Are Search Engines Effective for Job Seekers

Looking for a job can be tricky, particularly when moving to a new location. After all, where is a job seeker to start? While there are many great job boards out there, it can take a bit of trial and error to find the ones that are right for you, which is why a useful tool to use initially is the trusty old search engine.

Though the terms ‘search engine’ and ‘job board’ are often used interchangeably in articles about job hunting, there are marked differences between the two. For example, search engines cast a net over the web and rely on an algorithm to provide relevant results, bringing you job postings from multiple sources. Whereas job boards are usually paid a fee by employers to have their vacancies listed on them, and positions can be applied for directly through the job board without the need to sign up to other websites (which can often happen when job hunting through search engines).

There are both advantages and disadvantages to using a search engine over directly accessing a job board. In terms of advantages, a search engine’s range is considerably wider. It scours the net and pulls up all results containing the relevant search terms, including those from employer websites and public job boards, making it a potential one stop shop for all your job seeking needs. However, this can also be a major disadvantage, as search engines often pull up out-of-date and irrelevant results.

One way to get around this is to make your search terms very specific. I’ll use Google as an example: Say I’m looking for an English-speaking Communications job in Amsterdam – if I type ‘Amsterdam job Communications’ into the search bar, it comes back with over 1.5 million results. Unless I want to spend the better part of my life going through these to find something relevant, I’m going to have to filter it down a little. To do this, I can go into Advanced Search (found underneath the Settings tab) and specify the exact words I want to use in my search, as well as filter out results by language and date. After doing so, I’m down to forty-two results, which I think we can all agree is much more manageable.

Aside from the usual search engines we all know and love (or love to hate), such as Google, Yahoo and Bing, there are also search engines out there designed specifically for job hunting. This includes Indeed, which trawls through postings from other job sites such as Monster and CareerBuilder to provide more accurate results. It also allows you to narrow results by the date listed, city, type of employment (full-time, part-time etc.) and, in their advanced search option, whether you want to see postings from job boards or only employer sites.

Job seeking can be a daunting task, but by strategically using all tools at your disposal, including search engines (both generic and job specific), you can maximise the chances of snagging your dream position.

Happy hunting! 

By  Kaylia payne