CareerBuilder's Monk-e-Mail has Nothing to Do with Finding a Job...But It Can Be A Whole Lot of Fun!

You might remember Careerbuilder from the 2006 Super Bowl when they launched their Monk-e-mail commercial – a monkey running around the office talking about all the nitwits he works with. Don’t know what Monk-e-Mail is? We’ll it’s got nothing to do with finding a job - but it is awfully funny.

But what about using them to help you find a job?

Oh yeah! That’s what I’m here for...

Why is this monkey not found a job? Maybe he's looking in all the wrong places.

Why I Like CareerBuilder.com...

I like CareerBuilder.com because they have a lot of job stuff! They have a ton of different types of jobs by industry and also have some good job search tools - like a salary calculator, mobile phone app, job alerts, free resume advice etc.

CareerBuilder considers themselves to be the largest career site in the U.S.

But to me bigger doesn’t mean better. Don’t get me wrong...they’re good. And a lot of companies use them to post their jobs but ...

In the numbers game of finding a job, big job search engines can make you feel like just another digit with a bunch of zeros after it.

Upload your resume and you never hear from them.

That being said, you should consider them for your job search.

Some interesting tidbits I like:

Post resume in 60 seconds...at least they claim
Cool free job aid videos on their YouTube page with things like explaining gaps in your resume
Company policy to help retrain the workforce and fill the gap of unfilled jobs (Did you know that with about 12.5 million people unemployed there are still about 3.5 million jobs that companies cannot fill? I don’t make this stuff up – this is according the Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor - Nov. 8, 2011.)
Career test are always fun (not quite as fun as Monk-e-Mail)
Industry search tools
Job alerts
Salary calculators
Also, a pretty cool mobile phone app (iPhone anyway...don’t know about a Droid)

Sometimes Being Old Fashion Helps Create a Little Magic

In today’s modern job search world, sometimes being old fashion can help you stick out.

Mixing modern with a little bit of old fashioned can go far. And get you noticed!

Do you remember the days of actually sending your resume in the mail...with a stamp? Then again maybe you're too young.

But try sending both a paper resume with a “real” cover letter - printed on quality stock paper - along with an electronic one to satisfy both humans and the resume databases.

Some companies only use resume database technology to scan resumes, and pull out keywords. But every company has a human being working their HR (or maybe a monkey...ha...ha!). Sending both might be just the right blend to get you noticed.

If you do this you may want to note in your “real” cover letter that you also submitted electronically. If you have a contact (a human in human resources) check with them to find out about their job posting policy. Most companies are fine with accepting paper.

Place your letter in the envelope, put in a little touch of magic--imagine it going to the right person, at the right time--seal it up, mail it and forget about it. Letting go, emotionally, to the attachment of wanting, wishing and hoping can open the doors to real magic.

Bigger is Not Always Better

When it comes to job searching, I prefer smaller, more social, shops but you can’t deny them their vast job bank and jobs industry know how.

Careerbuilder’s large job bank and jobs resources shouldn’t be overlooked. So check them out when doing your job search but don’t let them (or any one job search engine for that matter) be your sole choice for finding a job.