Searching For Jobs Online - Helpful Tips to Get You Started

Are you someone who is looking for a new job or are you about ready to start your job search? If so, there is a good chance that you will do an online job search, as do most seeking employment. Whether you use a desktop application that lets you search thousands of job sites at once or if you use your standard, run-of-the-mill search sites, here are some helpful tips to get you started.

Make Use of Suggestions: A number of job search websites and desktop applications are designed so that they provide you with automatic suggestions. Basically, you start to type in your search phrase (most often the job tile) and a bunch of suggestions will automatically pop-up for you. While some automatic suggestions can be limiting, others can be helpful in producing more targeted results; such as warehouse manager instead of simply warehouse clerk.

Check Your Spelling: You obviously are going to know how to spell the title of the job you are seeking. Yes, this is common sense. However, it isn't always spelling errors that catch-up job seekers, but rather typing errors. So take a minute to type carefully (don't be in a rush) and double check your spelling. You don't want to miss out on good job listings because you were in too big of a rush.

Try Different Search Phrases: No harm can come from experimenting with your search phrases. In fact, you are encouraged to try this approach. Why? Not all companies use the same title for similar jobs. For instance, some companies might say office secretary, others might say office manager, others might say front desk clerk, and so forth. Job search sites and desktop programs pull listings based on keywords used in them; therefore, trying different variations of similar jobs is likely to widen your job offerings.

Start With No Search Filters: Most job search sites and desktop applications do enable you to perform advanced searches. This means you might be able to select from a specific type of job (full-time, part-time, contract) or it might mean that you can search for jobs based on a company name. If you do a generic search with only your location and a job tile and see thousands of results, then it is a good idea to consider narrowing down your options with advanced searching. However, when you first get started, it is better to come across more jobs at once.