If you’re like most job seekers, the thought of spending hours hunting down vacancies amazon hiring felons and applying for them can be time-consuming and downright discouraging. For that reason, you might be tempted to focus your energies on other tasks, but before you do that we have some great news for you—applying for jobs from start to finish is actually pretty straightforward. And with a few simple strategies, it can even be a lot faster than the average person thinks.
1. Create a useful online presence
First things first—online presence is always a good way to get noticed by potential employers. Many sites will allow job seekers to upload their CVs, but they might be surprised to find that they’ve got a lot more than just their curriculum vitae in front of them.
Give yourself the best chance of being noticed in the first place by doing your research and crafting an accurate and professional looking CV, just as you would if you were applying for a vacancy offline. If that’s not possible, then do yourself a favor: don’t write about your time on Facebook or Twitter.
2. Have a thorough online profile
While you might think that just uploading your CV is enough, remember that prospective employers need to have all the information they need about you before they’ll even send you an email. If that means asking for references, so be it—you’ll get a better response and more of them if you’re upfront about it.
And don’t forget to include a link to your work history and hobbies on your CV , for the same reason as we mentioned above.
3. Figure out your personal keywords
If you’ve got the time, you can use an online job search tool to make it easier for you. These tools will scan the positions that are available and pick up on the names of those companies that are most relevant to what you’re looking for. In addition, they’ll also give key information like how many vacancies there are in a given sector, how much they’re paying and what kind of qualifications they’re looking for first. That’s a lot of help right there!
4. Narrow your search
You might be surprised to find that there are quite a few options out there—so many, in fact, that they can be overwhelming. To make the process easier (and less time-consuming) focus on sites or applications that cater to the specific sector you’re interested in. The more options you have to choose from, the more likely it is that you’ll find a lot of vacancies to apply for—but remember, they might not all be relevant to what you’re looking for.
5. Use lots of keywords
There’s no doubt about it—the best place to start your search is at the source itself. If you’ve been emailed about a position in the first place, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t go ahead and start applying for the job there and then.
6. Upload your CV on different portals
Don’t be afraid to go back-and-forth between different job portals and applications. After all, if you’re getting an interview at a company that uses its own online application, it makes sense to also upload your CV to their internal site, as well as on any other relevant sites where they might be looking for employees.
7. Don’t let those recruiters help you too much
As anyone who’s ever looked for a job can tell you, recruiters are lovely people. They want to help you find a great position, and they’ve got all kinds of wonderful advice to do so. But you should remember that by the time they get in touch with applicants it usually means that the company needs a staff member right away—and while they might be great at what they do, they might not be as good at matching your skills with exactly what your dream job is.
8. Don’t give up
Unfortunately, one of the most frustrating things about looking for a job is that there are no guarantees—especially if you’re not the only person looking for that position. Because of that, it’s easy to lose your confidence and start giving up on what could be your dream job, but don’t do it! You never know where you’ll get an interview or how far into the process they’ll let you go before they realize they’ve made a mistake.
9. Be as positive as possible
Above all else, remember that your CV is supposed to sell you—your experience, your skills, everything. So don’t be afraid to make it look great, or include photographs that show your work. You can also mention that you’re interested in moving into a new position—and if they’re running a recruitment drive, it’s always worth offering to help out by supplying any of the information they might need.
10. Be yourself
Believe it or not, employers are more likely to notice you if you’re genuine and honest. So instead of trying to be someone else (or use some sort of generic CV template), make your own CV stand out by highlighting what makes you the perfect fit for their company and why they shouldn’t overlook you.
