A Comparison of Three Popular Career Sites

by Erica Coco

These days, many career sites on the Web offer easy access to regional and national job listings. Since many of these sites obtain their information from the same database sources, you may get the same job search results as you go from site to site.

Indeed, if many career sites offer similar information, why favor one site over another? I decided to review three extremely popular job search Web sites and compare and contrast each one. The three sites I chose are:

• HotJobs - http://www.HotJobs.com
• Monster - http://www.monster.com
• CareerBuilder - http://www.CareerBuilder.com

All three sites require you to complete a form or sign up for services before posting your resume, rather off-putting for job-seekers seeking to maintain their anonymity. Some people would rather not sign up for any kind of commercial service, in an effort to curtail spam e-mail.

Overall, all three sites offer excellent job search options. These three sites differ in a few extra services and benefits offered.

HotJobs

This career site offers a very short sign-up page, much shorter than either CareerBuilder or Monster — definitely a plus! In addition, HotJobs allows you to build your resume on site, or cut and paste your resume from an existing file.

HotJobs seems like a fairly streamlined site, offering fewer extra services than CareerBuilder or Monster. However, this site does offer some extra job services, as described under the “Career Tools” heading.

CareerBuilder

This site allows you to post up to five different resumes. As an added bonus, CareerBuilder automatically encrypts your resume into a form that is readable by the scanning software used by many large companies. However, each resume can contain no more than 10,000 characters, which can be a drawback for academics or professionals with many years of experience.

One excellent benefit is this site’s extra privacy options: you can post your resume anonymously, with no contact information included. Interested employers must contact you through the CareerBuilder site, via the “Send E-mail” button. This anonymity option was custom-made for currently employed job-seekers!

CareerBuilder’s main drawback is its extensive sign-up form. Almost all of the fields are required, and some of the questions are pretty intrusive.

Monster

This site offers a variety of job and career services. Also, like CareerBuilder, Monster offers a privacy option. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can set up a private Netscape e-mail address for receiving replies from potential employers.

On the flip side, as with CareerBuilder, Monster requires each user to fill out a long form. This form is not quite as extensive as the one used by CareerBuilder, but most of the fields are required, such as the “Home Address”, and the “E-Mail” fields.

Any number of career sites on the Web can provide a list of jobs in your field. Yet, you will most likely find yourself returning again and again to the sites that offer the kind of conveniences and benefits you prefer; the sites that really help improve the quality of your personal job search process.

Erica Coco is a graduate of the University of Illinois School of Communications. She is currently a student in the Technical Writing Certificate program at Portland Community College, and recently became a member of STC. You can contact her at: scorpiogirl1171@yahoo.com.