Obviously a lot of job hunting these days will need to be done online.  Even for employers who place a classified ad in a newspaper, the paper will probably post the ad on their website as well as in print.  So using job search sites is imperative for anyone out of work today, but when looking for an opening, there are many tools available to you on those sites above and beyond the actual job listings.  Understanding what’s being offered on those job search sites and learning to use them to their maximum potential is going to help anyone looking for a job.

Many job search sites offer much more than job postings.  Most contain helpful articles full of tips for job seekers, with subjects ranging from how to update your resume to questions you might face in today’s interviews, cities that are showing economic growth, and how to handle a job relocation to another city or state.  When you find job search sites that offer these types of helpful articles, remember to linger for some time and really browse those articles, taking your time to read through everything you can.  You might assume that you’re ready to start interviewing but then learn from what you read on those job search sites that today’s questions are not at all like questions you’ve faced before.  You might also find out that your resume is out of date or missing information that employers today are looking for.  Take your time and linger when reading through these articles and try to absorb as much information as you can.

Remember too that when you’re looking for jobs through these job search sites that you should consider a different line of work than just what you’ve been doing for so long.  You might find that your degree in accounting can help you land a payroll or purchasing job, or that your clerical skills can work well in human resources.  If you take your time to read through the different postings on those job search sites and really consider the descriptions, you may find that you have many more opportunities available to you than you ever imagined.  Of course you won’t realize this unless you actually read those ads, so take your time when skimming through them!

There are many job search sites you can try above and beyond monster.com and hotjobs.com.  More and more job boards are showing up on the internet every single day, and some are very industry specific.  When doing an online search for job search sites be sure to use a descriptive word for your industry, such as “accounting jobs” or “nursing jobs” rather than just looking for “jobs.”  This way you may find some websites you hadn’t imagined and may also come across some openings that other candidates have never heard about.  As with any other internet search you do, the key is to take your time and be prepared for some serious browsing.