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The Pros and Cons of Position-Wanted Postings
By JLP | June 20, 2006
There’s an interesting article on the CareerJournal website this morning about the pros and cons of position-wanted ads. If you aren’t familiar with p-w ads, they are essentially ads placed by job seekers for potential employers and search firms to see. One guy in the article posted his p-w ad on Craigslist.
According the article, the pros of position-wanted statements are:
1. They carry the message you want.
2. They can be anonymous. This is good for those who are currently employed but are looking for another job.
3. They can be updated easily.
The cons are:
1. Few recruiters and hiring managers may see the ad.
2. They usually take a scatter-shot approach.
3. They may seem desperate to some recruiters.
I think it is an interesting concept an another arrow in the quiver for those looking for jobs.
Topics: Miscellaneous | 2 Comments »
June 20th, 2006 at 11:16 am
My take: don’t bother. Headhunters that go online will be searching for resumes using keyword searches, not wading through “give me a job, any job!” posts. When you’re looking for a candidate, you have enough trouble going through the thousand resumes you get that are all basically identical.
In any case, the ancient and annoying advice is still the best: build a network of professional contacts and maintain it even when you are employed. This is the easiest way to stay employed.
June 20th, 2006 at 1:32 pm
I think this works best if you know that you can offer something unique or if you have skills that are scarce. Then again, as the foobarista wrote, if this rings true, you should pick up the phone and inform a headhunter about yourself because you are likely to be in demand.