Hunting Gear

5 Tips to Improve Your Online Job Searching

There are a ton of career resources available online that allow for a comprehensive job search. Use these five tips for job searching to get the most out of your online job hunting and find your perfect job more quickly.

Job Searching Tip 1: Use Job Notification Agents

Many online job boards like Monster, Careerbuilder and Jobing give you the option to conduct a job search on a regular basis and have the results of those agents emailed to you.  These emails are a great way to stay on top of what jobs are available whether you are actively looking, or if you just want to stay aware of your career options.

Job Searching Tip 2: Apply With Care

Apply only to jobs that you are truly qualified or interested in. It may be simple to apply online to many job that aren’t a good fit. Fight the urge.  Recruiters are very busy people, and who knows – that same recruiter may have another position posted that is actually right for you – tomorrow!  Applying to jobs indiscriminately sends a poor message about the focus of your job search and the quality of your candidacy.

Job Searching Tip 3: Tailor Your Resume

Research the companies that you apply to and tailor your cover letters and resumes to fit the jobs and the positions you are applying for.  There is no better way to impress a recruiter than to help them easily understand why you fit their culture and the job you are applying to.  Read the job description carefully, visit the company website, check out the company profile and watch their employment video. Performing in-depth company research will really pay off.

Job Searching Tip 4: Find What Works

Use a variety of different job boards and career resources at first and find out what works best for you. After some time you will be able to determine which resource is best for you in your locale and profession. The big job boards like Monster and Career Builder are good for searching a wide variety of jobs. If you are unwilling to relocate then you may want to keep your job search local with job boards like Jobing and Simply Hired. Job sites like Jobs in the Money and Dice cater to professional in specific career fields. Once you find what works best for your job search you can begin to budget your time accordingly.

Job Searching Tip 5: Keep Your Resume Fresh

Keep updating your resume. When job searching, notice the last time the position was posted. You might even consider filtering your job search results to only view the freshest jobs around. Similarly, employers search resume databases to find candidates that recently updated their information. Keeping your information current tells employers:

a.  You are actively looking for new employment – now.
b.  Your contact and employment information is current.
c.  You are ready to interview, and even start your new job on a reasonable timetable. 

Whatever career resources you use or advice you receive, remember there is no magic bullet to finding a job you’ll love.Your job hunt is a process that requires patience, passion, due diligence and constant improvement.

Gino D’Acampo goes Mushroom hunting with Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield