This is the time of year for “Best of” lists. Experts and pundits scramble to proclaim their choices for what you and I should consider the superlative among us. The Best News Story of 2005. The Best “Can’t Lose” Stock Picks for 2006. The Best Ape Movie in the Last 25 Years. The Best Japanese-Peruvian Fusion Restaurant in the United States. The Best Football Team Since the Last Best Football Team.
It’s gratifying to know that we have so much expertise on which to rely. I find, however, that there’s a better judge of what’s best for employers and recruiters, and that’s you. You’re the “everyday experts” who actually put products and services, plans and ideas through the paces. Your test laboratory is the real world. Your evaluation process is the day-to-day pushing and shoving that constitutes real work. And, in my opinion, your experience is the best basis for deciding what’s best.
That’s why I started the User’s Choice Awards three years ago. I was tired of pundits telling us which were the best job boards and career portals. It’s not that their views weren’t insightful and credible, it’s just that your views are more so. You see, the User’s Choice Awards identify the 30 best employment sites based on ballots cast by employers, recruiters and job seekers. Only they (and you) have the relevant perspective and first hand knowledge to determine who’s best online.
The voting runs all year long at the Polling Station on the WEDDLE’s site. This year, we had over 30,000 unique ballots cast for the winners. Clearly, this is not a scientific sample. Rather, like the All Star balloting in Major Leagues Baseball, it represents the opinions of those who care enough to take a moment and support their favorites. My thanks to all of you who participated.
So, who are the winners of WEDDLE’s 2006 User’s Choice Awards? They are:
America’s Job Bank, a general purpose employment site operated by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Best Jobs USA, a general purpose employment site operated by Recourse Communications.
CareerBank.coma specialty employment site focusing on finance, accounting and banking.
CareerBuilder.com, a general purpose employment site owned by Tribune Company, Gannett and Knight Ridder.
CareerJournal.com, a general purpose employment site from The Wall Street Journal.
ComputerJobs.com, a specialty employment site focusing on information technology professionals.
Computerwork.com, a specialty employment site focusing on tech talent.
craigslist, a community site that also supports general purpose recruiting.
Dice, a specialty employment site focusing on information technology and engineering professionals.
eFinancialCareers.com, a Europe-based employment site that specializes in banking and financial employment.
EmploymentGuide.com, a general purpose employment site affiliated with the print Employment Guide distributed outside convenience stores around the U.S..
ExecuNet, a specialty employment site that focuses on executives earning $100K/year or more.
HEALTHeCAREERS Network, a specialty employment portal connecting to 60+ medical and healthcare-related associations.
HRJobs, an association-based employment site that specializes in human resource management professionals.
JobsinLogistics.com, a specialty employment site that focuses on transportation, supply chain, and other logistics professionals.
JobsinME.com, a specialty site that focuses on employment in the state of Maine.
jobsinthemoney.com, a specialty employment site that focuses on the fields of finance, accounting and banking.
LatPro.com, a specialty employment site that focuses on Hispanic professionals.
MarketingJobs.com, a specialty employment site that focuses on sales, marketing and advertising jobs.
Monster.com, a general purpose employment site with worldwide operations.
Net-Temps, a specialty employment site that serves the staffing industry in both direct placement and temporary hiring.
6FigureJobs, a specialty employment site that focuses on $100K+/year executives and openings.
TalentZoo, a specialty employment site that focuses on the advertising, marketing and public relations industries.
TopUSAJobs.com, a general purpose employment site that offers a pay-for-performance advertising model.
TrueCareers, an employment site that is owned by the student loan company, Sallie Mae, and specializes in educated talent.
USAJOBS, the official employment site of the U.S. Federal Government.
Vault, a general purpose employment site that also publishes books and other resources for job seekers and employers.
VetJobs.com, a specialty site that focuses on U.S. military veterans and their families.
Workopolis, a Canada-based general purpose employment site owned by Bell Globemedia, Toronto Star Newspapers and Gesca, Ltd..
Yahoo! HotJobs, a general purpose employment site affiliated with the Internet portal Yahoo!.
While admitting to some bias, I think these sites represent the elite of the online employment industry. They have earned the allegiance and support of the toughest judges there are: the people who actually use them-You. Are there other great sites out there? Absolutely. And, if you know of one, please cast your ballot for the 2007 Award winners right now.
Thanks for reading,
Peter
P.S. Please tell your friends and colleagues about WEDDLE’s newsletter. They’ll appreciate your thoughtfulness and benefit from your recommendation.
This Issue’s Sponsor: ZoomInfo
This issue of WEDDLE’s newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of ZoomInfo.
Recruiters Rejoice – There’s ZoomInfo
Now, with one tool, you can quickly and easily find the right candidate, build a stronger network, and develop relationships.
Why Zoom?
Extend your reach deep into organizations to source top passive candidates
Bottom line: More ROI with more quality placements in less time
ZoomInfo is the tool of choice for tens of thousands of recruiters. Tried it yet?
Section Two: Site News You Can Use
ExecuNet found recruiters and executive search consultants smiling about employment prospects for senior managers and executives over the next six months. In its “Recruiter’s Confidence Index” for November, 75% of the respondents were either confident or very confident that the executive employment market would improve during the period, up almost ten points from the previous month’s survey. In fact, survey respondents expect to see a 29% increase in search assignments from their clients. How will they handle the workload? Over half (56%) of the firms said they will hire additional staff in the next three months. If you’ve ever wanted to be a “headhunter,” now’s the time to dust off your resume.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation released its free “Legal Guide for Bloggers.” The guide was published to address the potential embarrassment, legal liability, and employment risk individuals incur when exercising their Constitutionally protected right of free expression on the Web. It’s an excellent reference for organizations that want to establish clear and appropriate internal policies and/or provide helpful instruction to their employees. Among its pointers:
The International Association of Employment Web Sites announced that it has reached 100 Member sites in its first 60 days of operation. Members range from Monster.com, Dice, CareerJournal.com and LatPro to Medzilla, mkt10.com, The New York Post, WorkplaceDiversity.com, JobStreet.com in Asia and eFinancialCareers in Europe. Why is this important to you? Because the Association’s icon, which will soon start appearing on Member sites, is the “Good Housekeeping seal of approval” for employment Web-sites. It’s a new and effective method for identifying job boards and career portals that are committed to delivering value and customer service.
Millward Brown, a research firm in Naperville, IL, released the results of its recent survey of newspaper-reading adults. What did they find? Better than four-out-of-ten (42%) respondents think newspaper ads are more credible than ads appearing in other media. And, better than a third (35%) said that newspaper ads help them choose which products (or employer) to purchase. In both cases, the totals were higher than the totals for television, magazines, radio or the Internet. Does that mean we should go back to an exclusive reliance on paper-based ads for recruiting? Of course not. It does indicate, however, that we should take all of the hype about the demise of newspapers with a grain of salt. Indeed, I believe that it’s all but impossible to win the War for the Best Talent without a multi-channel advertising strategy that includes newspapers as well as the Internet.
The New York Post reported yet another example of unconscionable compensation practices among today’s corporate executives. According to an article by Roddy Boyd;
The amounts of money are obscene, in and of themselves, but what’s even worse is the nature of the work these “leaders” do. They preside over companies that stand up and cheer (and pump up the share price) of any company that lays off workers. In effect, they line their pockets with the misfortune of others. Their practices are “hollowing out” business enterprises-feeding the cynicism and declining loyalty of employees-and, in the process, threatening the future prospects of those enterprises and their shareholders. If that’s the best Wall Street can do, who needs it?
Section Three: Site Profiles
Site Insite … how well do you know the Web’s 40,000+ job boards?
1. Your nonprofit organization needs additional staff to accomplish its disaster relief work around the world. Which of the following sites would provide assistance with your sourcing?
2. New government regulations in 2006 will require that you expand your organization’s contract compliance staff. Which of the following sites would help you dot all the “i’s” and cross all the “t’s” in your search for candidates?
3. Your company must revamp its benefits program in 2006, and you need a new Benefits Manager to oversee the work. Which of the following sites would help you balance your recruiting with all of the other things you have to do?
(answers below)
Site Spotlite … from the pages of WEDDLE’s 2005/6 Guides and Directories
Vault
A WEDDLE’s 2006 User’s Choice Award Winner
Post full time jobs: Yes
Post part time, contract or consulting jobs: Yes – All
Distribution of jobs: International
Fee to post a job: $95/posting
Posting period: 60 days
Can posting be linked to your site: Yes
Resume database: No
Number of resumes: N/A
Source of resumes: N/A
Top occupations among resumes: N/A
Other services for employers: Listserv or discussion forum, Assessment instruments (for fee), Banner advertising, Status reports: banners/postings
Member, International Association of Employment Web Sites: No
Answers to Site Insite
1. All of them.
2. All of them.
3. All of them.
Support Our Sponsor: ZoomInfo
This issue of WEDDLE’s newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of ZoomInfo.
Recruiters Rejoice – There’s ZoomInfo
Now, with one tool, you can quickly and easily find the right candidate, build a stronger network, and develop relationships.
Why Zoom?
Extend your reach deep into organizations to source top passive candidates
Bottom line: More ROI with more quality placements in less time
ZoomInfo is the tool of choice for tens of thousands of recruiters. Tried it yet?