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.