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How to Make the
Most of Internet Job Sites
Internet job sites have
been around for nearly a decade now, and they’re widely used by
job hunters, with several million Americans going online to hunt
for jobs every day. Many people, however, get frustrated easily
when trying to use enormous sites such as
Monster.com. They’re such extensive web sites that they can
be difficult to navigate effectively. With that in mind, here
are some tips for getting the most out of the job sites.
Diversify your
Search
Surprisingly, many
online job seekers confine themselves to just one or two of the
larger web sites. If you’re going to search online, however,
there’s often more to be gained by including company web sites
and industry-specific job boards in your search. This becomes
more important as the most popular job sites become larger—many
employers prefer to avoid these boards simply because they see
such heavy use, and job listings get so many replies that
choosing interview candidates becomes a very time-consuming job.
Use the Extra
Features
Many of the large job
boards offer extra features such as the ability to subscribe to
emailing lists that send out links or lists of jobs that
interest you. You can plug in key words or types of jobs you’re
interested in, and then receive periodic emails with jobs that
fit your criteria.
Localize your Search
Unless you’re looking to
relocate, it’s important to make sure you’re searching local
listings. Most of the larger web sites allow you to search for
jobs by area—do this so that you don’t get bogged down in
hundreds of search results that aren’t relevant to you.
Follow up on your
Application
Users often get no
response when they respond to postings on the larger web sites,
simply because so many people apply for these jobs. If you don’t
get a response within a couple of weeks, try to find out the
name of the hiring manager for your position, and send them a
follow-up email to let them know you’re still interested.
The Best Approach
To get the most out of
online job hunting, consider subscribing to emails from the
larger job boards (as outlined
above), then concentrate your regular searches at
industry-specific and corporate careers sites. That gives you
the best of both worlds, and allows you to focus your search
while still giving you access to the large number of jobs
available on the general sites.
Also, please review our Tools
to Find a Job section.
If you need more help, please
consider using a Career
Counselor.
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