Five Reasons to Use the Internet for a Job Search

With the Internet, you can find better jobs faster and more easily.

While scouring the classified ads in the newspaper might be the stereotypical picture of a person looking for work, the reality is that most people employ their computer in some fashion to help them find a job. Online resources and tools can make your job search faster, more efficient and, most importantly, more effective.

Expanded Options

No matter how diligently you scour the classified ads in a range of local and national newspapers and trade journals, no medium presents more options for employment than the Internet. Not only does the Internet return more results for traditional job advertisements, but some companies only post jobs to their websites or job sites online.

Better Information

The Internet provides companies with unlimited space to advertise a job and unprecedented ease of access to that information. This makes it far easier for job candidates to not only find a job, but find the right job. Traditional classified ads and physical job bulletin boards find their space limited or are charged for how much space they use when advertising. That can lead to vague job ads heavy on promotional taglines and ad speak, rather than concrete information about what skills a job candidate needs to apply or what duties the job entails.

Targeted Searches

Online outlets and Internet job boards such as Monster.com give users powerful search tools to target which jobs they want, which salaries they desire and even which companies they would like to work for. Instead of scouring print advertisements or calling up companies to see if they're hiring, job candidates can find jobs in which they are interested, filter out the rest and start sending in applications quicker.

Networking

The Internet also provides significant benefits for those networking with others to solicit jobs. Networking can be a great way to develop connections in your industry, then broach the question of employment. Websites like Facebook.com and LinkedIn.com can be used to great effect to connect with professionals across the globe and expand your job opportunities.

Self-assessment and Considering Alternatives

Part of your job search involves assessing your skills, interests and your career direction. If you want to consider options outside of your current career or see what new jobs are available that you might not have considered, the Internet is the place to do it. Various online tools exist that you can use to assess your skills and interests, find jobs that fit those interests and start contacting employers in those fields. For example, the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Adminstration sponsors the O*Net Interest Profiler, which allows job seekers to identify their strong points -- for example, strong social skills or strong artistic skills -- that they should utilize in their jobs.

References

• Riley Guide: How to Use the Internet in Your Job Search
• University of Wisconsin; Job Hunting on the Internet; Barbara Lazewski; April 7, 2011

Resources

• My Next Move: O*Net Interest Profiler