The answer is that no single resource can actually offer you a complete and comprehensive listing service. Some websites are out of date by the time you get to see the information they contain. Many recruiters are only interested in harvesting resumes so they can pitch them at potential employer clients in exchange for hundreds and thousands of dollars in commissions and without your needs or requirements being addressed. Virtually every hospitality sector employer will be advertising positions outside of mainstream media channels and the majority of recruiters will not be able to collate information across all regions and niches of the sector.
When it comes to looking for your dream job or the next step in your career progression, there are a number of things you should do whenever you look to use a recruiting resource.
Check the Recruiting Site's Credibility
Simply navigating around the website is not good enough anymore – websites can be up and running for less than $10 and look extremely glossy and professional but in truth are nothing more than a sleek looking front with no substance behind them.
Ensure that there is a physical mailing address and landline telephone number available and if it is toll-free phone, try calling it and see if you get a real person or answering service. You can also look for other references and testimonials on other web resources; a good site is going to have the word spread around the social media and industry sites very quickly so you will be able to gain a thorough appreciation as to how well the site delivers results.
Is the Agency Charging You Fees?
Many recruiting websites do not charge individual users for membership because they make money from employers who are advertising their vacancies. Job seekers are then able to use the listing services with no charge.
Ask yourself this question: if you are an employer will you be paying hundreds and thousands of dollars for promoting a vacancy? Employers do allocate a budget and spend money on ads and getting their requirements and vacancies marketed but an employer is never going to use every website or every classified. Invariably websites that charge fees to employers are not going to provide a comprehensive listing of wine and hospitality jobs across the country.
Resume Flexibility and Security
Many recruiters are simply collecting resumes which are then amended to remove your contact information and passed to potential HR recruiters or, far worse, are selling your private information on to third parties who have nothing to do with helping you find a job!
Your resume needs to be protected after all, it is a document of your life and will contain a wealth of personal and private information that any identity thief would love to get their hands on! How your resume is presented to potential employers is also a crucial factor in your job hunting success.
The ability to create different resumes is necessary tool so you are able to highlight skills or work experience that are particularly attractive to one set of potential employers and do the same with other skills for a different set of employers. You need to be in control of your resume so it can be edited and amended as required and is secure both where it is stored and who is actually getting to read it.
Job Providers and Recruiters
Check that the recruiter is actually acting as the principal and not as an agent for another firm. By this, we mean that ideally you want to be able to go directly to an employer who is offering the vacancy and not have to go through a recruiter who in turn may just be an agent for another recruiter and so on.
The ability to filter out recruiters and third parties is a key to getting your resume in front of the right person or an employer. Recruiters do have their place and they can provide invaluable assistance in helping you find your job but there are many other agents who are simply middle men to other middlemen and this incurs time and expense on your part.
Deal with a site that will allow you to readily recognize who is marketing a vacancy on their own account or acting as a third party recruiter.
Conclusion
The Internet has delivered some very powerful tools for job seekers and employers with vacancies to meet and strike a deal. By the same token, there is a need to exercise common sense and take care that you are getting accurate and timely information that you can use with confidence.
