5 Best Ways to Use Job Boards

Although studies show that networking is the most effective way to get hired, that doesn't mean you should ignore job boards when conducting your job search. To that end, below you'll find six tips that will help you master those boards.

1. Create profiles

You don't want to be the one who has to look for opportunities all of the time, so set up your profile on job boards to allow recruiters to find you. Note: If you're currently working, set your profile to "confidential" when possible.

2. Set up job alerts

Don’t spend hours droning over job listings looking for the right job to apply to; there's no bigger time suck than searching aimlessly and endlessly on job boards for the job that's right for you. Instead, set up pre-programmed alerts to have the jobs you're interested in emailed directly to you. This will drastically reduce the time you spend reading volumes of job postings every day, while giving you more time to perform more active and personal job search activities, like making professional connections with previous and new contacts.

3. Use information in job descriptions to find HR contacts

By using the names of departments or other identifying factors in job descriptions on job boards, you can search on LinkedIn and Google for email addresses of HR personnel and hiring managers. Then you can reach out to them directly about possible job openings.

4. Upload a branded, keyword rich resume

When you apply for jobs via job postings, use a well-written resume full of phrases and vernacular pertinent to the job for which you're applying. This increases your chances of being found by corporate and search firm recruiters looking for people just like you.

5. Use the “where there's smoke, there's fire” approach

If you see indirect hiring activity at a company, inquire how it might affect hiring in your direct area of expertise. For example, if you're an accountant and see a company hiring a small army of sales professionals, make the deduction that the company might soon need to expand its accounting team to account for additional commissions, client revenues, related expenses, and sales analysis for new business proposals. Companies will appreciate this thought process from you as a candidate, and it could help you discover unpublished job openings.

A version of this post previously appeared on ChameleonResumes.com.