It’s not always easy to find a good job. There seem to be plenty of opportunities out there, you just have to know where to look.
About a third of applicants use online job boards, which consistently ranks among the best ways to get a job. There are countless career sites and job boards out there. Some are general job boards, while others target specific industries like IT.
Each job board attracts certain types of companies to pay to post their jobs. Since companies can’t afford to be everywhere, they have to choose the best job boards.
Read on to discover what the best ways to find a job are and how you can land the job of your dreams.
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How to Leverage LinkedIn
LinkedIn comes in at the top place to look online for a job, but it’s not because of the quality or quantity of jobs posted. The real power of LinkedIn is that it presents a lot of networking opportunities.
Here’s how you can harness the power of LinkedIn. The first thing to do is to figure out the type of job you want and the location. If you have a list of companies that you want to work at, that’s even better.
The more specific you can get about the type of job you’re looking for, the easier it is for people to be on the lookout for you.
Now, you get to use LinkedIn for networking. Connect with people that work at your target companies. You can also connect with alumni groups and professional groups in your industry.
When someone accepts your connection request, don’t hit them over the head with a desperate plea to land a job. Send them a note to say thank you for accepting your connection request and ask how you can help them. That goes a long way towards building relationships.
Searching on Indeed.com
Indeed.com is a great job board to look to for any type of job. You can find work at home opportunities right on through finding C-Suite jobs.
It’s easy to use the search functions on this site. You can search by company and job title. You can also upload your resume and easily submit it to companies to apply for jobs on the spot.
One of the functions on Indeed that has seen a lot of improvement is the ability to search for company reviews. People often leave honest reviews about what it’s really like to work at a company, which is important for you to know before you accept a job offer.
You’ll want to look at Indeed and other job search engines to find the best job for you.
How to Land Your Dream Job
You have an idea as you what you want to do and where you want to work. You know how to leverage LinkedIn and find jobs on career search engines.
How do you make sure that you can land the job of your dreams? These tips will show you how.
Polish Your Resume
Even if you have a connection for the job that you’re applying for, you still need to have an outstanding resume. The average corporate job gets about 250 resume submissions.
You need to make sure that yours stands out from the pack. You also have to make sure that your resume can get through the first pass. When companies receive your resume, it’s usually not read by a person. One person is unlikely to sit and read through 250 resumes.
Companies rely on artificial intelligence programs to scan resumes. They’re looking for experience and relevancy. That’s like doing a keyword search on your resume. If you have relevant keywords, you’re likely to move on to the next stage.
That’s when an actual person will read your resume and possibly call you in for an interview.
You need to do your research before you submit your resume. Carefully read the job posting and see if there are any themes or skills that seem important. For example, if the word collaboration appears a few times in the job posting, you should mention collaboration experiences on your resume.
You also want to research the company to get an idea as to what the culture is like. You can then tailor your cover letter to show how you’d fit in that environment.
Nail the Interview
Should all go well, your resume will be good enough to land an interview with the company.
Companies tend to have their own hiring process so it can be hard to know what to expect. There are companies use a 15-minute phone screen as the first interview. If you do well there, then you’ll be called for an in-person interview.
Other companies will skip the phone screen and interview multiple candidates at the same time. There’s no way to tell what the interview process is like until you get a call for an interview.
When you do get that call, you want to be prepared for anything and everything. You can start by doing as much homework about the job and the company.
Prepare yourself for the standard interview questions such as, “Tell me about yourself,” and “Where do you see yourself five years from now?”
You also want to bring a list of questions to ask about the company. Asking questions in the interview is a sign that you’ve prepared, and you’re engaged in the process.
The Best Ways to Find a Job
What are the best ways to find a job? You start by using the power of the Internet and make great connections.
The next step is to polish your resume and make sure it’s customized to the position you’re applying for. When you get the call for an interview, you need to be prepared to ask and answer questions. Then get ready to accept a job.
Want more great tips? Check out our articles on family and money.