How Do I Find a Job Online?
February 22, 2012
As the days of answering a “want ad” for open jobs are long gone, the Internet is now the most popular tool to find and apply for jobs. “Virtual” is a word we are hearing quite a bit of as it relates to job searching, networking and social media sites. But what does all this mean?
In a nutshell, job seekers need to have Internet access to become a virtual job seeker. Then, becoming familiar with the most popular job search boards and posting your resume online is a great idea. Some of the favorites are simplyhired.com and Indeed.com
These sites collect job postings from all around the web and should save you some time in locating open positions. Another website I really like is americasjobexchange.com. These sites allow you to specify your career needs, and then they will send potential job matches directly to you.
Social media sites are another option for virtual job searching. LinkedIn, Plaxo and Facebook are gaining popularity, and experts tell us not to ignore or underestimate the power of these tools to network and find jobs. An IT staffing firm based in Los Angeles writes, “Instead of posting a job online and getting a thousand resumes, we will go on Linked in and Plaxo to seek out the people we want to talk to”.
Since employers are looking for talent in a more focused manner, job seekers need to be equally focused. Becoming educated is key, and Goodwill Career Centers are a great place to start. They offer free workshops on Internet literacy, and how to use sites like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to find available jobs.
A recent survey of 800 hiring decision makers conducted by Jobvite, a maker of social recruiting software found the following:
- Hiring managers say their best hires come from referrals, followed by direct sourcing and social networks.
- 80 percent of survey respondents use social networks to recruit new employees. Of that 80 percent, 86 percent used LinkedIn.
- 45 percent of survey respondents say they always search candidate’s online profiles.
As success strategies for today’s job search continue to evolve, it is an exciting time to utilize technology in ways we have never done before.
Jenni Samsill
jennil1970@gmail.com
