Streamlining your job search

By: Justin Kwan

How to Use Job Alerts to Streamline Your Job Search

In today’s competitive job market, staying updated with the latest openings is crucial to the success of your job search. Even if you find your dream job though hours of scrolling, there may already be hundreds of applicants who have already applied before you.? And you ask yourself, how are other people getting to new job openings before you do and how do they apply within hours of a new job listing being posted?

One efficient way to keep on top of job opportunities is by setting up job alerts.

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What are Job Alerts?

Job alerts are notifications that you would set up to send you an email or through job search applications when new jobs that match your specified criteria become available. They are powerful tools to automate part of your job search process and giving up the most up to date information regarding new job postings.

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The Benefits Job Alerts

Saves Time: Instead of having to manually search for new job postings across multiple sites every day, you receive a curated list of opportunities directly sent to you. ?Depending on how specific you are when setting your search alert criteria, you would get a niche list of results that closely match what you are looking for, or you can keep it broad and have a wider range of job opportunities presented to you.

Keeps You Informed: Staying update to date with the latest job openings can give you insights into market trends, such as which skills are in demand, particular experience that companies are in search of, or certifications that are required in your line of work.? With this information, you can decide whether you need to further your education or getting additional certification would be beneficial for your career in that field.

Increase Your Chances: Job Alerts can be set as frequently as daily updates where you would be notified each day of the latest job openings available. The sooner you can find out about a new job posting, the earlier you will be able to apply to that position.? Sometimes, one job posting can get hundreds or thousands of applicants and it does help to be at the top of the list than to be at the bottom of that list.? Employers have the most attention span review the first set of resumes and do experience fatigue as the more resumes they see.

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Setting Up Effective Job Alerts

Websites like Indeed, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor offer robust job alert systems that can be tailored to your needs. They send job alerts daily and can integrate into a routine easily.

Use a combination of broad and specific search terms to narrow down your search.? You can specify by industry or job title or location or skills.? Examples of broad terms are ‘sales’, ‘marketing’, ‘customer service’, ‘engineer’, etc.? Examples of more specific search terms include ‘python software development’, ‘digital marketing specialist’, ‘AutoCAD’, ‘bridge construction’, etc.? Specificity helps filter out irrelevant listings and broad terms will capture anything and everything.? You want to find a balance such that you get search results that match what you’re looking for, but not too narrow that you’re not getting any or few listings only.

Over the years, each platform has refined their search engines and has improved the user experience greatly.? Now, there are many filters to choose from to really define your search.? Some examples of filters include company type, company size, experience level, pay range, job type, in-office / hybrid / remote work, etc.

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Managing Your Job Alerts

Organization:? Having job alerts alone is not enough if it’s scattered information that you cannot manage.? Create a dedicated folder in your email for job alerts to keep them organized and easy to access. This prevents your main inbox from becoming cluttered and helps you focus on your job search without missing any important emails in the sea of alerts.

Regularly Update Your Criteria: As your job search evolves, so should your job alerts. Make sure you update the criteria of your job alerts based on market trends and your career priorities. This ensures that you are always getting the most relevant alerts. If you do not like the alerts you’ve set up, consider doing another manual search through various platforms and if you like the results better, set an alert from your new search to ensure you will see similar postings going forward.

Use Multiple Sources: Don’t rely on just one platform for your job alerts. Different job boards may list different opportunities, and companies sometimes choose exclusive platforms to post their jobs.

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Conclusion

Setting up job alerts is an effective step in a strategic job search. By automating part of the process, you can devote more time towards preparing for interviews and doing other productive things. With job alerts, you’re always ready to jump on the next great opportunity the moment it arises. Not only will it optimize your efforts, but it will also keep you a step ahead in the dynamic job market.

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Contact us?today to speak with one of our Recruitment Specialists and let us help you find new opportunities for the next step in your career!

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Link to original Article https://www.expandreach.ca/2024/05/16/streamlining-your-job-search/