Using free online tools to find your perfect job Felicity Duncan Finding a job is always a challenge, and finding a job you really want even more so. Yet too many people rely on out-dated methods for finding work, and ignore the many new online tools that can make your job search easier, faster, and more effective. 1. Google Alerts For those of you who don’t know, Google Alerts are a free service provided by Google. Basically, you sign in to your Google account (you really should have one, even if it’s not your primary account), then go to google/alerts. You enter a search term that you’re interested in, and then select how often you want to receive the alert. After that, Google will send you regular e-mails with important new items from around the web related to your search query. It may not be intuitive, but Google Alerts can help you find the perfect job. For a start, you can set up Google Alerts to monitor news about companies you want to work for. Let’s say you want to work for RECM. You could set up a Google Alert to monitor any news about the company, and then use what you know to time your job applications and tailor them to RECM’s needs. You could also follow news about any important people at the company, so that if you get an interview, you know something about management and appear better informed, or even to monitor the web for very specific job opportunities. 2. LinkedIn Everyone knows that LinkedIn is a crucial resource for contemporary job hunters, but you may not know how to use it best. Here are a few pointers. · It matters who you know. Recruiters don’t just look at your profile, but also at who you are connected with, so if you want to work in a particular industry, make an effort to cultivate contacts in that industry. Even better, get endorsements from prominent people in your target industry. · Make sure your profile is complete. Recruiters look at LinkedIn and having an incomplete profile will put you at a disadvantage. Fill in all your experience, update your skills, and reach out to ask contacts to endorse you. An incomplete profile could cause a recruiter to skip over you, since recruiters like to use LinkedIn to learn about potential hires quickly and easily. · Get active. You can make your profile come alive by using LinkedIn to share news items and other things that give people insight into your interests and personality. Be professional, of course, but also inject some life into what you share and post. · Use LinkedIn to follow companies you like, and to look for job postings. Many companies have active LinkedIn profiles, and use LinkedIn to recruit, so identify the profiles of companies you are interested in and follow them – this gives you the opportunity to be informed of new openings and important personnel moves. · Identify networking opportunities. You may not know someone who works at a company you’re interested in, but chances are good that you know someone who knows someone – mine your contacts to find people who have some connection to a company you’re interested in, and get in touch to ask about opportunities, or just to learn more about the company. People are often much more willing to help than you expect. 3. Other social media Although LinkedIn is designed for professionals, other social media can also play a role in your job search. First, companies often look at your social media profiles to get a sense of who you are, so either keep your information private, or make sure you present a professional profile. If you have publicly shared content, make sure it shows off your interests and personality in a good light. Familiarise yourself with privacy controls, and use them to make sure that you aren’t sharing awkward personal information with potential employers. Second, you can use your Facebook contacts to find out about job opportunities – just create a post asking if anyone knows of an opening, or contact specific people in your network who have the kind of job you’re interested in – you never know what you might learn about. Third, following companies you’re interested in on Twitter and Facebook can give you additional insight into those companies, and some companies use Twitter to send out notifications about job opportunities. 4. Recruitment sites Finally, consider registering your CV on recruitment sites like Pnet. This is not the best strategy; if you’re serious about your job hunt you should be applying to specific companies you’re interested in, rather than taking a shotgun approach, but it can be helpful as a way to connect you with recruiters and get a sense of what jobs are currently out there.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 03:44:05 +0000