Job search tools change constantly. Which is great for job seekers. Although job seekers think they have received many job search tools, the reality is that employers have received even more technology and tools to screen out candidates. That’s why candidates complain constantly about the resume black hole, constant rejections, humans never reviewing their online application, the sky high online candidate rejection rate….
Instead of increasing matches, the sad reality is that recruiting technology has created a rejection machine and job seekers are the victims. Additionally, job seekers are not using their job search tools effectively and efficiently, exacerbating the problem. The result is an epic human capital inefficiency because jobs aren’t being filled. Just as bad, is that transforming the Careers site into a rejection meatgrinder is an employer brand destroying dynamic. Job seekers are forced to report on Glassdoor on their less than ideal candidate experience. That’s why my Glassdoor in one of my favorite job search tools for job seekers.
Glassdoor is a one stop shop for job seekers. If you need it, they offer it:
- Job postings
- Job agents
- Company reviews
- Interview reviews
- Salary data
And more. As a Recruiting leader, I constantly hear executives and hiring managers complaining about how unfair it is that employees and job seekers are able to post reviews. And that we can’t just ask them to delete the negative reviews. My response – how about trying to treat people really well instead of asking the site to delete accurate content? Then you don’t have to worry about the bad review. For years I have read the reviews for my employers and I think they are actually more fair than they should be. If employees actually wrote what they wanted to, it would be much worse.
Another thing that employers dislike is that while Glassdoor allows employers to claim their company page for free and indicates they are an engaged employers, it requires them to pay to configure and post jobs. It’s a big red flag if you are applying to a company that has not at least claimed their page. Pay attention.
As a job seeker, my recommendations are that you set up a weekly job agent to email new job postings as well as to thoroughly review any company reviews. Stop telling yourself that only angry negative employees post on Glassdoor. If there are a ton of reviews saying, “Don’t even consider working here,” don’t ignore the warning. Ask for combat pay if you are going to go into a combat zone.
Final point about Glassdoor- don’t stop from applying to a job because the estimated salary listed is way low. Glassdoor uses reported salaries from employees – NOT the company range- which they have no way of knowing. I review what Glassdoor says my different employers were potentially paying for a role and it wasn’t accurate. They are using partial data. So if you are qualified, always apply.
For more salary negotiation, always cross reference glassdoor.com with:
For more information regarding how to research salary, check out this article. When it comes to favorite job search tools, Glassdoor really delivers. Now let’s talk about my new favorite, ZipRecruiter.
Why do I love ZipRecruiter? Because it uses innovative notifications and positive feedback. They send positive affirmation emails to encourage you during the process and actually send acknowledgments so that you don’t feel like there even is a resume black hole. That means that when an employer views your application, you receive a notification. When they don’t bother to even view your resume submission, ZipRecruiter like a protective parent tells you the deal. Wait- you mean there’s an actual feedback loop when you apply? Yup, that’s what I’m saying. Now that doesn’t mean that employers behaving badly isn’t still a factor, but at least ZipRecruiter is outing them when they don’t even view your resume. I love that.
The grandaddy of job search is still a powerhouse. Remember, their job slots are very expensive for employers so it is absolutely not a job aggregator. But if you are in their sweet spot – white or striped collar corporate working professional with a college degree with 10 -20 years of work experience, it’s top shelf. Employers have to pay a lot for their company page and their job postings. That’s a good sign for you as a job seeker. The quality of the jobs is high as well with most of them full time W2 roles. It’s not Craigslist. BTW, be careful with finding gigs there. Just saying. Back to LinkedIn, set up your job agent and configure your profile to indicate to Recruiters that you are open to new opportunities.
Remember, LinkedIn monetized their entire candidate database years ago into LinkedIn Recruiter, and this is what they sell to Corporate Talent Acquisition teams for approximately $8,000 a license depending on volume and discounts. It provides Recruiters – not headhunters – the ability to search the millions of members worldwide for talent. I’ve used it to fill jobs around the world.
Final point about LinkedIn. If you don’t have your profile privacy settings locked down, it may cause you issues with your job search. For example, you don’t want your network notified when you updated your profile. So turn that off. It’s a huge indicator to your manager that you are looking for a new job. You probably should hide your connections. Here’s why. You don’t want unscrupulous hiring managers and other people trolling through your connections trying to obtain an off the record backdoor reference on you. Always protect your privacy first.
When it comes to job aggregators, StartWire is on steroids. StartWire™ is powered by a team of recruiting industry veterans, job search experts, world-class technologists, and forward thinking investors all unified by a simple mission: to radically improve job search. It really is an aggregator of all job search sites. So it will combine results from Careers sites, job boards such as CareerBuilder and Indeed, and other postings. It’s very comprehensive. If you don’t want to drown in notifications from every site, creating on StartWire is a good option.
Every week, job seekers ask me about career assessments. If you are a college or grad student, or have access for alumni, many times you can go to your university career planning office and take assessments. If you are a working professional, this site allows you to take the same versions online. Remember, these are the real deal with a fee, not free, but free isn’t always good when it comes to career assessments.
The Career Assessment Site offers over 40 personality, professional, college, businessand career assessments. These include The MBTI® (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®) Instrument, The MBTI® Step II™ Instrument, The Strong Interest Inventory® Instrument, The FIRO-B® Instrument, The FIRO Business® Instrument, and The Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI).
What a dating site for job search? Is Coach Tracy crazy? Nope, I’m not. Here what I’m thinking. You meet other professionals on dating sites. Who have jobs. Who hire people for jobs. So keep it professional in your bio and photos. Absolutely NO risk taking if you have a real job. These are public profiles. Why would you ever publicly publish your sexual fetishes in a public forum your current employer, coworkers and potential employers could view? It’s insane. If you are a police officer, firefighter, nurse…first responder of any kind, let alone a politician, shut it down when it comes to unprofessional dating profiles. Just think Carlos Danger. You could lose your job, career and entire life with one profile. Even worse, many people use Google Voice and if you are texting them inappropriately after meeting on a dating site, your texts can be archived. If you don’t know what Google Voice is or what archived means, you need to find out. Nothing is private. Don’t be a moron.