Job hunting can be highly challenging as there are so many different jobs out there. If you went onto a job site and typed in the name of a job, you’d likely get hundreds, possibly even thousands, of results.
Sifting through these results is tiring as many of them are irrelevant to you. So, you can address this by using filters. It sounds obvious, but many job hunters either neglect filters or don’t use them correctly. Follow this guide if you want to shorten your job search and only look at the most relevant job offers for you.
Always search by location
To begin, make sure you set the filter to find jobs by location. Then, you can usually add in some extra parameters to this filter. Most notably, you set a maximum distance from your chosen location. Thus, you are now searching for jobs in a very specific area. Instantly, you cancel out all the job offers in places that are too far from where you live. There’s nothing more frustrating than finding the dream offer, only to realise it’s 100 miles away!
Choose your sector
When you run a search, most websites have an option to select the sector you’re looking at. This can be administration, finance, teaching, etc. For some roles, you will see they span different sectors. An office assistant is a prime example. You could be an assistant in a finance company, a marketing company; you name it. Choosing the sector is helpful if you have a dream career to pursue. For example, you want to become a marketing director. In this case, it makes more sense to start off with an admin role in the marketing sector to gain the relevant experience. Also, things like apprenticeships or voluntary work are also included under this filter.
Job/contract type
Next, be sure to filter out the job/contract types that don’t appeal to you. Looking for full-time work? Then filter out any part-time contracts. Want to be self-employed or work from home? Make sure that’s the filter you select. This also applies to permanent or temporary jobs – be sure to choose a type that aligns with your personal requirements.
Salary expectations
Lastly, you need to filter out jobs that are below your salary expectations. Some of you may not have any expectations, and that’s fine, you can skip this. But, if you are looking to switch jobs specifically for a better salary, then this is a crucial step. You can select salary brackets on most job websites, and this can be an annual salary or an hourly rate. This is also a great filter to compare similar job posts and see which one offers an overall better package for you.
Of course, these filters are most effective when paired with keywords. Try and be specific when searching for jobs. In doing so, you can take a search with one thousand results and whittle it down to a mere handful of jobs. You still have plenty to choose from, but it’s easier to look through them all. Plus, it’s less likely that your dream job will slip through your fingers or be lost amongst the sea of irrelevant job postings.
What is the best way you have found to search for jobs? Share in the comments below.
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