Searching for jobs can be a time consuming and confusing process. If your focus is too narrow, you may not get any results—too wide and you get anything but what you are looking for.
So, how can you make this process more simple and effective? Try applying these quick tips to shorten your search and get better results.
Be specific
If you find yourself swimming through an ocean of unrelated results, try getting more specific with your word choice. In a keyword search you can add words that narrow your primary search. For example, you can add words that relate to the level of the position that you want, such as senior or entry, or you can add your industry, such as searching for “Healthcare IT” instead of just “IT.”
You can also limit your search by adding filters, such as location, when the position was posted, the category, such as education or customer service, or whether the position is full-time or part-time. Anytime you find yourself getting too many jobs that don’t quite match what you want, consider using these filters to refine your results.
Vary the spelling
For almost every role there’s some variation in how you can spell out the title. If you’ve only searched using one version of your title, try using an alternate version. For example, CNA’s could be listed as Certified Nursing Assistant, Certified Nurse Assistant, C.N.A. or CNA.
Try a different title
There may be more than one title for the work that you want to do or there may be other closely related positions you may want to add into the mix. Research your field for closely related roles or other titles and add them into your search. Try using the Occupational Outlook Handbook to research alternative titles and roles to look for.
Check out the competition
If you’re interested in working for a specific company, don’t forget to also search for their competitors. You might end up finding employers you didn’t know about. One way to find out a company’s competitors is just by searching for the category. At the bottom of the page will be a category listing, if you click on the categories, you’ll get a list of other companies in that category. Another way (especially if you are looking at larger companies) is to look at their Wikipedia page. For example, if you go to Nike’s Wikipedia page, you’ll see the category “Shoe Companies of the United States,” clicking on that category will take you to an exhaustive list of shoe company brands.
Search for skills
If looking for titles is narrowing your search too far, you might want to consider using a skill for your search term. This approach is extremely beneficial if you are trying to transition from one career to another, because it can give you ideas of other roles you might take on with your skill set. For example, if you are proficient at using Photoshop, you could search it to find a list of jobs that have it listed in their description.
Automate it
If you find a search that yields great results for you, save yourself time by creating a job search agent. Set your results to come straight to your inbox daily or weekly to stay on top of new jobs without the pain of remembering to repeat your search every day.
No matter what job you’re looking for we hope these tips help you find them faster. Good luck in your search!