Job Search Engine Guide

The Irrelevance of HotJobs

   

It’s been five months since I last looked at HotJobs.  The picture wasn’t pretty.

   

Back in June 2006 I reflected on the disconnect between Dan Finnegan’s statement regarding relevance and the reality of HotJobs.  Specifically, Dan told Joel Cheesman:

   

“We’ve learned something really important … consumers gravitate to the content that they see as the highest quality and most relevant.”

   

Yet, my analysis of HotJobs suggested that they were near the bottom of the pack when it came to delivering relevant results.   See the following references:

   

HotJobs – A Whole New Search?

   

Is Anyone Home at HotJobs?

   

HotJobs Rated Unacceptable for Semi-Active Job Search

   

8th Best Site for Active Job Search – HotJobs

   

Surely, five months later, in light of Dan’s statement regarding the importance of relevance, HotJobs would have improved, right? Unfortunately, no; HotJobs still has the lowest relevance of the big job boards. 

   

The screen capture (click the image for a larger view) shows today’s search results for a ‘transportation supervisor’ position in ‘Portland, OR’ … ten jobs listed … no relevant results!

   

As I said five months ago, it’s hard to believe that with all of the resources of Yahoo at their disposal, HotJobs is unable to deliver more relevant results.  Makes me wonder if Dan really knows what is going on at HotJobs.

   

Has Simply Hired Lost Their Way

   

I like Simply Hired … they have a passionate team of talented people, and they have a great mission, reflected in the following statements from the Simply Hired site: 

   

1)  Job Search Made Simple

   

2)  Our goal is to make finding your next job a simple yet effective, enjoyable journey.

   

3)  Simply Hired is powered by people who want to make things better. We want to create cool products, but not at the expense of the individuals who use them. That means building solutions that make sense to your mom, your uncle, your teenager, and even your dog. (OK, maybe not your dog.)

   

However, the screen capture at right (click on the image for a larger view) conveys much different messages … it says:

   

1)  Please click on the ‘Post your resume’ ad so we can make money.

   

2)  Please click on one of the three ‘Featured’ ads so we can make money.

   

3)  Please click on one of the ‘Sponsored links’ so we can make money.

   

I’m all for making money, but not a single organic search result is displayed above the fold – plus, none of the three ‘Featured’ ads is appropriate to this search, reflecting the problems discussed in Simply Hired Violates Job Seeker Trust.

   

Looking at the three ‘Featured’ ads in more detail:

   

1)  The ‘Operations Supervisor’ ad would be relevant if it were for the correct geography, but clicking on the link shows that the ad is for a position in Ontario, California rather than Portland, Oregon;

   

2)  The ‘Territory Sales Supervisor’ ad is a poor fit for an individual seeking a job as a transportation supervisor; and,

   

3)  The ‘Get Paid To Take Surveys From Your Computer’ ad is a spam ad listed as ‘nationwide’ on CareerBuilder – not only is this ad totally irrelevant for the search string, SH is displaying the geography incorrectly.

   

Bottom line, it appears to me that the team at Simply Hired has lost their way.  With no organic results ‘above the fold’, job search is not made simple, effective or enjoyable.

   

We all lose our way sometimes, and I take hope in the following from SH:  “…open communication with our users (and developers) is at the top of our list. So tell us when we screw up, and tell us when we rock the house. Give us your feedback and your ideas, and in return we'll listen, and we'll deliver.”

   

Simply Hired, are you listening?

   

John Sumser is Right

   

About a month ago I posted that John Sumser is Wrong regarding the issue of Job Jacking.  But John didn’t become an icon by always being wrong.  In Everybody Hates Their Spouse, John proves two things: 1) he knows how to pick a lousy title (I love my spouse); and 2) sometimes he’s right … no, not about spouses, but about Monster and marketing.  It’s a good read.

   

Jobster Commits to Improved Search

   

Late last week Jobster rolled out changes to their search engine – you can read about the changes here. 

   

By far the most important change is illustrated at right – Jobster wants your help to improve the search experience.

   

This is huge for a couple of reasons:

   

First, most job search engines take the position (publicly) that search is good enough.  So it’s refreshing to see a market leader ask for user feedback.

   

Second, despite rapid innovation in the recruitment space, search technology has remained essentially unchanged for the past ten years – we still enter a couple of keywords, we still hope that employers are using the same words, and we still sift through volumes of marginally related results – or worse, we stare at some variant of the message ‘no jobs match your search criteria.’ 

   

The problem is simply this – keyword-based search is a poor proxy for intention-based search.  If I search for a ‘computer programmer’ job, I’d also like to see ads for ‘application developers’ and ‘software developers’ – in fact, I want to see all jobs that focus on my intention – application development.  Today’s keyword search technology doesn’t come close. 

   

So even though the vertical search engines (e.g. Indeed, Jobster and Simply Hired) have dramatically simplified the job hunt by rounding up ads previously hidden on thousands of low-traffic sites, much of the gain in jobseeker efficiency is lost through ineffective search.  And of course, when jobseekers have trouble finding the best-fit ads, employers don’t see the best-fit candidates – all parties lose.

   

Recruiting 2006 at the Javits Center

   

The weather this morning in NYC is nasty … heavy rain, blowing sideways, made waiting for a cab a memorable experience … but the Recruiting 2006 conference and expo is off to a great start. 

   

Interesting to note that within an hour of arriving I’ve seen reps from Indeed, Simply Hired and Jobster; but no Monster, CareerBuilder or HotJobs sightings so far.

   

Retirement Job Search and First Flight

   

I’m in Portland International airport (on my way to Recruiting 2006 in NYC) thinking about ‘first flight’ and retirement job search.  I see parallels …

   

On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first sustained, controlled flights in a powered aircraft.  That first flight lasted a mere 12 seconds and covered 120 feet, yet it began a glorious future in aviation.

   

First steps are like that … what parent, upon observing their child’s first steps, has exclaimed ‘ah, she will tour the world as a ballerina.”  Important journeys often begin with awkward first steps.

   

Today we are seeing the first steps in retirement job search … and it takes some imagination to see the future value.  Simply Hired’s new specialty search for boomers seems a bit like the Wright’s first flight … it barely gets us off the ground.  Yet I’m cheering nonetheless.

   

Perhaps it’s because I’m nearing 50, but I’m becoming more aware of folks working into their 70s. Amazingly, I now also hope to be working into my 70s … work gives us purpose and helps keep us alive.  Combine the trend of working retirement with the Bureau of Labor Statistics projection that between 2004 and 2014 the 55-and-older group will grow at four times the rate of the overall labor force and it becomes clear that an effective retirement job search is critical.

   

At this point, retirement job search engines like Simply Hired’s are too limited … actually, they don’t look for retirement jobs at all.  Instead, they look for jobs posted by companies with ‘age-friendly’ personnel policies.  This isn’t close to the same thing.

   

For example, I searched for an age-friendly position as an “Information Technology Manager” … the top result was a job ad posted by Deloitte Consulting.  Now Deloitte does have some good personnel policies, but they also have a reputation for long hours, frequent travel, and high turnover … none of which are high on my list of preferences for a retirement job.

   

To be really useful, job search needs to move beyond keyword search.  We need a search engine that allows us to enter our work preferences (e.g. limited travel, flex hours, proximity to health care, available benefits, recreational opportunities, worksite diversity profile, etc.) and see potential positions by overall fit.

   

When retirement job search allows us to look for jobs that meet our lifestyle preferences, then we’ll really be flying. So Simply Hired, how far into the future am I looking?

   

Simply Hired adds Specialty Search for Boomers

   

Simply Hired announced the release of an age-friendly job search on Monday, in partnership with RetirementJobs.com.

 

I love the concept – employers will be spending big money reaching out to retirees and near-retirees during the coming decade.   Employers have little choice.

   

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that between 2004 and 2014 the growth rate of the U.S. labor force will slow to an annual rate of 1.0%; yet the 55-and-older group is projected to grow at an annual rate of 4.1% – four times the rate of the overall labor force.

   

So reaching out to an aging workforce is good… good for Simply Hired’s advertising model, good for employers needing experienced and reliable workers, and good for a society that relies too much on a social security system that lacks sufficient funding to support the boomers who will live longer than ever. 

   

Still, creating a successful age-friendly search is tough.  Has Simply Hired succeeded?  Stay tuned.