Does anybody here work at a place that uses Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, etc.?

[LuckyTheDog]

I recently applied for a job via one of the major online job-search websites. After I did that, I asked a couple of friends who worked at that place to put in a good word for me, which they did.

Several days later, the hiring manager sent me an e-mail wondering why people were recommending me when he had no evidence that I had actually applied for the job.

I explained in a reply that I had applied via the web and that I had got a confirmation both from the website itself and the company's HR department. I also sent him a follow-up e-mail with a resume and cover letter directly.

This experience freaks me out. It seems to confirm my suspicion that applications sent via those job-search sites actually DO disappear into nothingness and never reach the decision makers.

Does anybody here work at a company that uses Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com or similar websites to recruit people? If so, are those applications actually looked at? If they are looked at, are they somehow relegated to a lower tier?

[MrsBrady]

1. they may be going into some generic HR account, but

there is really no way to know. There are so many people looking for a job, your name could have been lost in the shuffle.


I never used it that way when I was recruiting, and I never had access to it to post jobs.

I was only able to search resumes posted by users for employers to search.

[Lisa0825]

2. I did for about 6 months a year ago....

We did not have our own in-house application system. CareerBuilder.com hosted our application process for us. People who clicked on the link from our web page were redirected to CareerBuilder to submit their application. People could also get to us through CareerBuilder itself. We had to log in to view applications/resumes.

Now I work at a place with our own system, and I get the same kind of questions from managers, but the thing is that most of the hiring managers do not do the first level screening; otherwise they would have to wade through a couple hundred apps or so. Most managers either have someone in HR weeding out those who do not meet at least the bare minimum qualifications, or they have a departmental administration person who coordinates the hiring process doing that part and passing along the applications to the appropriate hiring manager (especially in large departments who might have several managers to coordinate).

So what you need to find out is if there is a recruiter or departmental contact responsible for the process who should be contacted first to get your resume to the manager. Or ask the manager if they would consider requesting to see your resume from their HR person/admin coordinator, or if you could send it directly.

[valerief]

3. I wonder if they go to the IRS, Homeland Security, and then sold to marketers. nt

[Yavin4]

4. In the Future, Give Your Resume to Your Friend and Ask Them...

to email the HR dept and attach your resume to the email. This way your resume comes from an internal source, and at least you're assured that it actually got to HR.

[Curmudgeoness]

5. I have often wondered if job placement companies

go through ads in the paper or other places and post those ads. I have never had a response on any of those sites, and have good luck normally when I mail/fax/email directly to an ad.

My company does not use any of these sites, so I really don't know how it works.