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Why Job Boards No Longer Work

February 9th, 2010

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Using job boards can be frustrating. There’s no way to tell whether the results are legitimate (i.e. actually looking to hire) or if your application will ever be viewed by anyone after it is submitted.

The biggest problem with Job Boards is the integrity of the data shown on the job board. (Or more accurately, the lack thereof). Positions are often posted and left up on the boards indefinitely regardless of whether the position is filled or not. This causes a lot of ‘Red Herring” posts where it appears a company is looking for applicants, but there are no openings actually available or looking to hire.

Another major reason for never hearing back is that position is not really open and the recruiting department is simply collecting resumes to find out who is out there. This is similar to the prior issue but is slightly more devious as these postings are put up without any intent of ever hiring someone. The objective is to merely collect resumes and store them for later when they might be needed. This practice is borderline unethical and does nothing to build the brand or create goodwill among potential applicants.

Lastly, applications come to a dead end because the job poster is inefficient and lacks good processes and discipline in dealing with candidate flow. Many online applications are routed to an email account or inbox where they are never reviewed. Job posters may have every intention of reviewing incoming applications, but do not.

All this leads to loss of faith in the system and eventually people stop using it.

What is needed? – An environment where the noise is cut down and all parties understand the message and abide by those rules.

MyJobReferrals works to eliminate the games by focusing on a few simple things:

  1. The job poster views your application – It’s ironic that this should need to be listed, but it’s assumed by many to occur when it doesn’t always happen. (And assuming only makes an *ss out of you and me). On this site we track each application and note if the job poster doesn’t review the application. If too many applications are not reviewed, the job posting account is closed, its existing job posts are removed, and they are not allowed to post again. We think of it as enforcing common courtesy.
  2. The job poster is looking to hire NOW. Again, it somewhat sad that this needs to be listed, but we give the job poster a week to review each applicant to determine whether they are going to pursue the candidate or not. This is designed to keep the process moving along to the point where the hiring source contacts the applicant. Since the job poster can only contact the applicant if they pay to do so, harvesting or collecting of resumes is not a realistic option.
  3. Applicants will hear back from the job poster. Job posters on this site agree to review applications within a week of submission and let the applicants know (Either way: Yes or No) whether they’re going to be considered for the position. The answer might not always be what is hoped for but at least someone took the time to view the application and took the time to let you know you’re in or to provide closure.

Simply put, job boards are past their prime. The job board was designed to simply regurgitate whatever job listings it has that match the user’s search parameters. Technology and user acceptance/expectations have evolved to the point where better options have become available. MyJobReferrals.com is the future of hiring.

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MyJobReferrals.com is an online referral system enabling individuals to refer qualified candidates for open positions and receive a finder fee if their candidate is either viewed or hired. © My Job Referrals, LLC

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