I have been researching some of these job search engines out there today but focused on the local ones. One in particular always stands out to me, Craigslist. I’ve always used and respected the work Craigslist has done in regards to finding local work, gigs and community events. Something I noticed with Craigslist which I wanted to share with my job seekers.
Disclaimer: I’m not promoting or advertising for Craigslist, just giving pointers on how to use them.
I put my resume on Craigslist where my email address was viewable. In one hour, I had received a good 30 emails, none of them were real jobs. Just a bunch of scam companies promoting working from home wiring money. The same happened when I then posted my resume with the option to make my email address anonymous. When I posted my resume without my email address and just my phone number, then I got about two calls with serious job offers.
Obviously, something is up when using Craigslist.
The companies that continued to email me rarely had any postings up on Craigslist. That could be explained by two things, 1. it does cost $75 per job posting and 2. Craigslist let’s its users flag postings that are seen as spam. It would make sense that companies really looking to hire would invest the time and money to find the right candidate.
What can job seekers do to better utilize Criagslist? I suggest that must you post your resume, take your email out of the equation. You’ll get fewer responses but at least they are serious calls. I would prefer that you DON’T post resumes on Craigslist. Instead, designate time to search jobs posted. You can even have search results from keywords emailed to you on a daily basis so that you don’t miss out. That works more efficiently then getting 30 spam emails.
There are plenty local job search Web sites right here in the Bay Area that you can utilize including Bay Area Help Wanted and Bay Area Jobs. Share your favorite local job search Web sites by posting a comment below, on our Facebook group or message me on Twitter.
Try http://www.SuperShopper.org as a good alternative for both buying and selling with free classified ads and jobs.
I will be honest that I am nervous about putting my phone number anywhere NEAR craigslist. Honestly I agree that just doing everything with a contact email (vs phone number) invites every 419 scammer in the world, but after some of the other wierd elements of craigslist (some that have even happened with me), a phone number also invites trouble. Dice.com has helped me see what is out there for web design based jobs. It gives me alot more info upfront but often times my area gets little coverage for job posters.