So here you are, a fresh-faced job seeker with a professionally written resume in hand (or on your hard drive, anyway). You are a mixture of emotions: anxious, a little excited, uncertain, maybe even a bit bitter about having to look for a new job in the first place. But most of all, you are hopeful.

It sounds so easy…and so quick.

But after a few frustrating weeks, you soon find out that it is anything but easy or quick. You’ve spent practically whole days combing the Internet, uploading your resume everywhere, replying to posting after posting…and what do you have to show for it? Probably very little.

Now you’re experiencing even more emotions, including anger. And you are ready to blame someone. You probably start with your resume writer because after all you spent good money to see results. And so far, you aren’t seeing results!

Before you clobber your logistics resumes writer, however, let me clue you in on a dirty, little secret: Online job posting sites are the most ineffective way to get a job!

Yes, it is true. And the bigger they are, the more ineffective they seem to be. Depending on which report you find, these sites have a less than 4% effectiveness rate. And when you ask most job seekers where they spend the bulk of their job-seeking time, they will tell you that they spend 85-90% of it on the Internet.

I know, I know. These sites are popping up everywhere. And why not? Job seekers are now convinced that they are the answer to their prayers.

It’s sad, really, because although the Internet is definitely a great research tool and has some great resources, it has really taken on a reputation that it cannot live up to, particularly when it comes to the job search.

Why don’t these sites work? The reasons are diverse, but essentially, many companies post for positions that they either end up filling internally or through other connections (referrals, recruiters, etc.). Employers are often bombarded with applications through these postings, and it can take them weeks to get through them all. In many cases, they may even give up looking through these applicants to pursue some other avenue for finding the best candidate.

Listen. At the end of the day, a job search is all about action. And although these sites keep you busy filling in online questionnaires and uploading files, more times than not, your info ends up in some black hole, never to see the light of day again. So all that time you spent equates to nothing more than busy work.

Does that mean I think you shouldn’t bother with these sites? Not necessarily. I think you need to be careful in the ones you choose to spend time with. Find ones that are more local to your area and specialize in your field. Don’t get waste time with too many, and instead use the Internet to research companies, hear about potential openings, link up with old colleagues, and find valuable resources like group job hunting forums.