Career News 24/7: The Cynical Girl: In Defense of Monster

Thursday, January 10, 2013

The Cynical Girl: In Defense of Monster

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:45 AM PST

Every year, Gerry Crispin releases something called The Source of Hire report. His study shows us how companies find their employees. While the sample size is limited, it’s the best report in the industry. And Gerry basically tells us that people get jobs in three ways: referrals, online career websites and job boards.

The good news for job seekers? Based on last year’s report, it still makes sense to use Monster.com to find a job. I know, I know, I know. You see lots of ads on the site and it bugs you. But you see lots of ads on the freeway and you still drive that damn road to soccer practice every Monday and Wednesday afternoon.

Get over it. Dig deeper on Monster.

What I’ve always liked about Monster is that it doesn’t pretend to be something it isn’t — namely, a fake social networking website. Yes, you can link your Monster account to Facebook. Yes, you get bombarded with emails. But at least there’s not some snooty jerk on the other side of the country who is judging your resume and telling you how to optimize your profile. Your job search is your own and Monster has a level of privacy that I have always appreciated. And it’s free.

Lots of HR professionals and recruiters complain about Monster and say it’s a waste of time. But I’ll tell you something: If you hear someone say that they’re not using Monster as a method to hire people in 2013, they are either liars or morons. It’s not the most sophisticated form of recruiting, but most recruiting efforts don’t require a sophisticated sourcing methodology. In fact, if recruiters really knew how to do their jobs, they would be developing lists and talent pools in their own proprietary databases. They don’t. So to belittle Monster and praise another job board is dumb.

So if I’m looking for a job, I am still using Monster.com as part of my search. And if I am hiring people, I will probably still use Monster as part of my strategy.

Monster still works for America. You heard it here.