Ten Tips for Using Technology in Your Job Search to Land Faster

Last week I led a presentation at the World of Working Women Employment Conference & Job Fair in New York City and discussed methods for leveraging technology to improve the quality of your job search.

Job Board Tips

1. Use aggregate boards to save time and build efficiencies into your search. Rather than spending time searching multiple job boards, use an aggregate board such as Indeed or Simply Hired. These aggregate boards pull information from multiple boards and allow you to search from one location in real time based on your specific search parameters.
2. Use niche boards to source jobs specific to your skills and expertise. Rather than spending time on a big board like Monster or CareerBuilder, source some niche boards that specifically recruit for your industry or job function. There may be less competition on a specialized board. Examples of specialized boards are eFinancialCareers and Med Reps (for medical sales jobs).
3. Set up job board alerts to automate job search and reduce time spent on certain tasks. You can customize the information on the types of postings you are interested in receiving by job function, industry, location, and skills.

1. Add keywords to resumes to make it easier to be found by employers. Many employers use applicant tracking software to source candidates. By adding keywords to your resume that indicate your functional and technical skills, you can increase the chances of being found.
2. Format your resume so an ATS system can read it. Be sure to place your dates of employment to the right of the company name and create clear category headings on the resume such as professional experience and education to ensure that if a software is scanning your resume it can find the information it needs.
3. Create a text version of your resume to upload to job boards. Save the resume as a text only document and clean up the formatting to create a presentable text version. Learn how to create a text document here.

1. Reach out to connections via LinkedIn and Facebook. Most people get their jobs through people they know. Tools like LinkedIn and Facebook help facilitate relationship building.
2. Improve your online presence via Google+, BrandYourself and ZoomInfo. Most hiring managers and recruiters will do an online search of candidates before calling them in for an interview. By creating a professional profile on these sites you increase the likelihood of being found online, elevate your professional positioning, and potentially improve your chances of being called in for an interview.
3. Use tools such as Jigsaw, Glassdoor, and Vault to research companies and people in companies. These tools offer great competitive intelligence about industries, companies, decision makers, corporate culture, and potential job opportunities.
4. Take advantage of free company databases at your local library. Many libraries have subscriptions to proprietary databases that patrons can use to create targeted lists of employers and key decision makers. This can be a great way to source contacts, turn cold leads into warm ones, or improve your networking efforts.