Finding Job Vacancies Online |
Introduction
If you are looking
for a job, you have probably read lots of newspapers with job vacancies,
and perhaps even visited a job centre or an agency.
It might surprise
you to learn that one of the most common ways to find a job is now through
online job websites.
They represent a free
way to access thousands of jobs almost instantly.
Why Apply
for a Job Vacancy Online?
(i)
Searching
Unlike
fixed newspaper or magazine listings, online vacancies are easily sorted
into your choices of most appropriate skills and places.
All the jobs available
on a site can usually be searched for by area, type, and salary. This
means less time is wasted reading through adverts that are of no relevance
to you, as all the results are matched to your choices.
(ii)
Stored CV
Most job sites will
allow you to store your CV with them. This means that when you wish to
apply for a job, there is no need to keep re-sending your information.
The copy of the CV held by the job site is automatically sent during an
application, and you can update it at any point.
A stored CV also means
that companies actively looking for people with your particular skills
can view your employment and qualification details and invite you to apply
without you having to search for them.
(iii)
Personal
One disadvantage of
applying for a job online is that in some cases it can make your response
seem less personal.
An application sent
through the post has a physical presence, which can make it stand out
from emails. However, as online applications become more popular, there
is much less of a difference. Not only that, but it is in an employers
interest to look carefully at all CV’s.
How to Apply
- Registration
Most job sites allow
anybody to freely browse their vacancies, but most sites require you to
register your details before you can apply through them.
Registration involves
entering your details so they are ready to be forwarded to any employers
you wish to make applications to. After registration you can send a CV
to be stored on the job site, this CV is then used for any future applications
you make.
Cost of Finding
& Applying for a Job Vacancy Online
None of the major
job sites charge applicants; once you have registered most services are
available for free.
It is in the interests
of the site to provide the service for free, as they make their money
from the companies that place the jobs. If they charged applicants, then
no one would apply and no companies would advertise!
Some job sites offer
extra services such as CV writing and analysis; the costs of these vary
depending on company used. If you can write a power CV (2-3 highly relevant
job and experience pages, with a cover letter stating why the job was
made for you) do it yourself, if not, carefully consider paying for one!
If you do pay for
a power CV, make sure you get a hard copy.
Finding a
Job Vacancy Online
Once
you are registered, finding a list of appropriate jobs is usually quite
simple. There is normally a search on the first page of all job sites.
The search will usually
ask for a job type (sales/law/engineering) and an area or city (London/North
East/Manchester). Some sites have additional questions to help narrow
down searches. Salary rates and whether you require part time or full
time employment are common questions, as is a box allowing any important
key words, such as equipment or software you have experience using (e.g.:
Dreamweaver or a Lathe) to focus the search results.
The results to your
search will be listed in either alphabetical, date or relevancy order.
Most sites allow you to set which order you would like the results, to
make browsing easier.
There are two other
ways of finding vacancies that are offered by the majority of job sites.
Employer Search
If you do not object
to it, then employers that are registered can search through a sites database
of CV’s. This means that they can invite any registered job seeker
to apply.
Some sites will even
search on the behalf of advertisers to find relevant CV’s. This
means that you may get invitations to apply for relevant jobs even if
you are not actively searching for them.
If you
wish for this not to happen, you can normally request privacy
for your details as set out in the Data Protection Act.
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