What’s the downside to job hunting online?

If you’re applying directly to an employer’s website there’s no significant downside, but if you’re going through one of the many internet job-search agencies that have sprung up in recent years, you need to be a little on your guard. Like most parts of the internet, the job-search side has produced its share of crooks, dreamers and incompetents, and it’s not always easy to tell which is a decent site and which is all hot air and possibly worse.

A common complaint about some internet agencies is that they sometimes post non-existent positions on their websites to lure applicants. Jobseekers register on the site and then find that the position has gone, after which they are directed to far less attractive positions or, worse, to none at all and are instead inundated with junk mail. Another problem is that it can sometimes be impossible to tell when a job was first advertised, so that a site that at first appears bursting with perfect positions can easily turn out to be full of stale old adverts for jobs long gone.

The lack of direct human contact can also be a problem for some jobseekers. There’s usually no one to speak to find out whether your details or application have arrived, or to chase for further information on the job or for feedback, and that can be irritating. The other key point to remember with online searching is the standard one for all internet dealings: if you’re giving personal details to any site, make sure the site is secure.