5 Simple Job Search Tips People Always Forget

08th October 2020


The job search is now more competitive than ever, we’ve taken the lead from our team of experts to help you figure out what you can do to optimise your job search with some expert advice. Knowing what you’re doing when you embark upon your job search is half the battle, don’t forget these 5 key top tips which are often overlooked. 


Keywords & Industry Terms

Understanding the language of your industry will greatly improve your searches and results. Keep at the forefront of each action that you take that you know this industry, you have experience working in it, so you know the hot topics, areas of interest right now and the buzzwords to focus on. For example, certain design industries tend to use the phrase ‘stand-ups’ rather than ‘team meetings’.  Use the right terminology, keywords and industry terms throughout the whole recruitment process, from CV, LinkedIn profile through to the face to face (or virtual) interviews.  And if you’re not sure, do some research, swat up and ensure that you are able to.  Demonstrating that you know the industry and are able to speak the fitting language automatically puts you a head and shoulders above those who don’t actively show this.  The recruitment pipeline is there for you to showcase all of your skills and knowledge, so do just that with the language, keywords and terms that you use. 


Are you utilising online job searching?

While traditional job search was conducted offline, we’re years past this being the go-to way to find and secure a new job opportunity. Digital job searches now take centre stage as an improved method of finding the right job fit. 

Conducting an online, digital job search eliminates the time-consuming process of individual tracking down and sending of emails, letters, phone calls etc and opens up the vast array of opportunities, from varied locations, further afield, from companies large and small, freelance and corporate.   It’s also so much easier to find jobs and opportunities which are best suited to you and your skillset. 

The online job search makes it simple for businesses to see who is looking for an opportunity and for candidates to clearly see who is hiring in which areas. The ‘search’ is much less that, and more an exploration of opportunities, both job and candidate, already clearly presented. 


Online job search tools include LinkedIn, a favourite for so many, and almost replacing the need for a traditional CV, and an incredible job search tool for networking and connection building, and big jobs sites such as Indeed, Monster and TotalJobs. These platforms are great for gathering rapid-fire results and have a huge volume of opportunities on display.  You may, however, find that large sites like this are not as targeted or specific as they could be. While the plethora of job opportunities can be helpful, sifting through them, filling out an application not knowing anything about the company who is hiring and whether or not you would like to work for them, can be a hugely time-consuming task, and to pursue businesses who aren’t really what you’re looking for can be incredibly disheartening.


How can I make my job search more efficient? 

We noticed this disconnect in job search tools and so DiscoverWork was born, a new and improved, innovative job search platform, pairing our members with their ideal role.  We saw the lack of information and time-consuming application process as inefficient.   We feature businesses and their stories so that our members can view and get to know who they will be working for before applying for jobs, finding a position in a company culture which fits.   


Know Your Brand

You are a brand, you are selling yourself to the recruiter and to the brand you wish to work with. So, know your brand. Discovering this lies between what your desired companies are looking for - part of this being knowing who your desired companies are and what you want from the organisation you work for - and knowing what you can bring to the role, where your areas of speciality and skills lie.  Being confident in your ‘brand’ can help you to both find the right opportunities and succeed in them.  


Build your online career brand 

Now that you know your brand, what you are offering to organisations and what you’re looking for in return, you need to create and establish your online career brand. This is essential to exemplifying the strength of your candidacy and finding a position which really fits your brand and desires. 

LinkedIn is, as we have discussed, the social platform for selling your professional persona, this social media profile can be responsible for building relationships and your reputation to employers and recruiters who are active on LinkedIn - which in case you’re wondering, is most of them!  Adding as much detail as possible to your LinkedIn profile allows you to give recruiters and employers as much information as they need, without having to fill in or recite this to each individually.  DiscoverWork wants the job search process to be as simple for you as possible too, not only this but we want to know what you’re really looking for, that’s why we give you the opportunity to add in as much detail as you’d like including a short video and information like your dream role and what you find important in terms of company culture. 


Research

The idea of researching your prospective employer won’t be news to most candidates, however, it doesn't hurt to be reminded of all of the benefits every now and again! Not only can carrying out research help you, as the job seeker, to build a better understanding of what is wanted from you for the role, it can also help you to understand the company culture that you will be joining, the history of the business, where it started and what it stands for - then and now. All of these aspects will affect your workplace experience, work-life balance and will signify how well suited you will be to that specific role in that specific company. 

This can also be an unnecessarily time-consuming part of your job search - eliminated with DiscoverWork’s in-depth profiling of each company we work with. View and understand quickly the kind of company each job is with and how well this matches your own preferences, removing the research leg-work through company profiles which include culture and lifestyle aspects for improved job matching. 

Beyond the search, showing a deep understanding of values and company culture will serve you well in interviews, giving you the ability to put forward the best and most fitting of your skills, values and personality.


How do you research jobs before an interview?

The company website is the most obvious place to start, look at their brand history, their mission statement, aims and key objectives that they broadcast to the public, this will give you a rounded view of their brand, but don’t stop there. Take a look at their social platforms, the activity they put out. Take a look at the leaders of the company and check them out on social media, on LinkedIn. Look at platforms such as Glassdoor and understand what other employees have said about working with that company.  

Ultimately, knowledge and the way in which you use this - knowing, outlining and beginning to build your own brand, doing research, be it independently or with the ease of DiscoverWork's company profiles and applying industry knowledge of keywords and terms - alongside the utilisation of online job search tools, building a network and industry relationships, is a sure-fire way to boost your professional connection and career success, finding jobs which more accurately suit your skillset, values and company culture.