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BookmarkCareerbuilder.com is the popular job board that connects companies with candidates. Some people that I have spoken with believe that by the time a job is posted on Careerbuilder.com, then the company has probably hired someone internally or use the board as a means to screen candidates. Additionally, some people complain of spam from Careerbuilder.com or there are thousands of career opportunities that require you to pay money first.
My own issue with Careerbuilder.com is that the job board is “old school” and one-dimensional in the candidates ability to communicate and establish a relationship with human resources or a recruiting partner. I have applied for at least 5,000 jobs and have only had job interview offers with less than 30 companies.
LinkedIn.com is a social networking community for professionals which allow users the ability to post their career and educational history. From those posts, you can connect with other professionals that you have either worked with or gone to school with. Like Careerbuilder.com, it is one-dimensional. Although a bit more personal, the most public interaction available is through referrals between you and a former coworker or connection. In my experience with LinkedIn, I have found it difficult to connect and communicate with people. And in the two years of my career portfolio listed on LinkedIn.com, I have only received two contacts for potential job offers.
I just joined a website called Focus.com. You can check out my profile: Professional SEO Expert Kimberly Kimbrough on Focus. Cnet.com had this to say about Focus:
After signing up for Focus, you can immediately start researching topics that have some relevance to your business. From finance to customer service, the site is filled with professionals both asking and answering questions on topics that impact business. To push its social element, Focus allows you to write a blog, connect with others in groups, or simply post comments to discussion boards. If you’re looking to learn more about your industry and you want peers to help you do it, Focus is for you.
Focus.com social networking for industry experts
It’s key that people do look beyond LinkedIn to other sites and services that help broker valuable new connections with folks who have a need for what you do. It does not take long at all to begin answering questions on Focus.com. But to really, truly become a Focus Expert requires time and commitment as with most of the social networking websites.
My recommendation is to set a reasonable return on investment for professional social networks and once you accomplish it, move on.
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