The search for a new job has been revolutionized by career websites: job hunters typically now spend most of their time on job boards, where they concentrate on specific openings and applying for one position after another.

What happens all too often is that professionals with extensive experience can apply for hundreds of positions without advancing their career. Websites can give the high expectations and fail to deliver, and job applicants end up discouraged and frustrated with the search.

While it’s tempting to base a job search entirely on career websites, employment industry analysts warn against doing so. Applicants seem to have the idea that all they have to do is apply for enough job openings and they’ll be hired, a scattershot approach that assumes that other applicants are doing the same, on a level playing field. In fact, it’s relatively rare for job boards alone to result directly in a hire.

1. Take Advantage
Job hunters need to know that Internet job listings are a fantastic way to start looking for work and familiarize themselves with the job market, but that their best opportunities will be found with a combination of different approaches that support one another. Career websites should primarily be used for information gathering on companies and the career itself, and not solely depended on for specific positions. Becoming familiar with openings listed will give applications a good understanding of the qualifications needed for the positions they want.

2. Understand Limitations
Although most good career websites have appeared to become more powerful tools for conducting highly personalized job searches, most experts will agree that this method is most successful in specific professions with a high turnaround, like sales. All too often, highly qualified applicants with specific training for niche positions are left hanging. One good thing to look for in a big job site is the level of detail it offers in its profiling tools, which helps its automated searches work at their most efficient. Online job listings are also more helpful the more profession-specific and geographically-based they are.

3. Don’t Get Burned
The bottom line is that while job hunting on  job boards can feel productive, it does not replace networking and pavement-pounding. It’s actually dangerous to take that approach, as you risk counterproductive disappointment and burnout. Even though highly-targeted, optimal career websites can be a lot more effective than others for finding appropriate listings with fewer applicants, don’t let your entire job hunt depend on them.

Use career websites and job boards to educate and familiarize yourself with your industry and its needs. Take advantage of these opportunities for information gathering, but remember that in order to stand out from the crowd, you need to do more than passively search. Successful job applicants use a combination of tools and techniques to further a career, with website searches providing a lot more than notifications for openings. Be a well-rounded applicant and use all the resources available to promote yourself, and you won’t be lost in the crowd.

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