Why the easy convenience of job boards, can result in the hardest job search journey

Australian’s have an addiction to job boards.

If you talk to the bulk of job hunters, the only vision, or method they use when finding a new job, is to go straight to a job board, quickly search online for jobs that look like a ‘possible fit’ and then start submitting their resume and cover letter.  Then they wait…. don’t hear anything, or get rejection letters, so submit some more applications via the job boards and then wait…

I think our addiction to job boards is that they are ‘so easy to use’ and the promise of the perfect and highly lucrative job beckons us.

In the meantime, in the land of ‘job search coaches’, we try to drown out the message emanating from job boards and their effective and easy sell about securing your dream job at the press of a button.  We spend a good portion of our time advocating alternative strategies, such as direct job search campaigns, networking, researching opportunities, optimising, LinkedIn (to name a few methods).

But this seems like SO much work!  Plus networking is just so not what people want to do, especially when job boards are really easy!

But this easy option in job-hunting (namely exclusively using job boards), is probably costing you dearly.  Take these few facts:

• Only about ¼ of all job openings are advertised, so just using the job boards is largely ineffective compared to using alternative methods.
• Everybody else is using the job boards.  You are just one of thousands vying for the same job, because of the convenience factor.  This will impact not only your ability to secure a job interview, but any subsequent salary or wage negotiation will also be impacted, as your competition is huge.
• The gatekeeper (that is HR) is usually in charge, so the ‘real decision’ maker does not even get to look at your resume.

So while an easy, incredibly convenient option, in the long run, it is costing you big time.

Invariably it will take you longer to secure a job, you will face ongoing rejection (which will impact on your mental wellbeing), potentially when you do find a job, you will get paid less (because of competition) and you only ever get access to a small number of jobs in your field (missing out on your ultimate dream job).

So get out of your comfort zone and see the job boards for what they are – just one method (and the least effective) amongst many that can secure your dream job.

And while the alternatives do require a little more work, they are surprisingly easy to implement once you have the ‘know how’, and that additional effort will result in a much easier and rewarding job search journey.