Tips For Using A Job Site To Find Employment
Although the internet has had a profound and dramatic effect on so many aspects of modern life, the growth of the online jobs board has been among both the most important but least visible of these changes.For the jobseeker, it"s completely transformed the act of finding employment. No longer do people have to send speculative CVs to dozens of potential employers who may or may not be interested, or cold-call offices, or even scan newspapers every day for advertised vacancies.
For employers, the benefits are even more obvious. Once they could only reach a limited audience with their advertising; taking a classified ad in an industry publication or a daily newspaper was limited to the range of the readership of that very issue. Only a small range of candidates could ever be reached for any vacancy and overwhelmingly, employment relied upon acquaintance and direct advertising. Advertising which could only provide the slimmest details of a position and specification.
Now, employers can take out an advertisement with the potential to reach anyone with an internet connection. Jobseekers can browse by salary, location, sector of work, job requirements and many other factors with a simple range of filters. Employers can browse potential employees from a directory of uploaded CV"s and actively contact them through the site. Recruiters working at the site itself can link people and jobs through either automated algorithms that suggest links or through active correspondence.
Best of all, job applications can be requested and received via the internet. Not only does it cut down on the amount of paper work - and the cost and hassle of postage - it also makes it much easier to tailor your CV and covering letter to fit each role. Plus, many employers can screen unsuitable candidates through their own online application form which a candidate can fill in at their convenience and edit responses as they go; no one ever likes to hand in a paper form filled with crossing outs after all.
Still, it can be a bit confusing at first and particularly for someone who remembers when employment was a matter of personal interaction rather than remote communication. Here are a few tips to keep in mind for a candidate looking online for their next job:
1. Use the filters: When you"re on a job site, make sure you use the filters. There can be hundreds if not thousands of jobs hosted on each site and often many will be unsuitable for you - whilst others will be perfect for you. Use the filters to see just the ones you want to apply for and focus accordingly.
2. Use job alerts: A useful feature of the internet is the Really Simply Syndication (.RSS) feeds; this is a system where you can arrange for new content uploaded to a website to be emailed to you or sent directly to your web browser. Basically it"s a pro-active version of a filter and it can keep you informed of the latest developments.
3. Target industry websites and recruiters: Depending on the industry, there will be different skills and different opportunities; focus on the industry niche"s and you"ll be more likely to come across the opportunities that suit your field of work. The internet has opened things up - you can access pages from anywhere - but you and employers both have to be looking at them for it to make sense.
4. Keep active: A good general tip for any jobseeker but doubly important online. There are lots of opportunities out there - keep at it till you get one. Additionally, make sure that you keep your details up to date; few employers will be interested in something that"s obviously dated.