Thousands of job search sites could equal thousands of hours seemingly wasted online.
Job-seekers should take advantage of the vast amount of information on the web to research opportunities and gain valuable information.
“There’s a lot of good information on the web; I think of that as first line … to gather basic information,” said Vaughn Worthen, Career Services director.
Job-seekers have an array of avenues to search for careers and can quickly become inundated without a focused search. Students can simplify their search and make the Internet work for them by utilizing these top career websites.
LinkedIn is the Facebook of the career world. Making connections on LinkedIn is a way to build an online network and increase visibility to employers and recruiters.
Gone are the days of anonymity when applying. Employers can and will Google an applicants’s name. A personalized LinkedIn page with a professional picture will boost a job-seeker’s chances.
People endorse others based on their job skills, allowing them to increase their marketability. There are over 130,000 BYU alumni on LinkedIn who can be narrowed down by career and location. Worthen encourages students to connect with these professionals.
Indeed
Indeed gathers posting from job boards, newspapers, niche sites and corporate sites, making it simple for job-seekers to get a vast search to meet their needs.
“Every student should at least look at Indeed,” Mckenzie Lawyer Davies, career counselor said. “It synthesizes all online job searching, but it’s only one place to look.”
A recent Harris poll, a popular public opinion survey, showed Indeed ranking as the number-one Online Job Search Brand of the Year. It is based on three factors: familiarity, quality and consideration. By signing up to receive job alerts by email, job-seekers can save valuable time.
CareerBuilder
CareerBuilder is similar to Indeed. It combines job postings from around the web, making it easy to get a wide range of possibilities. It ranked second in the Harris poll. In addition to job postings and recommendations, it offers resources such as a salary calculator, résumé help and career tests. It focuses on “matching the right talent with the right opportunity.” CareerBuilder boasts 24 million unique visitors each month.
Internships.com
Internships.com is the world’s largest internship marketplace, making it a top stop for students. Internships come with the possibility of a full-time job offer as well as offering invaluable experience. This site offers around 80,000 postings. The connections feature connects to Facebook to see if the job-seeker has any friends connected to a company could give them a referral.
Idealist
Idealist is for the job-seekers who are interested in making an impact on the world through nonprofit organizations. The postings include those for full-time, part-time and volunteer work or internships. The site offers blogs of “idealists in action,” giving people real-world examples of those who are making a difference.
Although job sites are valuable resources, most say only about 10 percent of a job-seeker’s time should be spent online. The next step is to reach out to employers and continually network.
“Students need to reach out and make sure their résumé is working for them,” Davies said. “It’s a great place to start, but it is literally the tip of the iceberg.”
