5 Tricks for Online Job Searching
Have you ever said to yourself: “There just aren’t any jobs out there; I’ve looked.” One issue could be where you are looking and how you are searching because today there are more online sources than time in a day.
The entire job search system can seem overwhelming, especially if you have not job searched in a long time or if you are changing careers. You need to know what the optimal online places are to look and where you should go to source the best opportunities. And since there are so many job sources on the web, it’s daunting and could put you into overwhelm immediately.
Let’s first erase the excuse that there aren’t any jobs out there and learn how to look online. Even though there are more jobs out there, it’s still a competitive market. But know that there are many companies looking for you right now. Contrary to some advice, job searching does not need to be a full-time job; spending 40 hours a week looking for a new job simply isn’t feasible. Job seekers can waste a ton of time doing the wrong thing in the wrong order and getting nowhere fast. The good news is that most of the work can be done during non–business hours or on weekends because many of you are working during the day.
The goal is to identify at least 10 real, posted job opportunities in your desired function or role type, in your desired industry, and in your geography. Draw from numerous companies versus 10 in one corporation. Your key is to move forward right into the application process and win interviews.
Some tricks to searching and identifying the best jobs for you include:
Be deliberate: Set aside hours in your calendar to spend a certain amount of time identifying posted positions. Go to two online sources that are right for you. Think of it like an investment. You need a diverse portfolio. You can’t invest in everything. You may start with LinkedIn and Indeed or LinkedIn and a special job board for your industry.
Favor Company career sites over job boards. Hopefully, by now you have a list of the top 10-20 companies you would like to target. Start on their company career or job pages to find posted positions. The job titles may vary so spend a lot of time keyword searching and setting up alerts for future jobs.
Don’t multi–task. Searching for opportunities and applying for jobs are two different activities, so don’t just apply when you see something. You should be looking at the sources, reading the complete job descriptions, and logging them on your Job Search Tracker. You are not ready to apply quite yet so don’t spray out your résumé by hitting “send.”
Identify the best jobs for YOU. When examining each job description, keep your clear and specific job search goal in mind to identify the best jobs for you. Consider whether you are qualified: do you have most of the skills that the job description asks for? Ask yourself what day-to-day functions you want in a job going forward. Finally, evaluate whether it meets your personal criteria: can you logistically get to the job, will you need to move, etc.?
Learn before you act. For each of the online sources, visit the how-to section of that search engine and learn how to do great advanced job searches on that particular tool because it’s different from tool to tool. LinkedIn is amazing online source for finding jobs IF you know how to dive into the LinkedIn algorithm.
In summary, catch yourself saying “there are no jobs out there.” Reverse that to “I need to learn how to find positions I am excited about in this healthy job market. They are out there.” Then become the learner you just committed to being and dive in!
