How to make job boards work for you

From small and humble beginnings in the mid-nineties job boards have now grown to become an integral part of the employment process and a key way, people look for a job.

Today, there are hundreds of job-boards in Australia and an estimated 41,000 worldwide.  With off the shelf software and free job board technology readily available, you will find a job board available that will enable you to locate your perfect job – with every conceivable niche accommodated for, from location, profession, job type or sector.  Job boards regularly list tens of thousands of jobs each day and cover every target demographic from mature workers, part-time workers, teenagers, through to working mums.

With the majority of job seekers using job boards during their job search, the majority of employers and recruiters also use job boards to advertise jobs, if they can’t find suitable candidates via their network, or headhunting.  In fact for many employers, this is the only medium they advertise in, because it is an economical and effective channel to quickly find and secure talent.

However, for all their popularity, job boards have massive limitations for the job seeker.  Job boards are inherently tools built for employers and recruiters, rather than serving the needs of job seekers.  This is driven by the fact that job board revenue is generated by employers and recruiters advertising, not specifically by job seekers.  The reality is that the majority of job seekers don’t get their jobs from job boards (although the marketing from branded job boards suggests this is not the case).

However, you can significantly increase your success rate with job boards, using the following tactics:

1. Apply for jobs, as soon as they get posted, otherwise you run the risk applying for a job that is already filled.
2. Only apply for jobs that you are qualified for.  Since employers are usually inundated with job applications online, then make sure that you are the sort of job candidate that the employer is seeking.  So for example, if the employer in the job advertisement is asking for a ‘mature’ applicant, this is simply a coded way of saying that this employer doesn’t want to employ anyone too young.  So if you are only 17, then it is unlikely you will be picked for the job, even if you are quite mature for a 17 year old.  If the job advertises for someone that has the ability to ‘lead a team’, then they are after a manger with prior experience in leading a team.  While you might feel that you are capable of leading people, unless you have this experience, it is unlikely you will be picked.  (I mean, who would you select if you were an employer?  Someone that has demonstrable experience and success in leading a team, or someone, that states they would like to have a go at leading a team?).
3. Create a key word rich resume, so both computer readers (ATS systems) and human readers, can determine that you have the relevant background for the job.  Include relevant key words, relating to job titles, skills and education and jargon and technical terms.
4. Don’t use a PDF version of your resume – otherwise you risk your resume not being read by ATS systems.  Just use the plain old word.doc format.
5. Safeguard your privacy, when posting your resume online at job boards.  Don’t include information that could be detrimental to your privacy and the privacy of your referees.  Your referee won’t be too impressed if his or her home phone or private address is online for everyone to see.

Remember, if you are only using job boards to find a job, you are dramatically limiting your prospects and job boards should only be one part of your job search strategy.