As internet invaded our homes and lives, many things have changed in the way we live, work and entertain. One of the effective changes and should we say, a blessed change that internet has brought into our life is how it helps our job search.
Today, just at the click of a button, one can get information to millions of job opportunities the world over.
Internet helps in lot many ways, from getting you information to helping your get to the right employers, assisting you to do a background check and so on.
Advantages of using Internet Job Search:
1. Gets you wide job listings:
You hardly get few job listings in traditional classifieds. But on internet, you can get thousands of job listings. You can even find allied jobs just at the click of a button.
Be it local jobs, national level jobs or international jobs that you are looking for, you will get all kinds of job vacancies on the internet.
All you have to do is just go through the list and shortlist where you wish to apply.
2. The helping hand of social media:
A fair percentage of world population is on social media. Though you must have joined social media to connect with friends or to just use it as a platform to share news, these media can be of a great help in job search.
While a site such as LinkedIn is purely to help people land jobs, you can even use the platform to ‘market’ you and connect with industry people.
Site like Twitter can also be used to follow recruiters and industry and you can get news of job vacancies on twitter as soon as there is one.
Through Facebook, one can even have access to the Facebook pages of recruiters and companies, who regularly put up posts on job opportunities on their pages.
3. Niche sites help you focus:
Though there are umpteen job sites that give you a list of varied jobs across industries, sectors, regions and so on, there are also niche websites that give you job information in a specific field.
For example, if you are looking for a government job, there are sites that only list such jobs or if you are looking for a writer’s job, you will find such sites that only list jobs in this sector.
Thus internet also helps you focus so that you do not feel lost in the cloud of data.
4. Get detailed information about employers:
Today, every 9 out of 10 companies have their own websites, where they put up detailed information on their history, projects, their overseas presence, number and nature of employees, board of directors, trustees and advisors if any, their growth, their future plans and even balance sheets in some cases.
This helps you gather detailed information about the company which in turn helps you narrow down your list. Such information is a great help to find if it is an employer worth applying for.
5. Find the ideal pay for the job you are applying for:
No matter what is the job you are applying for, be it as a fresh candidate or as an experienced one, it is important to know what the current market pay for the job is.
In the case of a new candidate, the pay information helps him to quote a reasonable amount and he can prevent a situation of being duped.
An experienced candidate can quote a reasonable amount before his interviewers which can get him what he is worth for.
When he quotes the apt price, his employers will also know that he has done his research well. There are many sites which give information on salary trends in different industries.
6. Internet helps in great resume presentation:
The basic rule in job search that you need to understand is that job search is not just about finding a job that suits your interests, but it is also about telling your prospective employers that of the all who have applied for the job, you are the most suitable one.
How do you do that? Through your resume, of course. On the internet, you will find many sites which allow you to showcase your resume in the most professional way.
Video resumes are very popular now and you can create one and upload on video sharing websites.
7. Smart phone joins in:
Smart phones are in vogue all around. There is another advantage to these phones which also have net connection.
You can check your mail ids on the phone and can also have mailer alerts on your phone,that means if there is a reply about a job on any mail, you will get an alert in your phone.
That means you can reply to such mails asap and you are always logged on.
8. Internet can be made to work as per your convenience:
With internet, there are no fixed timings that you have to adhere to, for a job search. You can develop your own schedule and devote any time of the day for job search.
That lets off some pressure from your head, doesn’t it?
9. Opens up a new avenues:
Internet can be of great help when it comes to bringing before you a lot of career avenues and opportunities you might not have even heard of.
For example, if you are looking for jobs as an office administrator, internet will bring before you hundreds of other jobs that you can apply for with the skills that you presently have.
Thus internet gives you unlimited freedom and choices when it comes to job search.
10. Internet is a great medium for great networking:
As a human being, there is a limit to establishing a network offline. But with internet, you can create a wide range of network.
This network will be of great help in your job search. You can join like-minded groups, get newsletters from different companies informing about job vacancies and so on.
11. Internet gets you more resources, not just job sites:
It isn’t just job sites that you can rely on during job search on the internet but there are also discussion groups, forums, social media and so on, that you can join to get various information about jobs and related fields.
These forums can also get you feedback or actual experience of candidates who have applied or have worked in the company where you have applied. You can also get many ideas and tips from the users.
12. Your online diary can also be of much help while using internet for job search:
The blogs that you maintain where you feel free to post write ups or musings can actually help you land a job.
You can even maintain a separate blog to help you in job search. These sites also have sections like ‘My Profile’ or ‘About Me’ where a recruiter gets to know more information about a candidate.
13. With internet, job search is fast and quick and requires much less time:
As opposed to offline job searches, online job search is rather quick and easy. You sit in the confines of your home and just devote a little time for job search online. You spent less time but you get more results.
Thus, much of your time and other resources are saved while you use internet for job search.
14. Less pressure, so more confidence:
When you use internet for job search, your initial interaction with your potential employers is just online.
That means you face less pressure and you can be more confident and calm as compared to a face-to-face interaction.
15. Bank it on:
On the internet, you will also find resume banks where you can put up your resume online. Many recruiters and employers scan these sites to get suitable candidates.
Such sites make your job search rather easier because you do not have to do much. All you have to do is deposit your resume on these sites and wait for that call.
16. Internet helps you to polish yourself:
Whether it is about your resume, cover letter or your interviewing skills, internet can serve as a guide, philosopher, teacher or a friend so that you can brush them up.
While there are many professional sites that offer you a professional resume writer in return for a fee, there are also sites that give you tips on how to present your resume more professionally or give you free tutorial on how to write a cover letter.
You will also find many resources on how to prepare for interviews, suitable clothes and grooming and so on.
These tips will definitely help you polish your appearance, your interviewing skills, your resume and prepare you in such a way that you will be one of the noteworthy candidates among the many.
Conclusion:
Internet job search is no doubt, much easier and more convenient for looking out for suitable jobs.
Internet is just like a huge fruit orchard, offering you all types of fruits, most of them may be good but some might be spoiled and unsuitable for consumption.
It is you who have to take suitable decision after a good research and thought. The above steps give you a good idea about how you can use internet to your advantage to search for jobs and find the one that you deserve.
