Sometimes the hardest part of finding a job is being connected to actual openings. The job search can be challenging, to say the least, mainly when you aren’t sure where to start looking.
The following are some tips to find job openings and some specific places you can look.
Look At Industry-Specific Job Boards
A lot of times, when you’re searching for a job, you might first go to general job boards. These can be a great resource, which is discussed in more detail below. If you want to streamline your search, consider going to an industry-specific job board.
For example, if you’re in the trucking industry, there are CDL job boards where you can go to find jobs that you’re qualified for and interested in, without having to sift through every other available position in your area.
When you use an industry-specific job board or online site, you can then get more specific about what you’re looking for. For example, going back to the trucking example, you can list the trailer types and driver types that you’re most interested in.
The goal of any job search should be efficiency. You don’t want to waste your time applying for or even looking at jobs that aren’t a good fit for you.
Go Directly to Company Websites
Not all companies place their open jobs on job board sites, or you might not come across them even if they do.
If you have particular companies in mind that you would like to look for, go directly to their website and start your search there.
When you apply directly through the company website, you’re getting right into their applicant tracking system. Then, the company may find you for other open positions you’d be a good fit for, even if you don’t get the original job you apply for.
A lot of large companies have open-ended hiring, so if they type in keywords from your resume at any given time, they may be able to find you.
Get Alerts
Most company websites, as well as job boards, will let you sign up to receive alerts within your particular career field or industry or from the companies you’d like to work for. Take advantage because then you’ll be among the first to know when something opens up that might work well for you.
Just as an example, if you use CareerBuilder.com, you can sign up to receive job alerts and notifications about listings related to specific keywords.
Try to Connect Directly with Decision Makers
Go beyond listed jobs and try to connect with potential decision-makers directly at a company you’re interested in.
Maybe you can do some digging and find even an administrative assistant at a company you want to work for who might be able to pass your email and resume on to someone else.
It’s a good idea to be aggressive, but it’s something not that many people do when they’re on the hunt for a job.
If you do get in touch with a decision-maker, be compelling. Let them know right away why it would be in their best interest to get back to you.
You want to focus on sparking interest when you’re reaching out cold about potential open positions and job opportunities. You also want to be specific about what you’re looking for and why.
What Are the Best Sites to Find Jobs?
While the above highlight some ways to go outside of job boards, these sites can be valuable as well.
Some of the best job boards include:
- Indeed: This site has millions of job listings, and you can upload a resume and then get your resume link so you can easily share it. You can also look at information like salaries and create job alerts.
- CareerBuilder: With this job board, you’re going to find access to a considerable volume of open positions. It’s one of the biggest sites of its kind. Uniquely, CareerBuilder also works with newspapers to integrate their localized online classified into their boards.
- Dice: This is primarily geared toward professionals who want jobs in the tech world.
- LinkUp: This site describes itself as one of the purest job boards. They strive to cut out all the spam and non-necessary stuff that you might find elsewhere.
Finally, when you’re on the hunt for a new job, don’t forget to create a spreadsheet or some other way you can keep track of where you’ve applied what your progress is.
