Does posting your resume online actually get any results?

[The Strict Machine]

I am in the job market for the first time in about 5 years. Last time I posted my resume online and all I ever got was shady work from home business emails, and other get rich quick scams.

[Lauren]

probably not. I think your best bet is to look into areas that interest you and send your resume directly to companies or go in for interviews.

[TBL]

Yes. But that's assuming you take other steps, too.

It's rather like the question "Will buying a car get me a job?" Many people have scored jobs simply because they had a car and the other applicants didn't. But obviously there's more to getting a job than having a car--or an online resume.

Realistically, employers don't sit on their computer reading hundreds of resumes. It would take too much time to read them all; the computer's filter may not give them the most relevant resumes; the resumes may not be well-written or be accurate representations of the workers; and, when they finally find a resume that seems to be a good fit for the job, the worker may be unreachable, may have already found a job, or may not be interested in the job in question. It is much more efficient for employers to post job descriptions and encourage interested, qualified workers step up to the plate.

This is true even in a job market where employers know they'll have to work hard to find the most qualified candidates. In today's market, with nationwide employment nearing 10 percent, with skilled and educated people losing their jobs, and with several job seekers competing for every position, employers don't have to put in any effort to find good candidates. They're already inundated with applicants. One of my family members recently applied to a job and received a form letter saying that 600 resumes were submitted. With that kind of competition, why would an employer bother to sit at a computer reading the resumes of people who HAVEN'T expressed interest in the job?

You have to be active in your job search. The Internet and computerized job databases can be powerful tools, but you have to use them wisely. Posting your resume online is a good first step, but it's only a baby step.

Tips:

- Know what type of job you want and clearly communicate your objective. This will reduce the likelihood of irrelevant messages and increase the likelihood of relevant messages.

- Imagine what your prospective employer would type into a search engine, and place those keywords in your resume and online profiles. This is called "search engine optimization". Assume that a computer will read and filter your text before any human ever sees it.

- Post your resume on multiple websites. Why put all your eggs in one basket, when there are so many websites on which to get free advertising?

- Update your resume every week. Most job-seeking websites place the most recently updated resumes at the top of the search results. Recent online activity suggests to employers that you're actively job-seeking.

- Apply to the jobs posted on these sites. If you're not taking the time to read and respond to their ads, why assume they'll take the time to read and respond to your ad?

- Update or delete any other online profiles that provide contradictory or professionally unhelpful information (e.g. your drinking photos or your blog about procrastination).

- If you have the skills, set up your own website or burn a disc of your own multimedia presentation. This gives you complete editorial and artistic control--for example, you can provide a video of yourself teaching a class or a five-page list of your publications--and you can advertise it in any way you like.

- Use online social networks such as LinkedIn.com or your university's alumni organization through the career center. Sign up for an online profile, link to a few people, but don't stop there. Ask for professional introductions and "informational interviews", follow up on leads, and have your resume, cover letter, and interview suit ready to go.

- Don't depend on the Internet to get you the job. Hedge your bets by job-seeking the old-fashioned way. Read the local news to learn about what's going on at local companies and organizations, scan the print classified ads, talk to your colleagues, sign up at a professional recruitment agency, attend professional conferences and job fairs, and wear out your shoe leather.

[sassy25]

No. You need to search for the sites that legitimate companies list openings and send resume directly to them