Jobfox.com: arguably one of the worst job search sites for job seekers

If you look at the basic premise behind Jobfox.com, it seems like a good idea.  But taking a closer look at the execution, it is obvious that this employment website is designed to squeeze money out of job seekers while making the application process difficult. 

The Concept

Jobfox.com is an employment website, with jobs posted by actual employers like Kaiser Permanente and AFLAC.  They have jobs in 23 markets, including Denver.  While this may sound similar to other job sites like Monster or CareerBuilder, it has a fundamental difference: they seek to match you with jobs that you are actually qualified for, based on your resume.

To do this, Jobfox.com's search engine will respond to the key terms in your resume, much like an employer's applicant tracking system will.  Jobfox then sends you information on the jobs that match your profile.

In addition to their own jobs, Jobfox will show you matches from other websites, which is very similar to Indeed.com's business model.

Extra goodies that Jobfox promises include tags that show your social media relations to the employer, a special "About Me" profile page that recruiters can search and ways to track your progress on applied jobs.

The First Problem - Loading the Resume

If you hate entering all of your information on an online application, you will despise Jobfox.  Not only is it impossible to load up a Word resume and let it populate the fields, the process demands that you list tons of minute pieces of information on each and every job you've every held.

it took me over 60 minutes to load up my resume and the incidental information, and I bailed about two-thirds of the way through the process. And remember, I'm a professional!

Worse, you can't even look at the available jobs on Jobfox without entering your resume and starting an account first.  This makes it difficult to judge whether the time commitment will be worth the effort before you start.

Second Problem - Restrictive Job Matches

Jobfox requires all of the detail on the resume process in order to match people with available jobs.  However, it will only show you jobs that relate to your past experience.  If you are trying to change careers or entertain other jobs, Jobfox won't show you those options. 

I still haven't found a way to search jobs on Jobfox without relying on their suggested openings, much less be able to apply for them.

Third Problem - Vicious Resume Reviews

Like Monster and CareerBuilder, Jobfox offers a resume review service.  This is free, but in truth, it is a very heavy-handed marketing ploy to get you to buy their resume writing service.

I've tried both Monster's and CareerBuilder's resume reviews.  They aren't earth-shaking, and it is easy to tell that they are responding to certain programmed elements on a resume.  For example, both companies suggested that I take personal statements (the "I" word, which I use in my personalized Profile section) out of my resume, and to not include my references.

Jobfox, by comparison, gave me the most scathing resume review I have ever received.  Not only did they hate everything I wrote, the review included personal attacks, with comments like "it is easy to tell that you aren't a professional writer," and "inexperienced job seekers like you often make these fatal mistakes in their resumes."

And of course, following these biting and destructive comments came the heavy pitch to buy their own resume service...

Fourth Problem - Constant Upselling of Services

Jobfox does allow people to use their online service for free.  However, at every turn, job seekers are being inundated with how they should upgrade their service to reach the full potential of their job search.

The upgraded "Break Through" tools promise a lot of exposure to recruiters and employers, including the About Me pages, first-of-the-line job submissions, social media integration and better job matches.  The price? As of September 2010, the charge was $9.99 a month.

However, many of the same features are free on other sites, or free with a little bit of elbow grease on your part.  For example, if you see a job posted on any site, it should be second nature to check your LinkedIn connections to see if you have some way to connect with people in the company.  Jobfox offers to do this for you - for a price.

It is not even possible to apply for a job without getting bombarded with another advertising to buy their service - annoying on one level, but with their heavy-handed tactics, Jobfox plays on job seekers fears and doubts to try to sell their services.

Final Word

There are plenty of job sites out there that are a lot more friendly and offer more free services than Jobfox.  If they change their ways in the future, their services might be worth it.  But for me, their heavy-handed tactics and brutal undermining of job seekers' confidence is way out of hand.