They key is freshness and where the job is being taken from," he said. Despite such problems, studies indicate that an increasing number of people are being hired through Web postings and employee referrals, rather than through traditional methods like printed want ads.
In 2004, a study by CareerXroads found that 61 percent of hires by the companies surveyed came from referrals or the Internet, up from 50 percent two years earlier. According to the study findings, Monster, CareerBuilder and HotJobs accounted for 22.8 percent of the hires attributed to the Internet; corporations also reported that a high percentages of employees were hired after filing applications on corporate sites.
Eric Muller, a recruiting manager with the Southern Company, an energy company based in Atlanta, says his company initially began using JobCentral because it allowed the company to post all its jobs at a lower cost and because it provided a direct link to the company's site. While the company still uses big boards like Monster and CareerBuilder, he said, they do so more strategically - if, for instance, a job needs to be filled immediately. "We have to have a mix," he said. "I can't have all my eggs in one basket."
The same holds true for job seekers, although there are increasing questions about the wisdom of posting résumés on the Internet.
"Putting a résumé on an online job site is not the smartest way to go about getting a job," said Pam Dixon, executive director of the World Privacy Forum, a nonprofit group that educates consumers about technology and privacy.
The forum put hundreds of résumés on job sites and tracked them for a year. Ms. Dixon said many were stolen by either criminals or unethical recruiters.
One common ruse preys on midcareer professionals whose résumé history can be combined with a Social Security number, resulting in identity theft.
"The more detailed your résumé, the easier it is to do," Ms. Dixon said.
Job seekers who posted online said they had also had problems with employment consultants seeking to solicit business. After arranging an interview, the consultants begin making a pitch for their services, which can cost as much as $10,000.
Ultimately, Ms. Christiansen found exactly what she was looking for - a human resources job near Chicago - using JobCentral. She said the site helped her narrow her search, and after that she found a job quickly. "It can work," she said, "if you know exactly what you're looking for and you can find a place that will have it."