Effective online job searching

The number of job vacancies in the UK reached a record high of 1.3 million in 2022.  While there are many ways of looking for a new role, the Internet is a great tool to support you in your job search. However, it can also be challenging and easy to get side tracked or overwhelmed with results that are not relevant to what you’re looking for.

Here are 3 simple steps to increase your effectiveness when searching online for jobs.

1. Planning is key

Start by determining the key types of jobs you are looking for and what types of industry you might like to work in. Think about the types of job title, skills required and the functional areas that they sit in, e.g., HR, Finance, IT, as this will have an impact on which job boards you use and what keywords to search for. You will also want to consider salary range, location (or remote), industry or sector to make sure your job search is specific. 

2. Finding Job Boards

Once you have thought about the types of roles you are interested in, you will need to identify the online job boards that are going to be most relevant for the roles or industry that you are looking for.

There are different types of job boards to consider:

Job Boards Aggregators

Job board aggregators such as Simply Hired or Indeed are essentially search engines for job adverts. A bit like Compare the Market, job aggregators gather job postings from job boards and other internet sites and consolidate them in one place.

Generalist Job Boards  

These are very popular job boards for recruiters and employers to advertise on. These sites advertise roles across all industries and sectors and at all levels. Some useful generic websites include Total Jobs, Reed and CV Library.

Industry or Function Specific Job Boards

These job sites advertise jobs in a specific industry or function, so it is worth looking at these too. The easiest way to do this is to Google your industry or job function, e.g. ‘HR jobsites’ or ‘Administrator jobs’ and your search results will list job boards. Specific to your interests.

3. Searching for Jobs

Once you’ve identified the job boards that are going to be most relevant for you, you can make a start searching for suitable opportunities. Searching via keywords is the primary way that you will look for relevant jobs on job boards. Think carefully about what keywords are most relevant for the type of roles you are looking for. You can use keywords to describe job titles, skills or industry. Make a note of these job boards as these will be the ones you will regularly check.

Finally, most sites will allow you to set up and save one or more search once you have registered with them. These searches will then be run on a daily or weekly basis and opportunities that come on to the site that fit your criteria will automatically be sent to your email address. Don’t just rely on the email alerts - pick up the most relevant roles by actively searching the individual job boards yourself.

Renovo is the UK’s leading outplacement and career transition specialist. We work with both organisations and individuals to support all their career transition requirements. If you would like to understand how Renovo can help you please call 0800 612 2011 or email info@renovo.co.uk