Remember how simple life used to be. When you wanted a job you picked up your local newspaper and looked through the help wanted section. Sometimes you might hear about a job through a friend, or see a sign up at a business in town.

Today, the Internet has changed all that. Online job boards are a dime a dozen and they’re free to anyone who wants to peruse the job listings. Well, they’re not all free.

A growing number of websites are charging job seekers to view job listings. The thinking is they can weed out applicants that are less qualified or less serious about finding a job. Check out story in the New York Times business section today on page C5 by Bob Tedeschi.
For the most part, these fee-based virtual classifieds are for jobs that bring in the big bucks, $100,000 and up. But some analysts believe more and more companies will pick up this model in the months and years ahead for jobs the rest of us are seeking.

It sort of goes against the whole idea behind help wanted ads. You’re looking for a job because A: You are unemployed, so why the heck would any one expect you to pony up cash to look at what gigs are out there. Or B: You hate your present gig so much you’re looking for new horizons. Either way I think it’s odd to charge people to look at jobs available at multi million, or even billion dollar corporations.

Help wanted ads should be free to anyone interested in taking a look. What next? They’re going to start charging job applicants for the pleasure of being interviewed by a hiring manager.