I’m suspicious. I’ve been helping Mr. Pug in his job search, and have utilized plenty of different job search engines. Some of these engines are not the big, well-known ones. Lately, we’ve noticed a tremendous increase in our number of phone solicitors. Since I’m always careful when ordering things online to stick with big mainstream outfits and tell them not to sell my data to solicitors, the only other place the data could be coming from, I believe, is the online applications I’ve been sending.
The reason I’m suspicious is that these lesser-known engines have the exact same jobs for months at a time. And yes, I’ve since stopped using them. But maybe they exist just for the purpose of harvesting data. Do you think?
How about when they make a point of needing one’s salary history - seems like they are just collecting info. maybe just to learn what it would cost to get somebody for whatever position they are thinking about.
If you need to give someone a credit card number in order to apply, you should think twice. But if you think three times, you may as well give the number. You’re bound to give someone the number who shouldn’t get it sooner of later, so it may as well be sooner.
There are many reasons why a company will advertise without wanting to hire and will do so without name of company and contact.
Blown & Injected has one.
Others would include seeing if you can replace current employees cheaper or if you are in danger of losing current employees because all prospects want more.
Too see if your own employees are applying. This way you can fire them for looking elsewhere.
To see how many competitor employee resumes are showing up.
If you put your company name, (not blind), then you project that you are a growing company and still dynamic even if the truth is that massive layoffs are right around the corner.
Seriously…I think over 50% of non-blind (company name appears) ads are bogus and 80-100% of blind ads are completely bogus.
andymurph64, I agree with you completely on your point, but I was wondering if it was known to all but me that these winky-dink search websites just harvest your data and sell it.
Though, if that’s true, that would be doubly irritating. Why would an unemployed person be a good telemarketing prospect? BTW: Six telemarketing calls and counting tonight.
I had looked at a number of the smaller websites as well when I was laid off using the logic that fewer people would go there, ergo, I’d be more likely to get a response. I don’t know that I agree with the conspiracy theory andymurph64 is suggesting though. Truth be told, at my last job, when we would put an ad up on Monster, the HR folks would get flooded with so many resumes that it was almost impossible for them to go through them. They would advertise for a Director of Marketing and everyone from janitors to engineers would send their resumes, making it difficult to find the ones you needed that had the real experience.
I found that when I posted my own resume on these sites, my information was harvested by these jerks who were “professional service organizations” that actually suggested that you pay them an upfront fee and monthly retainer to find them a job. I got their spam quite often, and once that started, ALL my spam shot up exponentially, which I attribute to them selling the information. One of these sites probably stuck your contact information on a mailing list that is the latest one circulating the industry. After all, if you’re unemployed, you’re likely to be home waiting for an interview call, so you’ll ALSO be home to hear about their great deal to switch long distance carriers, get a new low interest credit card, etc.
Sorry that last post about the jerk “professional service organizations” should have read “…suggested that you pay them an upfront fee and monthly retainer so they could find you a job”
Pugluvr, I wasn’t overlly clear. I also meant to say that since companies do these things it isn’t a big step for them to place ads for the purpose of making money via telemarketing.
Anyone remember the late 80’s - mid 90’s?
There was a trend for companies to place help wanted ads and, when you applied, must give them $x for ‘processing’ fees or such. They could do this since people were desperate for jobs. I always thought there these companies were the lowest of the low and would roast in hell.
The worst was a company that you were supposed to call a number for info and a recording said send in resume, cover letter ** and a check for $80 ** for processing.
I thought this trend would get so bad as to make job searching undoable. Thank God for the 1995-1996 recovery. That destroyed this practice though it might make a comeback.
So, pugluvr, scum companies do these things. It wouldn’t surprise me if these small websites ‘place’ their own fake ads to make it look like they have good job listings.
Yartsar, you might not go so far as to believe the ‘conspiracy theory’ (I don’t think it’s a conspiracy, just common practice) but do you not agree that most, if not nearly all, of ‘blind’ want ads are bogus?
Never, ever apply to a blind ad. Its a waste of time and energy.