Web May Not Be Best Spot to Find a Job

There may not be enough jobs, but there are plenty of places to find them -- and some search methods may be better than others.

There are a lot of Web sites offering employment opportunities -- from Monster.com to the sites of employers and professional associations -- but the Internet may not be the best source to find a job, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an outplacement and business coaching firm.

CEO John Challenger says the offerings have simply become too much of a good thing, and often lead to unfulfilled expectations.

"One could easily spend all day, every day, surfing the 'Net for job vacancies, emailing resumes and waiting for the phone to ring," says Challenger. "Unfortunately, this approach will rarely lead to a new job." 

Job seekers should not rely so heavily on the Web, the consultancy recommends, and instead use it as a supplement to face-to-face meetings, which are often more fruitful.

Those who use the Internet as their primary tool are likely to prolong the time it takes to find a new job, rather than speed it up, because the tidal wave of job sites causes employers to become "inundated with irrelevant resumes," according to Challenger. The firm finds that, in some cases, for every qualified applicant there can be 10 to 20 who "do not even come close to being a good fit." 

The trend is likely heightened by the sheer number of job losses, with a net loss of 463,000 U.S. payrolls so far this year.

Still, the Web can be a good place to start looking for a job, with 3.9 million vacancies posted as of July, according to the latest Conference Board data. It is an especially useful tool for those seeking jobs outside of where they live -- say, a New York filmmaker attempting to relocate to Hollywood, or a banker in the windy city of Chicago seeking a change of pace in sunny Florida.