- Phillip W.
- Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Whether you’re just beginning your job search as a new professional or testing the water as a potential career changer, starting the job search process can seem like a bit of a daunting task. Before you dive in, defining your search can help bring some order to the process. It will have the added benefit of helping you think through and clarify your goals and desires, so that you will be able to more clearly articulate these to yourself and to potential employers. In this blog, we’ll offer a few tips on where to focus your efforts and how to structure your search effectively.
Where To Search
First, you’ll want to know where to start your search. There are a number of job search sites available; how do you know which one to start with? Indeed allows you to create or upload a resume on their site. This site has the advantage of a simple interface that allows you to browse jobs by area, keyword, and job title. ZipRecruiter allows hiring managers to interact directly with candidates, and for you to search for specifics such as salaries and other criteria. There are many other search engines available as well, such as Monster and CareerBuilder. Take some time to peruse these sites; explore how each one works and how you might be able to best use them in your job search.
Define Your Search
Next, you’ll want to define your job search. Before you start looking at listings or submitting applications, think about your personal job criteria. Perhaps you’ll even want to take down some notes of these before you get started. Ask yourself questions like:
-
“Am I limiting my job search strictly to a certain field?”
-
“Do I have minimum salary requirements?”
-
“Do I need to limit myself to a specific geographic region/location?”
There may be other criteria you want to consider in your job search as well. Job sites have many search filters such as experience level, location, and others. If you want or need to define your search in any of these areas, consider how to include these as well.
For more tips on job searching, take a look at the video below:
Maintain a Critical Eye While Searching
As you are searching for jobs, keep in mind that although job search sites filter out scams, occasionally these types of postings get through. When you are examining a posting, ask: does the opportunity require some input (informational, financial) upfront from you as the candidate? Does the posting run slim on concrete information about the position, job responsibilities or organization? If an opportunity seems too good to be true, it’s possible that it is, so exercise caution as you search and interact with potential employers before you have all the details.
Our Career Coach video team has produced a series of short videos with the guidance of the Business, Careers and Research department at Richland Library, offering tips on a range of career-related topics. You can find the full playlist of these videos on our YouTube channel, and follow Richland Library on LinkedIn for other career development tips and tidbits.
Looking for more information?
Set up a virtual meeting with one of our certified Career Coaches through the Book a Learning Coach form or by calling 803-929-3400. After you submit, we will contact you to set an appointment. Our team provides help with interviewing skills, your résumé, interest/skills assessments, and more.