Find you next job from the Usenet

When job hunting, you probably would fire up your browser in multiple tabs pointing to the largest and well-known job search engines hoping to get hold of that job advertisement that mirrors your resume. Perhaps you have the tiniest idea that you are up against potentially thousands of applicants especially if you are sifting through Monster or Careerbuilder. Yes, that explains why you do not even receive an acknowledgment letter. If you are in dire need of a job, maybe exploring the possibilities of job hunting with the Usenet would give your job search that much needed boost.

Critics and bystanders say that Usenet is history, but a quick scan of job newsgroups belies that notion--an updated list of job want ads is offered by every job newsgroup, many of them posted just a few hours ago at the time of your search. Popular groups such as misc.jobs.offered, alt.jobs, us.jobs and alt.bestjobsusa.computer have job advertisements the same way as your job search haunt. Their job ads repertoire is nothing to sneeze at, as header counts number by the millions, with us.jobs.offered being the largest. What is good about these job newsgroups is that they are sorted by time, as opposed to conventional job search engines that sort ads by date. This may not be extremely important, but it gives you an idea which job ad is the freshest.

Most of the jobs posted on the Usenet are technical which requires experts on Java, C++, Oracle, SAP, as well as hardware and networking. If you are not a techie, job ads on many other specializations are not hard to find. Localized job search groups such as ont.jobs, tx.jobs and pa.jobs.offered display advertisements for insurance, administration, engineering, sales and even home-based jobs. This means that even if you are from New York, Portland, or London, you can find a job through your city-dedicated job newsgroup.

What are the positive repercussions of job hunting with the Usenet? One, the relative obscurity of Usenet, as they say, puts you at an advantage. Fewer people had the chance to view the same job advertisement, which obviously means less competition. Two, with the perceived cumbersome nature of the Usenet, you will be perceived by your hiring manager to be creative and resourceful. Three, because of decreased competition, the leverage somehow tips on your favor during negotiations with your prospective employer.

If you are not inclined setting up a newsreader yourself, just browse through job advertisements offered and organized by web based Usenet services. Many job counsellors advise that cold calling and networking are more helpful than major search engines in your job search. Perhaps they need to put job hunting with the Usenet in that same league then.