Further Proof – they’re just not as interested in you, the job seeker
by Angela Loëb
Early last year I wrote a press release, Decrease in Online Job Ads Increases Pressure on Job Seekers, in which I pointed out a survey showing a decrease in the number of online ads being posted between November 2007 and January 2008 in spite of ongoing hiring. I was making the case that this increased the pressure on job seekers to find smarter strategies for finding job leads. Little did I know then that we were seeing a long-term trend.
Today while on one of my LinkedIn Groups, I noticed a member had posted this article from Reuters about one of the largest staffing firm in the world, Adecco, and their reduced spending on job boards.
This statistic cited in the article confirmed what I sensed was going on – you need to have an online presence, but you won’t necessarily find your job on a job board these days:
While in 2008, paid boards generated about 65 percent of the candidates Adecco placed in jobs through AdeccoUSA.com, that proportion fell to 20 percent last year. The company is increasingly relying on jobs search engine indeed.com and simplyhired.com, as well as google.com and Microsoft’s Bing search engine.
Adecco, along with other companies (according to LinkedIn, more than 40% of the Fortune 500) are turning to LinkedIn to become their primary recruiting resource.
What’s my point?
You need to get off the job boards, my friend. You need to spend your time cultivating contacts online and offline.
You need to be on LinkedIn for sure. And while you’re on LinkedIn, join some groups and have discussions. Go to Linkedin Answers and build some credibility about your competency.
Blog about subject matter expertise. There are several free blog sites you can use, such as WordPress and Blogger.
Set up an online presence so that employers find you, the expert, because they’re just not as interested in you, the job seeker.
Angela Loëb is an author, speaker and co-owner of Great Occupations. She and her partner, Jay Markunas, help people make successful career transitions through workshops, “pajama learning” webclasses, personalized consulting sessions, as well as through The Job Search Boot Camp Show. Find out more at www.greatoccupations.com.