Job Search Boards – Should You Register or Not?

Most of the major job search boards have a registration function with the ability to upload your resume and create job alerts. Many people wonder if they should register and what are the pros and cons. I’ll first give you my thoughts, followed by some information gathered from others.

Internet Job Search Basics:

Create an email address that is used for job search only (there are many free sites, including gmail, Yahoo, AOL and Hotmail). Since you will be using this email address to register on websites (and as part of your resume), you want the ability to segregate personal from job searh. I highly recommend gmail as the spam filters are excellent.
Before registering on any job related site (job search board, recruiter, company website, etc.), research the site to ensure it is reputable.

Benefits of Registering:

Recruiters and Companies find you by reviewing job search sites where you’ve registered
You can receive job alerts for jobs that match your criteria
Many sites allow storage of resumes and retention of jobs applied for.
Companies and recruiters look for newly uploaded resumes to job search boards

Reasons to not Register (or risks):

Privacy – Your information is “out there” on the Internet. Although most sites claim to protect your privacy, there is no restriction to who may be able to view your profiles and/or distribute elsewhere on the internet

I’m sure there are more reasons not to register, but if you are out of work, you need to get your name and resume out there and I do believe that the Pros out-weigh the Cons.

I am concerned about my privacy; should I avoid using online job boards? – This article, from saicareers.com, reviews the same concern I raised, privacy. The article reviews the pros and cons and draws a similar conclusion.
Online Job Search Web Sites: Tips to Safeguard Your Privacy – This article, by the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, provides a number of tips to protect your privacy when using job search sites.
Privacy and Your Job Search – One last article on the topic, from Career-Resumes, reviews the same issue regarding privacy. The common theme is that you should not divulge information that is private and has nothing to do with job search (like your social security number).

Good luck in your search.