There’s no denying searching for a job these days is trickier than it used to be. A decade ago if you wanted a job you’d go into your local job centre, have a look in the local newspaper or ask around your network of friends and family – these days the picture is very different. In 2013, 95% of job searches involve the internet in some form or another and finding a job is much more complicated than just keeping an eye on your local newspaper.
In fact, it’s fair to say that thanks to the digital revolution, there are now more sources for job vacancies than ever before. Job boards, direct employer career sites, recruiter sites, job search engines/aggregators – you name it, they all advertise thousands of jobs on a daily basis, and not just for positions in the UK but from around the world too. With so many sources, searching for jobs these days can feel like a full-time job in itself but there are a few shortcuts available which allow you to keep up to date with the latest jobs without giving up 100% of your free time.
1) Social Media
From sourcing candidates to broadcasting vacancies, social media is now an integral part of any employer’s recruitment process so it’s essential you’re connected too. Look at the recruiters, brands and any specialist career websites and job boards operating in your niche and be sure to follow them on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google+.
But simply connecting with them isn’t enough. Why? Because unless you’re connected 24/7 there’s still a chance you’re going to miss out – you never know, the tweet they send out the second you log out could hold the details of your perfect job. To make sure you stay on top of all their tweets, create specific recruiter/job board/careers lists within the businesses you’re following and be sure to check it at the end of each day or every couple of days to ensure you don’t miss out.
2) Set Up Job Email Alerts
If you’re not a fan of social media it’s a good idea to set up job email alerts from your favourite job board. Just tell them what kind of job you’re looking for and where and they’ll send an email directly to your inbox as soon as any vacancies appear that match your criteria. Don’t panic if you’re not entirely sure what you want your next job to be – just set up a few different job alerts from a few different sources to keep your options open.
Once you’ve set your email alerts up, you can sit back and relax, knowing the most relevant vacancies will be sent straight to your inbox – this means you can spend less time searching and more time doing the things you actually want to do!
3) Set Up A Job Seeker Account
Setting up a job seeker account can be a bit of a hassle but once it’s done, it’s done – and you can apply for any of the jobs featured on the site. Not only that but you’ll also automatically be sent weekly or monthly newsletters from the site in question which will normally highlight some of the most exciting vacancies that match your specific job search criteria.
4) Sign Up for Google Alerts
If you’re a business it makes sense to sign up for Google Alerts but have you ever thought about signing up for Google Alerts for your job search? The idea’s simple – just sign up for Alerts for your chosen key phrases like “online marketing jobs” or “Apple Store jobs” and let Google do the hard work for you. Every time your specified phrase gets mentioned in a blog or news item, you’ll get the link sent straight to your inbox – and you can go from there. Granted, some of the Alerts you’ll received might not be of any use to you and might not necessarily relate to the jobs you’re actually searching for – but Google Alerts can be a good tool for keeping up to date with the market.
5) Use Job Search Engines
Wouldn’t it be great if there was just one site where you could find the best jobs from all sources – direct employers, recruiters, job boards? There is – and they’re called job search engineers/aggregators. Sites like Indeed collect vacancies from across the web and converge them all on one site – this makes them your one-stop-shop for new jobs across a wide range of industries and makes them an increasingly important tool in job search strategy.
Just like job boards, with job search aggregators, you can also sign up for job email alerts for a number of key phrases and locations to ensure you never miss out on a vacancy – and, rather than having to create yet another job seeker account, they simply redirect you to the site the job was originally posted on so you can apply directly via the employer/recruiter/job board.
Author: Amy Edwards is an SEO Manager for the niche online jobs board Bubble Jobs that specialises in advertising the latest digital, online, eCommerce, online marketing and web design and development vacancies from across the UK. Follow Amy on Twitter: @amy_edwards88.
