider since you aren't seeking full time employment. If there is a reason, for instance, school, that you cannot work full time, perhaps you can make a point of explaining that in your cover letter. It really does work! Good luck to you!

Answer 6

It depends on what type of jobs you are looking for, but yes they do work. The last job I had, the employer found my resume on hotjobs and that is how I got the job.

It is not a good idea to rely completely on the internet for these things. use a few sites. the ones I tend to use are monster, hotjobs, careerbuilders, and resume rabbit.

Be sure to use the old fashion ways too, just get a newspaper!

Answer 7

To expand on the last person... Assuming that you are applying for part time work..I wouldn't put more than what they are looking for in the resume.. and keep the cover letter short and sweet. Always thank them as well.

Answer 8

You probably need to spend quality time on your resume. If you take the time, you will read the ad again to see exactly what they are looking for in a specific job slot and incorporate that quality in your resume. In other words, if you see they are looking for a full time receptionist and someone that can handle other varied duties at the same time, you should make sure these items are covered in your resume as experience with your present or previous employer.

Answer 9

i have no answer really but just to tell you be patient , i know how you feel im in the same boat right now. i found that i am not that good at searching when i become discouraged.personally from experience i found that if you go out and search vs. online resumes you will get better responses.i was going online almost every day and applying through the same networks, and it is discouraging, so now i think im going to go out there and sell my self to some company!im hoping some one will hire me! good luck to ya!

Answer 10

I also think u need to upgrade ur resume in some way, why dont u check out some samples at my profile and that might help u in a big way :)

all the best :)

Answer 11

That's interesting