The World Wide Web has undoubtedly revolutionized how people find and provide jobs . Millions of resumes get posted and viewed because of popular job sites such as CareerBuilder, Monster, and Craigslist. Communication between employers and applicants is also a breeze thanks to the power of email. While all these online venues are great, job seekers and employers shouldn’t limit themselves to these websites alone. The Internet is huuugee, and there’s a whole lot of opportunity lying beyond the realms of popular employment websites.
The following sites can be a breath of fresh air for a lot of people, especially if the “conventional” way of online job hunting is getting a little old.
1. Elance, oDesk, Freelancer.com – As their names clearly indicate, these three websites are popular among freelancers and companies who prefer outsourcing. Elance, oDesk, and Freelancer.com are composed of numerous individuals from all over the world who specialize in various fields. Companies offering work can simply add a job posting on any of these sites together with a description, a budget, and desired qualifications. Members who meet the required skills and qualifications would then pitch themselves to the employer by “bidding” on the job. Employers, in turn, will review all the submitted bids and pick the person(s) for the job. Once the job is awarded, both parties can correspond and coordinate within the website until the job is completed. Payments, files, and other forms of communication can be sent using these websites ensuring that all aspects of the job are organized and secure.
2. FlexJobs – This website provides listings for jobseekers that have flexible schedules (i.e. those searching for telecommuting, part-time, or freelance jobs). And while it’s true that CareerBuilder, Monster.com, and Craigslist also offer listings for “flexible” jobs, these sites are often littered with scams and offers that are just too good to be true. Flexjobs prides itself with providing only quality and legitimate job posts. The Flexjobs team does all the research and legwork to ensure that the jobs posted on their site are legit.
3. Fiverr – This is THE website for odd jobs on the Internet. The whole Fiverr economy revolves around one question: What would you do for $5? If you’re looking to make some extra cash, then think about any skills you have that you’d be willing to offer for five bucks. Need to something to get done for cheap? Check out the Fiverr site and see if someone’s willing to do the work for your budget. Fiverr gigs range from photo editing, to funny impersonations, and even tweeting a message to 100,000 people.
4. Twitter – Twitter has definitely evolved from a place for self-absorbed people to post about what they ate, to an effective communication tool. If you’re looking to hire someone, you can use Twitter to search member bios and touch base with “tweeps” that you think are qualified. For jobseekers, tweeting that they’re looking for a job is a start; people looking for work can also follow the Twitter accounts of companies in their industry and keep an eye out for any positions that might be available. Moreover, there are Twitter accounts dedicated to posting the newest job openings, and it’s best to follow these as well.
5. Facebook – If you’re a jobseeker on Facebook, then implement some of the tactics mentioned above; post a status update that you’re looking for work, and follow (or in this case, “like”) the pages of companies in your industry. Employers on the other hands should also announce on Facebook that they’re hiring currently hiring, to effectively spread the word.
Image credit: Robert S. Donovan on Flickr
