Remember what your mother always told you? You get what you pay for……this advice is particularly applicable in the use of job boards.
All the so-called experts are expounding on how fantastic and easy it is to get a job through the internet, and they all have examples of friends who have successfully found a job that way. The big question is, do you want a job or a career?
Unfortunately, a lot of people are swayed by articles they read In newspapers, and believe everything they read. One must remember that newspapers are in business to make money, and not everything that is reported is fact, nor are a lot of the journalists particularly adept at research. They tend to give their opinions, however narrow, and that is where this is going.
We know one very nice gentleman who has now been unemployed for a year…why you ask? Certainly not due to his lack of technical skills, but unfortunately because he was naïve and posted his resume on half a dozen job boards. You ask, what is wrong with that? Well, unfortunately, once you publicly post your resume online, anyone has the option of taking it and doing with it as they so desire, which means that if 5 personnel agencies take it and send it out to whomever they wish for whatever position they wish, you have no legal recourse. His problem? Several copies of his resume were sent to the same companies for all different positions at all levels of salary…..he looks like he is desperate and incompetent, although he neither the one who approved the submission of his resumes to these companies nor the positions for which he was submitted. Yes, that does defy reason, but, under the law, by placing his resume in public domain without limitation, this is the type of problem people encounter.
Resumes have a funny way of turning up on the desks of people’s bosses, and the credibility of the individual is lost forever.
Another sad anecdote, someone had their resume turn up in the human resources department where they work, and are required to have Security Clearance as they deal with the military and federal government on sensitive issues. The human resources manager called the individual to her office, and repeatedly asked if the person was happy or looking for new employment, the individual repeatedly said no, he was happy. He was told ‘that is a pity’, when she called security who promptly cancelled his access codes, went through his desk, briefcase and coat, and escorted him to the door under armed guard. In seeking legal advice, he was asked how many times he was asked if he was happy or looking for a new job, when he answered over 5, he was then told that it was legal and he had no legal recourse against the agency who sent his resume unsolicited to his employer. He lost his job, he lost his clearance and was unemployed for a very long time.
