The Value of Job Sites

The Value of Job Sites: An oft-overlooked but valuable method of gathering information about a target is through job sites and job postings.

If you have every looked at a job posting, as many of us have, you will notice that they can take a lot of forms, but something they tend to have in common is a statement of desired skills.

This is the important detail that you are looking for. If you visit a job posting site and find a company that you are targeting, you simply need to investigate the various postings to see what they are asking for.

It is not uncommon to find information such as infrastructure data, operating systems information, and other useful facts.

A quick perusal through job sites such as Monster.com, Dice.com, or even Craigslist.com can prove valuable.

This information is essentially free, because there is little investment in time or efforts to obtain it in many cases.

When analyzing job postings, keep an eye out for information such as this:

• Job requirements and experience
• Employer Profile
• Employee Profile
• Hardware information (This is incredibly common to see in profiles; look for labels such as Cisco, Microsoft, Juniper, Checkpoint, and other that may include model or version numbers).
• Software Information

Some of the major search engines have an alerts system that will keep you apprised of any updates as they occur.

 The alert systems allow you to enter a means of contacting you along with one or more URLs you are interested in and a time period over which to monitor them.

Search Engines such as Google and Yahoo! Include this service.

NOTE: There is a downside, potentially, to using these services: You will have to register with them to get the information.

If you are trying to stay hidden, this may be disadvantage. Consider using a different account if you use these services.