Two of the Most Common Job Search Techniques and How to Get the Most Out of Them

There are many different job search techniques and when you are applying for jobs, you have to choose a strategy which is going to work for you. This will vary according to the type of job you are looking for and the amount of experience you already have, as well as your skills and qualifications.

Newspapers and Journals

The most common way to look for work is to read the classified ads in your local or national newspapers. This is not necessarily the most effective way to find a job, but it is still widely used by employers as a method of recruitment. So it is a good place to start, especially if you don't have much experience or many contacts.

It is important that you know which days jobs are advertised in each paper. Some will have general vacancies several days a week and others will have sections on specific days for different sectors. For example, education, IT and media may all be on different days. Some newspapers will also have graduate sections. So the first step is to find out what is advertised when and in which publication.

There will also be specialist journals for different industries and you should find out which relate to your field of interest.

To benefit most from this technique, you should make a list of when and where relevant jobs will be advertised and set aside time to respond immediately. Some advertisers will want to speak to you as soon as possible, others will require a resume or application form before any face to face contact is made.

You will need to set aside time every week for the more complex applications and give yourself time to do thorough background research on the company and industry.

You should prepare a generic resume and cover letter in advance and be ready to tailor these to specific jobs as soon as the ads appear.

Always make sure you have made a note of the closing date for applications. It can be very disheartening to spend hours on an application only to find you have missed the deadline, which can easily happen if you are working on multiple applications at one time.

Agencies

Recruitment agencies are another good place to look for work. Some operate a general service, covering many different sectors and jobs, while others specialized in one particular area of work. The advantage of agencies is that they can screen jobs for you and send your resume in response to suitable vacancies.

However, it is important that you discuss your requirements in detail with the agency so that your details are going to the right employers. You should also check in frequently to see if they are finding vacancies and submitting your details.

It is also a good idea to try several agencies and then settle with one or two which have the best vacancies and are making a strong effort to find you work.

Making the best use of any job search strategies requires good organization and planning your time carefully.