Research Tools: How to Search for Your Career Online.

Up until now, I’ve explained to you how you can position yourself most strategically when finding your career online. Before you begin the search, you want to be sure that you are as appealing as possible to recruiters, right? Now that you have done your homework, in this chapter, I am going to spend more time going over the actual research tools you can use to find these jobs.

Half of the battle is coming into contact with the actual job listings at the end of the day. The internet is a vast place – sometimes, too vast. Students can get overwhelmed with finding the jobs they desire and want, causing them to give up at times and accept the most basic form of job searching. Therefore, let’s check out the basics of searching for the job, as well as the research tools at your disposal.

It is estimated that 70% of open jobs are filled using the internet today.

Where to Start the Search

There are many different places where you can post your resume and look for jobs today. Here are some of the bigger categories that can help you start your search:

• Company Websites: If you have a dream company you want to work for, one of the best things to do is check their website every day to see if they post a job vacancy. You can contact them directly the moment you see it. Many times, companies will post jobs to their website before they bring it to an online job board. Determine which companies you want to target and spend some time checking their website every morning. It can’t hurt!
• Regional Job Boards: To locate these sites, use a search engine like Google and then type in your county, city, etc. followed by Job Board. This will generate more localized sites that may feature some job listings you can’t find on the bigger sites, like Indeed.com.
• Specialty Websites: For many industries, there are websites dedicated specifically to jobs in that field. For example, greenjobs.com provides access to all jobs related to environmental protection and energy-saving. Dice.com is a great place specifically for technology jobs. There are many different sites that can make the search localize and niche for you.
• Professional Association Websites: These sites often post positions for their members, which can make it an exclusive search. If you belong to any association, be sure to check their site. As I will share below, here at Honor Society, we provide exclusive job board access that only our members can use. It’s one of the best places for starting your search if you want to filter through the best offers.
• Resume Aggregation Sites: If you really want to get your information out there, sites like ResumeRabbit enable you to post your resume and aggregate it through a bunch of generic job boards. It’s one secured platform that can certainly help you with a quantity search. As for a quality search, you will want to opt for our Honor Society options we are going to list below.

Which Job Boards Should I Prioritize?

There are a lot of places to look for jobs. As I mentioned, this is both a good and bad thing. Where should you focus on your time, attention, and effort? Here are some of the biggest options that deliver results:

• LinkedIn Jobs: LinkedIn has its own special portal for job posting and fulfillment. You simply plug your profile into the process so other recruiters can find you. As of last year, there are over 600 million professionals on the site and 94% of recruiters that choose to start their search with the site. They have said that 89% of positions are filled using LinkedIn, with 3 million active postings for the U.S. at any given time. Even more amazing, 48% of those job listings are exclusive to LinkedIn. Regardless of if you apply directly for a job or not, simply being on LinkedIn with an optimized profile will put you in the running. Recruiters will search keywords to aggregate candidates.
• ZipRecruiter.com: This is a free career management resource that helps job seekers throughout the process. You will be notified when the application has been received and reviewed by a manager. The app is optimized for your phone, with one-click application processes. You can opt to receive notifications of new jobs that are added based on your interests as well. It’s a great tool if you want to be proactive.
• Monster.com: As one of the largest employment websites in the world, this platform is used to help those seeking job openings that match both their skills and location. It enables users to apply directly through the site to jobs. It also enables you to post your resume to your profile for recruiters to review.
• Indeed.com: Indeed has quickly become one of the most popular places to search for a job today. The site aggregates millions of job listings every day, mulling over job boards, newspapers, associations, and company career pages. Job seekers can apply directly on the site as they please.
• Careerbuilder.com: Check out information from more than 2,000 partners and 140 newspapers. The site also acts as a portal for AOL and MSN.
• JobCentral.com: This public-service employment website is owned and managed by leading U.S. employers through membership in Direct Employee Association. Link with employers that reside in your industry.

There is no harm in signing up for multiple career searching sites at once. Being proactive is always the way to go if you want to beat out the competition.

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Don’t forget to check out the Guides section of the site – where you can download over 100 digital guidebooks that explore various industries. Learn more about how you can get on your best place for being noticed by potential employers.