Job hunters prowl the web world

New Delhi: Job hunters are on the prowl in the web world and their numbers are increasing at a phenomenal pace.

India's online job seeking population in 2005-06 stood at 6.5 million, an astounding 71 per cent growth over the 3.8 million in 2004-05. With 100 million Indians expected to use the internet by 2007-08 from the present 38.5 million, the number of online job seekers is expected to cross 9.2 million this year (2006-07), says a study conducted by Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

The report puts the market size of the Indian online recruitment industry at Rs 145 crore in 2005-06. It is estimated to reach Rs 241 crore in 2006-07.

Job search is one of the top five activities that Indians do online (e-mail, surfing, chatting, search and job search), it says.

There are enough reasons as well to search for a plum job on the net.

"Internet is the most immediate, convenient and comprehensive resource for employment seekers to research for jobs and careers and the Online Job Sites apart from offering a huge data bank offer myriad of tools both job seekers and employers," asserts IAMAI president Subho Ray.

"You can search for jobs anytime and from anywhere. And the database that can be searched is huge," says a 26-year-old software professional.

"A resume with a job site helps a candidate to reach to thousands of consultants who are constantly in touch with industry," says Bidyut Nath, a resume developer with a jobs portal.

The portals also help job seekers to get a 'face-lift,' a content boost for their resume, so that it has an international flair. "Job sites, for a nominal charge, help candidates to have international standard resumes with which they can get a job not only in India but abroad," Nath says.

"After posting a resume, one thing you can be certain of is getting a call or an e-mail from a consultant, but getting a job depends on the candidate," he says.

Job domains are useful for employers too. "If an employer wants candidates with specific experience for a particular field, job sites are the place to be," Nath says.

The report shows that most of the respondents, 41 per cent, have a graduate or post graduate general degree, closely followed by those with post graduate professional degree. Twelve per cent have diplomas but are not graduates and two per cent are SSC/HSC passed.

The survey points out that over 50 per cent of respondents are junior, mid-level, and senior executives. Students account for 13 per cent.

Among the states Maharashtra topped the list of online job seekers with 26 per cent, followed by Delhi, 17 per cent, Tamil Nadu, 13 per cent, Karnataka, 8 per cent, West Bengal 6 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 5 per cent and Andhra Pradesh 4 per cent.

City wise, Mumbai and Delhi were joint toppers with 17 per cent share, followed by Chennai with 7 per cent and Kolkata and Bangalore with 5 per cent each. Hyderabad and Pune stood at joint fourth with 3 per cent share.