We all know that you can find practically anything via the internet. But that doesn’t mean we all understand how to find the best results for our buck, which can be a crucial misstep if you’re using the web in your job search.
How Does Using the Internet In a Job Search Work?
Using the web to search for work is similar to searching any other topic online. You can do a basic Google search to find results, or you can customize and look up job web sites that will do the work for you. The job sites let you scroll through hundreds, even thousands of openings in your area, and you can even search by type, so you are finding jobs best suited to your skills.
Of course, sending out resumes to each of these employers won’t ensure you get a call back. But that’s really true of any job search technique you employ. But it is one quick way to get all of the top results in an easy to find and understand way. Even if this isn’t something you’ve tried before, the amount of time you will save is worth the small amount of energy you’ll put in to familiarize yourself with these sites.
Why Go Online In the First Place?
If you’ve used basic sites like Google or Facebook before, you already know the power of the internet to help you find what you’re looking for. And this is fundamental in the job market, where time and money are precious. But there are even more reasons to take your job search online:
- Access to jobs across the country, at all hiring levels
- You can search day or night, at any hour and on your own time
- You’ll brush up on your computer skills
- Interacting online can take some of the pressure off
- Search tools can turn up options you might not have otherwise considered
The number one advantage though is that once you get the hang of job hunting online, you will realize it is an immensely easier way to find work than any of the other options. You just click a few keys, type a few words, and you have a huge amount of information at your fingertips.
Before You Get Started
Getting ready for a job search online has much in common with getting ready for a job search offline: you’ll want to polish up your resume, perfect your cover letter, and have together any other materials you think are appropriate. Since you may post your resume online, keep these things in mind:
Keywords — use buzz words that are often used in your industry
Updates — make updates to your resume often
Contact info — you may want to keep it to just phone number and email
Also take this time to think about who you are as an employee, and how you can benefit the company you might join. Think about what skills you have that are unique, and where you see yourself in five years. These answers will come out in your resume, and will also likely come up in any potential interviews.
Landing On the Right Sites
The internet can turn up seemingly endless results, so make sure you use the job tools that work best for you. Consider the following:
- Is there a fee?
- Have I heard of this site before?
- Are the offers too good to be true?
- How can I use these resources in my own life?
- Is the content easy to understand?
- Is the site free of grammar errors?
- Does the content seem to be updated continually?
- Who runs the site?
- Is there a contact page?
Being a skeptical web browser is one good way to make sure you are working with reputable sites and ensure you aren’t being taken for a ride. Even if the service is free, you want to use a quality product, particularly in regards to your professional life.
Diving In To the Job Search
To make sure you get the most out of your job search process, combine the following techniques along with your online sorting:
Networking — Sometimes it’s all about who you know, so get out there. Attend events and hookup with old classmates to find out what’s available.
Research employers — Knowing what employers are looking for can help you in custom crafting a pitch.
Explore leads — If someone tells you about an opening, even if it doesn’t sound like something you’re interested in, keep an open mind.
Share your resume — Share share share! The more hands your resume gets into, the better.
Managing Your Time
It is incredibly easy to get lost in a black hole on the internet, so make sure to manage your time well. Set aside certain hours to do your research, and be efficient with your time. Tune out distractions and treat this like it’s already part of your full time job.
Parting Thoughts
All in all, it should be easy to implement a few online techniques in your job search, but keep some things in mind. Don’t get sucked into only relying on job sites, as there is so much more out there to explore. Try to only use half of your job search time on the internet, the other half can be used in different ways. And take some time to relax–you don’t want to get burnt out.
We all know that you can find practically anything via the internet. But that doesn’t mean we all understand how to find the best results for our buck, which can be a crucial misstep if you’re using the web in your job search.
How Does Using the Internet In a Job Search Work?
Using the web to search for work is similar to searching any other topic online. You can do a basic Google search to find results, or you can customize and look up job web sites that will do the work for you. The job sites let you scroll through hundreds, even thousands of openings in your area, and you can even search by type, so you are finding jobs best suited to your skills.
Of course, sending out resumes to each of these employers won’t ensure you get a call back. But that’s really true of any job search technique you employ. But it is one quick way to get all of the top results in an easy to find and understand way. Even if this isn’t something you’ve tried before, the amount of time you will save is worth the small amount of energy you’ll put in to familiarize yourself with these sites.
Why Go Online In the First Place?
If you’ve used basic sites like Google or Facebook before, you already know the power of the internet to help you find what you’re looking for. And this is fundamental in the job market, where time and money are precious. But there are even more reasons to take your job search online:
- Access to jobs across the country, at all hiring levels
- You can search day or night, at any hour and on your own time
- You’ll brush up on your computer skills
- Interacting online can take some of the pressure off
- Search tools can turn up options you might not have otherwise considered
The number one advantage though is that once you get the hang of job hunting online, you will realize it is an immensely easier way to find work than any of the other options. You just click a few keys, type a few words, and you have a huge amount of information at your fingertips.
Before You Get Started
Getting ready for a job search online has much in common with getting ready for a job search offline: you’ll want to polish up your resume, perfect your cover letter, and have together any other materials you think are appropriate. Since you may post your resume online, keep these things in mind:
Keywords — use buzz words that are often used in your industry
Updates — make updates to your resume often
Contact info — you may want to keep it to just phone number and email
Also take this time to think about who you are as an employee, and how you can benefit the company you might join. Think about what skills you have that are unique, and where you see yourself in five years. These answers will come out in your resume, and will also likely come up in any potential interviews.
Landing On the Right Sites
The internet can turn up seemingly endless results, so make sure you use the job tools that work best for you. Consider the following:
- Is there a fee?
- Have I heard of this site before?
- Are the offers too good to be true?
- How can I use these resources in my own life?
- Is the content easy to understand?
- Is the site free of grammar errors?
- Does the content seem to be updated continually?
- Who runs the site?
- Is there a contact page?
Being a skeptical web browser is one good way to make sure you are working with reputable sites and ensure you aren’t being taken for a ride. Even if the service is free, you want to use a quality product, particularly in regards to your professional life.
Diving In To the Job Search
To make sure you get the most out of your job search process, combine the following techniques along with your online sorting:
Networking — Sometimes it’s all about who you know, so get out there. Attend events and hookup with old classmates to find out what’s available.
Research employers — Knowing what employers are looking for can help you in custom crafting a pitch.
Explore leads — If someone tells you about an opening, even if it doesn’t sound like something you’re interested in, keep an open mind.
Share your resume — Share share share! The more hands your resume gets into, the better.
Managing Your Time
It is incredibly easy to get lost in a black hole on the internet, so make sure to manage your time well. Set aside certain hours to do your research, and be efficient with your time. Tune out distractions and treat this like it’s already part of your full time job.
Parting Thoughts
All in all, it should be easy to implement a few online techniques in your job search, but keep some things in mind. Don’t get sucked into only relying on job sites, as there is so much more out there to explore. Try to only use half of your job search time on the internet, the other half can be used in different ways. And take some time to relax–you don’t want to get burnt out.