UKC

As the title says really: I'm wondering about posting my CV on job websites.

Firstly, is it worthwhile? Or is that a function of skills and / or geography i.e. yes it's worth it if you live in or near major urban areas (obviously geography may be irrelevant in certain roles)?

If it is worth doing is it better to upload your own CV or fill-in a template or the fields provided? I'm just wondering how employers search - if it's by keyword I imagine that the templates / fields provided option may be better as the website's search or database function is probably better able to handle that sort of search.

Lastly, I'm also concerned about privacy. On 2 counts: one is personal information such as contact details (think I'm happy with name, address and email but leave it at that) and the other is going into detail about qualifications, previous employment and what you perceive as your own skills. Doesn't feel right to have all that out there. But less detail = less meat for potential employers.

Anyone got any experience or advice on the dos and don'ts of what should be made public?

Thanks in advance.

In reply to ksjs:

Dunno what it's like now but when I last did it (few years back) got loads of agencies ringing me.

If I had no job I'd do it again, a sniff from an agency might lead to something it might not but it's worth giving it a go?

Got a temp job that lead to a fixed contract that lead on to my permanent job by posting on a job website.

For the hour of hassle I'd say it's worth it, as long as you don't mind listening to "recruitment consultant" bullshit several times a day but there is always the off chance of it leasing to something (see above)

In reply to Sam_in_Leeds: I thought it might be more targeted i.e. employers (rather than agencies) searching CVS online?

In reply to ksjs:

I put mine on a few days ago, so far I've heard from one agency and had a couple of emails, one from an agency, one which looks like a scam.

Although I thought companies generally had to pay to get CV's off the sites so I'd have expected scam emails to be a rarity.

In reply to ksjs:

My old employer used to look at CV's on these websites when we failed to get many applicants for roles, so some employers at least look at them, although we had to pay quite a bit for the contact details so that tended to put us off (presumably you could get more expensive memberships where you could access as many as you wanted)

In reply to ksjs: Hi Keith

Not sure about their use round here (north wales).

It is worth registering with a recruiting agency, I have a CV and details with Letterbox recruiting. They get in touch from time to time, but no much in the field I am interested in. Although I had to complete some typing tests for the work I was looking for. Somehow I passed which must show the high standad needed!

In reply to ksjs: Not sure you want your address on these sites. I'd stick with email and mobile phone number. This is what I've done. So far it hasn't been too productive though, I think due to me being rather specialised.

Bear in mind that agencies will not have your best interest in mind. They are only in it for their commission !

Also, if you put your CV on jobsites, be aware that the various searches that agencies employers use often only pick up recent updates, so you may want to take you CV down every two weeks and put it back up again so it is picked up.

Good luck.

In reply to ksjs:

All but one of the few recent interviews I've had recently were from recruiters approaching me after seeing my cv online.

I found it much more successful than applying for a job, as long as you've got a good cv and are clear about what job you want and your expectations

In reply to ksjs: Thanks all for replies. Was hoping for a bit more on the whole do people actually list qualifications, grades, roles and duties etc thing. Really don't like the idea of that lot being in the public domain.

Still, sounds like it might be worth trying.

In reply to ksjs: I think it depends what you are applying for. If you have a specialist skill then some websites are worth a punt. For example, we hired an excellent chap via StackOverflow careers by hunting him down. However, I imagine that on general websites you are unlikely to be searched for due to the huge amount of noise and it is generally easier for employers to get candidates to send in their CVs. That said, it is worth uploading since when you spy a job, you can apply for it there an then. However, be warned that it is always worth tweeking each CV sent for a particular job. Just make sure all the key words in the ad are in your CV. However, you must also be able to back up your CV with real skills.