How to apply some research smarts to your job hunt to uncover those hidden gems

If you’re looking for a job and feeling daunted about where to start, then please read on.

There are heaps of online tools to make your research more efficient.

Today’s guest post is from Vikki Bell, the Founder of Bellinform Research.

I met Vikki over a coffee and a mutual interest in LinkedIn a few months ago.

When she told me that she trains people on making the most of LinkedIn as a research tool; AND that she works with people going through outplacement to help them refine their job research techniques, I got a little excited.

So I asked her to share her expertise with InterviewIQ readers.

Here are her tips on advanced job research techniques, that will help you uncover hidden gems.

Research in olden times

Most of us used to start with the newspapers – depending on what sort of role you were looking for.

If you were looking for something close to home you would check your local paper. If you were looking for a senior or executive role you would buy the Financial Review.

All papers had days that would feature particular industries.  You open them up and read a little about the industry and quickly turn to the Positions Vacant section and scan through the various job titles – all listed alphabetically of course!

How times have changed . . .

Newspapers still carry some career vacancies however they have long been surpassed by what’s available online.

We now need to consider the online job sites. While there are many different ones, in Australia the most recognised are Seek, MyCareer and CareerOne. Corporate recruiters and agencies use these.

These are all great for getting a sense of what’s available in the market.

You can also use other sites like Indeed, Australian Job Metasearch  and Alljobs. The advantage of these is that they search across multiple job sites.

If you’d like to niche it down further, there are the specialist job sites like Candle IT, eFinancial Careers and Mining People International, and the fussy ones  ApplyDirect does not take ads from recruiters which is sometimes handy to know.

Making the most of these sites

I see many people just jump in at this point.

This is unnecessary as you may well find yourself inundated by roles that simply do not suit you. Even worse, you may not be able to prioritise your job search and miss out on what you really want.

So before you jump in, think in more detail about what you’re looking for.

By this I don’t just mean your job title but what sort of work you want to do?

What skills you want to use?

What certifications  do you already have or might need to get?

Do you know where you want to work how far are you prepared to travel?

Are you looking at only full time roles or would you consider contract opportunities?

Do you know how much you want to be paid?

By thinking about the answers to these questions you can use these job sites more efficiently plus generate results that are more on target.

How to use the advanced search tools

Let’s use Seek for example as it is the biggest in Australia in terms of numbers of advertisements.

There is a simple home screen on offer but have you looked for the “More search options”?

By clicking through to this part of Seek you can be more specific about your location and even choose several locations you might consider. You can also use more than one classification and therefore more of the sub classifications.

In the “More search options” you can specify what type of work you are looking for full time, part time, contract etc. and of course you can choose your salary range. Just like on the home screen you can use some keywords that you think will be in the job advertisement you are hoping to find.

Once you start getting results from your search you will notice that many of these filters sit alongside your results and you can adjust them as you see fit. Have a play and see if you can find some other hidden gems.

Master the keywords 

While many companies use similar titles for similar work like Project Manager or Receptionist or Systems Architect or Business Analyst, just as many do not.

There are companies who like their people to feel special and provide them with unique job titles which make sense within their individual company environments but not to many others.

When it comes to key words you might want to consider not just what you (or the role) might be called, but what you actually do and use to get the job done. If you have particular qualifications or are a member of a certifying association you might want to search by those as well.

Keyword also allows you to search for companies by name, if you already have an idea of who you might want to work with.

While you are there . . .

I consider looking at the advertised roles part of a job seekers reactive strategy you are prompted to react by creating your resume and crafting a cover letter that you hope will get you through the door marked INTERVIEW.

Keep in mind however these ads will often give you the name of someone to call, or more information around an organisation or agency. Please use this information, call that person and if you can get through have some questions to ask about the role or the organisation it is with.

By touching base you may be sowing the seeds of a relationship in such a way that the person may consider you for other opportunities that you could be better suited for.

If the company is named, look at their website, find out more about them so that you can ensure your resume is crafted in line with the type of organisation they are.

Think about who you might know that you could talk to about what it is like to work there. Do some research and be sure they are the sort of organisation you want to work with.

Did I say Research?

This brings me to the proactive job seeker strategy.

Thinking about with whom or where you want to work often starts with the reactive strategic work you may have begun.

Finding people to talk to is part of your research when it comes to looking for a new role and LinkedIn is one of the most powerful tools you could be using. Oh, and there are jobs advertised on LinkedIn as well!

I’d love to hear how you uncover hidden job gems, do let me know in the comments section below.

Who is Vikki?

Vikki Bell is the Principal of Bellinform Research.

She is a specialist in Industry and Company research. Her clients include management consultants, government departments and statutory bodies, senior executives, and small business owners, as well as libraries seeking additional support. She is passionate about helping people use LinkedIn thoughtfully.

Reach out to her at au.linkedin.com/in/vikkibell/