Jobs & Careers >
Job Listings & Agencies
Get a Widget for this title
RSS FeedIs Monster useful during a job search?
Results so far:
| Useful | 51% | 134 votes | Total: 264 votes | |
| Not Useful | 49% | 130 votes |
Useful
Write now
Print
Invite a writer™
Add to FavoritesAll in all, I'd have to say that Monster is useful during a job search. Will it help you find the job of your dreams? Probably not, but it is loaded with tons of information that'll help you to land that great job. All you have to do is spend some time exploring its nooks and crannies.
If you're looking for job openings, you'll need to do more than upload your resume to Monster or some other big search engine, then sit back, expecting a company to find you. You'll also need to find out how any professional organizations that you have joined over the years can help you in your search. Professional organizations usually have job boards as well as opportunities to gain a higher profile (eg, participating in local/national committees and listserves). You should also find the "help wanted" sections of company websites, where you'll find jobs that won't show up on Monster if they can find good candidates without paying a fee to Monster.
You should also become your own Monster. Tell people at your church, hiking club, etc., that you're looking for a job. Someone may know of a position that you might be right for, but they won't mention it to you if they don't know you're looking. Ask around and find out if people getting hired in the jobs you want have more education than you do. You may want to pursue an associate's, bachelor's, or master's degree. Or perhaps a certification can open doors for you.
As a job search engine, Monster is pretty good. You can filter your search for jobs based on the job's posting date, career level, years of experience needed, and education level required. In my market, there aren't many jobs, and even fewer that are right for me, but if you live in a larger city, these filters can be quite useful.
On the other hand, as a one-stop shop for all kinds of information that will enhance your job hunt, Monster is more than just pretty good. In addition to advice on writing resumes, dressing for the interview and the like, it also has self-assessments to help you to understand what kinds of jobs match your personality. Monster's Career Advice Community is where you need to go to give and get advice on changing jobs, age issues, and so on. There's even one called "Vent!" You can also subscribe to newsletters focusing on various topics that will be sent to you by email.
The Diversity Job Search section has interesting articles, not just about race or gender issues, but also about disabilities and gay/lesbian issues. If you're relocating, check out the Relocation Center, which can tell you the average household income of the city you're moving to, offer moving services, and provide insights about the "trailing partner." The trailing partner is the spouse or significant other who is having to pull up roots because his or her loved one has landed that great job in another city.
A friend of mine found a job on Monster, so it does work for some as search engine. That didn't happen to me, but the advice and blogs were far more useful to me than a few job leads.
Learn more about this author, Nadine Odo.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
Not Useful
At the home page of the Monster website, job seekers are requested to put in a keyword to start their job search.
Next they have to fill in the occupation of their choice, with up to twenty different categories.
This is followed by the city and province of their choice and radius.
The result is an astonishing amount of jobs. A job seekers dream.
But hold on, 99% of these jobs are advertised by employment agencies.
When clicking on the expand button under a job title, a brief summary of the employment agency and the job is displayed.
How long the agency has been in business; what their specialty is; what kind of job opportunity this is (temporary or permanent); in what region the job is located; what the salary is.
Underneath this summary is the word More'. When the job seeker clicks on that word an ad appears of the employment agency or company.
In this ad one gets a broader overview of the employment agency or company and a full job description. A detailed list of what is expected of an applicant; the working hours; and the salary.
On the bottom of the ad there is contact information with a button to apply by email or apply on line.
With Monster one can create a resume on-line, as such saving time with sending individual emails. This resume can be changed or updated at any time.
A job seeker can even request to be notified whenever new jobs are advertised in his/her line of work, which is almost daily.
So far, so good, but let us take this job search a step further.
Of the ten applications I sent out, only three employment agencies followed up on my application.
Two of them called me and invited me to come in and register with them.
"But I am already registered with you," I told both the consultants.
They seemed surprised and looked for my name in the computer.
When I asked the respective consultant if I could be considered for the advertised positions they told me that I was too senior for the job.
When the third agency called they also invited me to come in and register.
This I did and did all their tests.
In the interview with the consultant I asked about the position advertised on Monster and was told that that position had already been filled. She would keep me in mind for any upcoming opportunities.
When I looked on Monster the next day, this agency advertised no less than three positions.
I called my consultant and drew her attention to those positions.
She told me that they were already filled.
But they were only just advertised!
This went on for some time.
Whenever I saw a job opportunity on Monster, I called my consultant at that particular agency and invariably was told that the position had been filled or that I was unsuitable.
After a while I got fed up and asked a consultant who was recently fired from an employment agency what the scoop was.
"Advertising," she told me. "Employment agencies advertise jobs to attract attention. If they advertise one job per week, nobody is going to notice them. Nobody is even going to notice them if they advertise one job per day. But if they advertise three to five jobs per day, applicants will recognise them as busy agencies with lots of opportunities. As such they will want to come in and register because there might be a job for them."
"But that is false advertising," I told her.
She merely shrugged. "It is not against the law. It is not illegal. It is business."
Business? In my opinion this was fraud. False advertising. Advertising so many jobs was misleading the public. They were playing with people's emotions, giving them hope where there was none. It was a cruel and unnecessary practice. It was like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey.
In time I stopped looking at the Monster website. Nothing ever came of it anyway.
And I was not the only one. Lots of people eventually wised up to them and stop visiting the website.
Unfortunatel y, the Monster website gets new hopefuls every day: naive graduates; immigrants, and people who recently lost their employment. All of them ready and willing to register with agencies for jobs that do not exist. All of them setting themselves up for a monstrous disappointment.
Learn more about this author, Conny Manero.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
Difference of opinion? Debate now.
- Job Listings & Agencies
- Finding employment: Do agencies find prospects better jobs?
