Essential Tools for an Effective Job Search
Last updated July 7, 2021
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Regardless of the situation on the job market, a job search may feel like a job itself.
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With dozens of job boards to search through, companies to follow, emails and messages to manage and loads of information to track – searching for a job in the digital era is not exactly a walk in the park.
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More than ever, you need the right job search tools to accelerate the online job search, automate repetitive activities, focus on high-value opportunities, and manage the whole workflow. In fact, staying on top of the job searching activities is key to staying ahead of the curve and finding a new job efficiently and with ease.
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Staying on top of your job search is key to staying ahead of the
curve and finding a new job efficiently and with ease.
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Thankfully, there are job search websites, apps and other digital resources that can help you organize your job search and land the job of your dreams quickly.
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The overview includes five essential job search tools:
2. Job Search Trackers and Planners
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Read on to learn about tools every job seeker should know about.
Based on research conducted from June to July 2021. The data is from the time of article finalization and is subject to change.
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Job Search Engines
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Instead of going through dozens of different job boards each day, look for and subscribe to job search engines--alternatively called job board aggregators.
They will do the heavy lifting for you by compiling all job ads from various sites and hundreds of companies in one place, leaving you with only their site to look through when searching for new job opportunities.
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​If you don’t want to drown in information, notifications and job alerts from dozens of websites while going through the job search process, job search engines are your go-to place.
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Besides the classics such as Indeed and LinkedIn, check out these job search websites:
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StartWire™ is created by a team of recruiting industry veterans, job search experts, world-class technologists, and forward-thinking investors with a mission to radically improve job search.
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With millions of active job postings, they are America’s number one job search organizer that helps you stay on track with all your job applications.
A great thing about StartWire is that they can provide automatic status updates on your applications from over 10,000 employers.
With their solution, you’ll no longer feel like your resume is going into the resume black hole after submitting dozens of job applications and never hearing back from employers.
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Careerjet is another job search engine designed to make the process of finding a job on the Internet much easier.
With their fast and straightforward interface, you can query their database and save yourself the trouble of visiting each site individually.
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An impressive fact about CareerJet is that they scan over 58,000 websites each day – from job boards to recruitment websites – covering over 90 countries and 28 languages.
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Job Search Trackers and Planners
Designed by pch.vector / Freepik
The key component of an effective job search strategy is to keep track of your efforts – especially if you are applying to similar jobs every day.
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The result of not keeping a record can get embarrassing when you re-apply for the same job you’ve already been rejected for, when you mix up contact details or when they call you, and you have no idea who the company is or which job you’ve applied for.
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None of this will impress potential employers.
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So, to maximize your efforts and increase your chances of success, stay on top of your job search with trackers and planners tailored to the job-hunting process.
RbyR Job Search Planner (coming soon)
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Your job search could involve dozens or even hundreds of contacts and potential opportunities. To ensure you are making progress, you need to organize this information.
To help you save time and jump-start your job search, we’re developing a job search planner. It will come in two versions – as an Excel spreadsheet and in printable PDF files.
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With this planner, you will be able to track all your applications, contacts and interviews in one place.
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If you prefer a digital solution to track your job search but want to avoid spending a lot of time formatting self-created Google Sheets or other files, you should check Huntr.
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Huntr is a website and Chrome extension that keeps track of every detail about your job opportunities regardless of where you found them.
It’s like your own job search personal assistant as it automatically tracks contacts, notes, dates, tasks, job descriptions, salaries, locations, company data, and so much more.
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Resume Review Tools
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None of the job applications you had submitted will achieve the desired effect and land you an interview if you are not applying with a high-quality, tailored and ATS-optimized resume.
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Read the complete guide on ATS-friendly resumes.
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To create such a resume, you need to understand the job requirements for each role you are considering, and accurately identify keywords and incorporate them into descriptions of your work experience and skills.
Anyone who had ever applied for 10+ jobs in a short period of time knows this is neither easy nor fast.
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Luckily, some websites offer you automatic but potentially crucial feedback on your resume.
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Jobscan gives you an instant analysis of how well your resume is tailored for a particular job and how it can be even better optimized for an ATS. It helps you optimize your resume against any job description and make yourself a top candidate.
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Besides being useful, the best part of it is that it’s incredibly easy to use.
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Simply upload your resume or paste the text from your resume into one field, then copy-and-paste the text from the job posting into the other field, click Scan and revisit your resume based on its suggestions.
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Improve your resume bullet points with ResyBullet – a resume bullet analyzer.
Bullet points play a key role in the success of a resume. This tool actually teaches you how to write resume bullet points that grab attention.
Just copy your bullet from your resume, and you’ll get it a score based on multiple metrics, including Bullet Anatomy (Types of words), Bullet Length (How many words) and Skim Test (What do readers see).
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A note on resume review tools
Resume review tools are comparing job descriptions with your content.
To ensure that there is a good match between the two, a resume should be 100% accurate and typo-free. Use Grammarly, a free proofreading tool to spot and fix any typos and mistakes that could cost you the job.
Use resume review tools as a starting point when re-writing your resume, as their results will help you identify key things that need to be improved.
But don’t spend too much time trying to achieve a perfect score in these tools.
After all, your resume will be read by a human - so it needs to be optimized for people too, not only for bots. As great as these tools are, they are not a replacement for trained and experienced professionals.
Writers and coaches can help you gain insights that you can’t get on our own or even with AI help. If you'd like to hire a professional writer to help you with your resume, find one on our list of best resume writing services.
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Essential Job Search Tools Recap
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Staying organized in a job search is a key to success. Various websites, apps and other digital resources can help you optimize your job search, organize your job applications and land the job of your dreams quickly, including:
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1. Job board aggregators such as StartWire and CareerJet
2. Job search trackers and planners as Huntr
3. Resume review tools such as Jobscan, ResyBullet and proofreading tool Grammarly
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Use these online resources avoid unnecessary steps and stress, save time and accelerate your job search.
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