How to Effectively Use the Internet in Job Searches
Anyone who has ever tried to find a job online knows that it isn’t always as easy as it might seem. While most employers do advertise open positions online, it doesn’t always mean that you will be able to find just the job you are seeking. In fact, sometimes there are so many listings that you are swimming in seemingly endless possibilities. The time spent on weeding your way through all those search results you’ve come up with could be better spent contacting the few which are real possibilities if you could just sort through them. If you are currently looking for a job, here are some tips on how to effectively use the internet in job searches.
Be Mindful of Your Search Terms
One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make is when using search terms which are too broad in scope. Always narrow down your keyword searches to a few important terms. Keep your terms as specific as possible and you will find that 1,000 results may be narrowed down to a few dozen. If you are particular about the city or province you wish to find employment in, use geographic locations in your search. For example, ‘general office Toronto’ or ‘physical therapist Alberta’. The more specific you can make your search terms, the better your search results will be.
A Word About Posting Your CV Online
This can work for or against you if you have anything ‘questionable’ which needs to be better explained to a company looking for talent in your field. If you have been wrongfully terminated in Canada, for example, an interested employer may check references before you’ve had a chance to explain why you leaving that employer was less than amicable. You may even have won compensation through the services of a wrongful dismissal lawyer but that isn’t shown on your CV. The only reference to that employer would be the standard information listed as experience. Calling that employer prematurely for a reference could work against you. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t post your resume/CV online, but that you need to be selective on how to format the digital version.
When Reputation Repair Is Needed
In a situation like that, you may find that you have received negative press and that it shows on the first page of Google. Without going into all the ways in which your termination could be mentioned online, it is quite possible that you got a lot of unwanted press and are in need of reputation repair. Some employers are less than scrupulous, to say the least. Here, you could contact the company directly asking them to take down any posts mentioning you or you could counteract those posts with posts of your own. Try to get positive reviews by former employers happy with your performance or flood the internet with enough positive posts so that the positive references to you take the lead in the search results. Negative press is one of the main reasons why so many job seekers refrain from using the internet.
While you have the entire world at your fingertips when seeking a job online, it may be more time consuming than you had anticipated if you don’t narrow down your searches. Also, beware what potential employers can see about you with just a quick search for your name. The internet’s a great tool for finding work, but only if you know how to use it. That’s the key.
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