In the bad old days of the not too distant past, trying to find a job was a time-consuming process that often required plenty of travelling and an awful lot of hanging around. These days, the effects of the economic recession have made vacancies relatively scarce, but at least the search isn’t as frustrating and infuriating as it used to be.

At one time, finding suitable vacancies involved either the local newspaper or several visits to all the nearby recruitment agencies. These trips were often something of a wild goose chase, because the applicant may have ended up finding there were no jobs available in the first place. Even the ads in the paper would often lead to informal discussions or formal interviews that could be held far away from the individual’s neighbourhood.

Thankfully, the advent of the Internet has changed all that. Today’s job applicants are able to leave their CVs on file via email, for example, so agencies can electronically scan their files to see who might be suitable for specific positions. It’s all so much more convenient, and of course it’s far quicker as well.

Many recruitment agencies now hold huge databases of information about prospective applicants, so they are able to pick and choose from plenty of options when a vacancy arises. The company that is recruiting can be contacted immediately, and of course the relevant curriculum vitae can be emailed over to human resources departments in a matter of seconds.

No need for local papers now?

Many applicants rarely even use the local newspaper when looking for jobs nowadays, purely because the Internet is faster and more widespread. A growing number of companies only place their vacancies with online recruitment agencies now, because they know the web is the fastest method of reaching the widest audience.

In some industry sectors, there are recruitment agencies which deal specifically within that group. For example, the healthcare sector has a number of specific recruitment specialists working within it, enabling job seekers to concentrate their energies on finding a job in that particular industry. It makes the process of finding work significantly less of a hit and miss affair.

One advantage for all web-based job hunters is that they can browse the latest and most lucrative vacancies without having to leave their own homes. This gives them more time to get a flavour of the current recruitment market and to gain a better understanding of the best strategies that are needed. In addition, they can also find out the average remuneration packages they are likely to expect.

About the author: David Showell is a keen observer of the way the recruitment sector operates. He works for a company that provides good deals on car hire. Nice Airport is one of the locations in which they operate.