Tips for Looking for a Job Online

10 TIPS TO LOOKING FOR JOBS ONLINE

 

Along with all things, how we look for jobs is changing rapidly every year, and in just the last 10-15 years the recruitment industry has moved almost completely from advertising in newspapers and receiving paper (fax, posted or delivered CV’s), to advertising electronically and receiving digital CV’s either via email or uploaded onto websites.  The industry is changing so rapidly, that a lot of schools have no even started teaching school leavers about job portals, and if you are new to the job market after being away for a while, you may find it quite daunting!

Hopefully, these tips will help you navigate looking for a job on line a little easier.

  1. Be careful who you ask for advice

Everyone is an expert!  Everyone likes to tell you what you are doing wrong, and what you can change (even if it does not need to be changed).  You can ask parents and grandparents for assistance and guidance in your education, maybe dealing with your boss and how to resign.  But when it comes to preparing a CV or posting your applications online, unless they currently are responsible for recruiting staff, they may not be the experts to turn to.

  1. Use reputable websites or job portals

There are a lot of job portals out there that take adverts off other websites, and place it on their websites to drive clicks/ traffic to their websites.  These are not the websites that you want to be visiting because often the jobs you are viewing are outdated or invalid.  You want to be using websites where the advertiser placed the job themselves, has the correct email address for responses and a deadline for the advert.  RESOURCE recruitment always keeps their jobs updated at https://2r.co.za/category/vacancies/ .  Other good websites to keep an eye on are Pnet, Careers24, Career Junction, IOL and Gumtree.

  1. Make sure the KEY WORDS are in your CV.

When I search for a suitable applicant among CV’s, I use “Key Words” to find applicants with the required skills.  This means that if those skills (key words) are not on your CV, you never did it (even if you did), and you won’t be short listed.  Keywords would be, depending on the job requirements, things like- Pastel, Syspro, reconciliation, VAT, balance sheet reconciliations, statutory returns, payroll and Forex for a bookkeeping position; or litigation, conveyancing, Dictaphone typing, minute taking and paralegal for a legal secretary position.  Think about what job or industry you are wanting to get into, and then make sure these words appear on your CV

  1. Avoid abbreviations

Don’t assume that the person reading your CV will know your industry abbreviations and lingo.

  1. Fill out the registration form in full

I know that it is time consuming to do this when it is all on your CV, and you have probably filled out a hundred forms similar to do this before, but it is important.  Remember, “If it’s not on your CV you never did it”, so “If it’s not on the application form, you also never did it!”  (If the company then sends you another application form to fill out, you need to complete this form too.)  Recruiters are going through literally hundreds of applicants, 80% of which are totally unsuitable, and these application forms from the companies are created to streamline the short listing process.

  1. Keep your CV Updated

This is normally the main reason that the most suitable applicants are NOT short listed.  Their CV is not updated to show their latest experience; that they now live in the specified area; that they now have a car; that they have completed a qualification; or that they are available immediately.

  1. Put your email address on your CV

It stands to reason that if you are applying for a job online, you should have your email address on your CV in addition to your phone numbers.  And don’t forget to check that email address daily!  If your CV is forwarded to someone else in the company, saved or printed- it may be separated from your original email.  (And we should not have to say it- but remember your phone number too!)

  1. Social Media Accounts

If you are applying online, chances are that the recruiter will google you, or more accurately- Facebook- stalk you!  If you have not put your privacy settings on your social media accounts, you are inviting them into your personal lives.  Do you want to be judged on your political views and what you did last Saturday night; or that you are home from work again with a sick baby; or that all your posts are made during business hours?

LinkedIn is huge internationally, but it seems to be gaining popularity now in South Africa.  This is the “professional” version of Face Book.  This is the face you present to future employers and network.

  1. Get your CV out there

Looking for a job is a “stats game”.  The more people who have your CV, the sooner you will find something.  The more portals your CV is on, the more companies will view your CV.  The quicker you reply to emails requesting information or interviews, the more interviews you will attend.

  1. Keep your Account Current

The final tip is to keep your profile current on the portal.  Each month, go in and edit something.  It’s not important what you edit.  When I am searching for applicants, those that were active most recently will appear first, and those that were last active six months ago, I probably wont look at because, chances are, they have found something.  The job portal does not show when you registered, it shows when you were last active.

 

 

 

What do you want to Become?

“Now I think it’s one of the most unless questions an adult can ask a child-What do you want to become when you grow up? As if growing up is finite. As if at some point you 
become something and that’s the end.”
Michelle Obama, Becoming

 

I interview 18-25 years olds all the time, and few know where they fit in this world.  Many feel ashamed and are apologetic when they cannot tell us what job they want.  For their whole schooling they have been told what to do, when to do it and how to do it; and then suddenly they are supposed to know what to do with the rest of their lives.  Few adults share with them that they are not in the fields today, that they thought they would be in when they entered the job market.  To make matters worse, the façade their peers present on social media is that they have it all figured out already.  The pressure to go out there, find a career and make their parents proud, and still fit into your new world, is unfair and cruel.

 

You are not expected to know what you want to do with the rest of your life TODAY!

 

When I was 20, I was told the careers that would exist in 20 years’ time, had not even been thought of.  Little did I know the rapid developments that would take place due to the growth in technology.

*Cell phones as we know when were not freely available 25 years ago.

*Google was founded 20 years ago, in 1998.

*WhatsApp was only founded 10 years ago in 2009.

(Take a moment to think about how different your job would be without Google and a cell phone!)

 

Twenty years ago no one was recruiting for e-Marketing Managers, SEO Specialists, Bloggers, Communication Listeners, Big Data Specialists, Data Miners,  Cloud Engineers, etc.  Management was all about how to manage the “millennial”, and now they are the “leaders”!

 

The talk now is all about A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) and how computers and robots will start taking our jobs!  And again, its hard to get out minds around it, but in some form or another, it’s happening.  Generation Z are entering their working world, with their own set of management issues, and changing the way we advertise and run our businesses.  Fewer Generation Z ( born after 1995) will go into formal tertiary education, when they can learn via correspondence and teach themselves off YouTube, which will have a further impact on the expectations of employers.

 

And in the middle of all this uncertainty and change, school leavers and graduates are expected to enter the working world and be a success… yet we don’t tell them we are not 100% sure what that looks like!

 

So, as a Recruitment Manager, what advice do I give these 18-25 year olds entering the working world?

 

RESOURCE recruitment is passionate about working with young adults- mentoring and grooming them, supporting them, and giving them a few reality checks from time to time, as well!

 

The first thing that we do in the interview, is break the myth that they need to know the “job title” that they are applying for.  Gen Z are the generation best equipped to learn and grow on the job, with their ability to multitask and learn online.  What companies are looking for today, are people who want to work; are bright and proactive; who go the extra mile.  The old saying “Employ for Attitude, Train for Skill” has never been more applicable.

 

But that does not answer the questions of what job you should be applying for.  This is where those job seekers that have worked part time; had hobbies they were passionate about; or who got involved in extracurricular activities at school/ tertiary education, will have an advantage.  Get a pen and paper and make a list about what you liked and disliked (write it down!), where you excelled and where you battled.  Think of times you shone and were praised, and why.  Dealing with customer service, client relationships and complaints is basically the same as a waitress or in a trainee sales coordination role.  Taking photos of sports at school/ fashion, and managing a social media page, is not vastly different from doing the same for an events company.  Loving studying, making study notes, making your own notes from lectures (that your friends all asked for copies of), shows an organized and systematic mind that will be great in an administration role.

 

Above all things, be open to all opportunities.  If you think that it may interest you, apply for the job.  If you are offered an interview, go for it.  It’s an opportunity to learn about different jobs.  And if you are offered the job, and it ticks 75% of the boxes, go for it!  Give it all you have, and give it at least 3-6 months.

 

Your first few jobs will probably not be glamorous or exciting.  They are your first jobs after all.  What will make them glamorous and exciting, is YOU.  Volunteer to get involved in projects, assist where you see gaps, ask questions and keep positive, take pride in your work.  One of the biggest weaknesses of Gen Z’s is their lack of focus (due to living in such a fast paced, technology driven world), which often looks like laziness or lack of work ethic.  So put your phone away, literally put a bounce in your step and a smile on your face, and know that you still have a lot of learn, and all good things take time.

 

Good luck, and know that this is just the start of your career, not the end.  No one has any idea what the end looks like.  The only thing that you have to have figured out today, is your work ethic and attitude!  If you take the first step forward, life has a way of taking you where you need to be.  If you sit at home waiting for life to happen, or expect friends and family to find your a job, you won’t go anywhere fast!