A job vacancy can be defined as the hiring of a qualified candidate by a Proposed Recruitment System that is listed by the employer with the Department of Labor. When the Department of Labor receives a complete application, it notifies all employers that are listed in appendix B, Exhibits, or Job Vacancies that have not been filled. The Department of Labor notifies the employer in writing that it has received an application for a vacant position, that the position is open, who filled the position, and when the job will be available. If the job is vacant, the Department of Labor notifies all applicants and employers that the job is open.
Upon receipt of application and when an opening is found, the Department of Labor notifies the candidates and employers that they will be contacted via the internet or through traditional media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. Once an opening is identified, the Department of Labor publishes a Job Vacancy Announcement (VAN) in the Federal Register. The VAN will indicate the name of the recruiting agency, the job vacancy, description of job requirements, the date that the job vacancy is open, a detailed list of documents required by the prospective candidate, and the fees charged for the application. In addition, under the federal Office of Federal Contract Compliance (OFCC) each month there will be a posting of new job openings that are posted at least thirty days prior to the start of each calendar month.
One method that employers use to find open job vacancies and to contact the candidates is to use the “self-service online job searching” portal available through many of the largest job search sites on the internet. Many job seekers believe that the success of contacting the right candidate begins with sending out a successful job inquiry email asking for an interview. Although this method has worked for many job seekers, there are some pitfalls that should be considered before an email asking for an interview is sent.
First, many of these online job vacancy emails are not actually sent from the company. They are sent from a third party web site that works in conjunction with the company. For example, many companies have “careers” sections that offer jobs in their areas of responsibility, such as customer service, sales, training, and technical support. If you type “career opportunities” into one of these search engines, you will receive an online job inquiry email asking you to look at the “top companies” in your area, which may come from a company web site itself. In addition, if you click on one of these links, you will be directed to a website that sells job vacancy listings.
Another pitfall of this job vacancy hunting method is the likelihood of getting an email asking you to apply for a job within minutes of entering your details. Because many of these web sites operate in conjunction with large organizations, employers will have looked at hundreds, or even thousands, of online job vacancies before deciding on who they wish to recruit for their organization. So the chances of being asked to apply for multiple positions, and to provide a resume detailing your experience, can be very small. If you do receive an email requesting such details, it is best to ignore it unless the company is truly serious about offering you a position.
Finally, an employer may choose to run a recruitment ad for a specific position that fits a need that they see in their staff. This can be a very effective way of attracting qualified candidates, because the recruitment ads can be targeted towards the kind of candidates that are looking for open positions. The ads can target those looking for specific skills, specific levels of experience, specific industries, or geographic areas. They can be designed to attract people that meet the requirements of each job opening. An ad can often be a very attractive and tempting form of job vacancy announcement. By taking the time to carefully consider the benefits of placing an ad on your own site or through a recruitment agency, you can make sure that your online recruitment efforts work well for you.