by Jillian Cheong, iPrice Group | Negosentro.com |
It is no doubt that LinkedIn is a great platform for job seekers to expand their network, look for career opportunities, and get noticed. But it is not the only resource that a job seeker should rely on. Here are four job search tools that might land you your next job!
Job Review Sites
Amazon, Trip Advisor, and Yelp! are some of the top consumer review sites that have been around for many years. On the other hand, sites such as Glassdoor, Indeed, and Monster are the few review sites that stand out in the job searching world. To simply put it, a job review site is a platform for former or future employees to voice out their thoughts and opinions about a company.
Employees are encouraged to utilise job review sites as it allows them to disclose and express anything to their hearts content. Furthermore, it is also an empowering tool that allows employees to play an important role in the success or improvement of a company. These sites do not solely allow people to post reviews about a company, it may help open doors to the different roles reviewers can have online. From being able to reveal their love-hate relationship for a company to allowing other employees get insights of a business. And the best part of many job review sites is that you are allowed to do it anonymously!
Steps for using a Job Review Site (We would be using Glassdoor as an example)
Step One: Sign in or Register as a user
It is important to have a validated Glassdoor account in order to submit a review.
Step Two: Click on the ‘Write Review’ at the top right of the homepage
You will be then redirected to the ‘What would you like to contribute?’ section. Pick an anonymous review option, employer status and name that will be applicable to you. Once completed, click the ‘Next’ button.
Step Three: Rate a Company
You are required to fill in all the details on this page which includes overall rating, pros and cons of the company, and advice to management. Once completed, tick the ‘Terms of Use’ box and click ‘Submit Review’.
Your review will be then screened by Glassdoor before it appears on the site. Once it has been approved, it will be posted to the company’s review section page.
Portfolio
Displaying your skills through offline methods, such as through a resume, is not enough to secure you a job. A career portfolio on the other hand is a great way to showcase past samples of your work and evidence of your employment achievements. On top of your resume, a portfolio can consist of other hard copy documents that best demonstrate your skill sets and abilities.
Using a portfolio will give you an edge in the competitive marketplace. Employers check out candidates on the Internet every so often to see what kind of information they can gather. From the information gathered, it also gives them a clearer picture of their potential employees. Another good reason to create a portfolio is to gather positive information about yourself and evidence of your work accomplishments through an eye-catching, hard copy version that makes a credible persuasion.
The best way to utilise a portfolio is to present information that is not typically found in a resume. A great start to developing your portfolio is to include skills that would be relevant to the job you wish to land. These skills could be picked up from volunteering or through a short internship stint. Additionally, the ‘about me’ section on your portfolio could be told in a story like manner, to ideally make it more engaging, compared to listing facts about yourself. Albeit traditional, a downloadable resume should also be included in your portfolio, for reference sake. A photo, visible contact information, past projects, and many other items can be added in your portfolio, as long as it is applicable. Be reminded that you are in control of what goes into your portfolio; a great example would be Red Rusak’s ingenious yet minimalist approach to his portfolio creation as shown below.
Tracking System
A tracking system is a tool that would enhance anyone’s personal career management. It is already stressful enough for many job hunters to seek for jobs, more so if they had to keep track of it all. Typically, a tracking system tool can help anyone manage, organize, track, prepare, and store anything that is relevant in the process of a job hunt.
Depending on the efficiency of the recruiter, job seekers are often faced with a significant time lapse between applying for a position and getting called for an interview. Thus, using a tracking system will allow them to access the right information quickly. One of the most crucial things that a tracking system can help you to do is follow-up. Whether it is to recall the names, titles, and addresses of the panel interview, the tool allows you to easily access relevant information quickly and can make you appear organized and polished.
Steps for using a Tracking System site (We would be using JibberJobber as an example)
Step One: Store your contacts
JibberJobber serves as a central repository for all your important contacts, so it is important to store these connections that you can or want to nurture.
Step Two: Record information about these contacts
Simply start by recording basic information such as the first name, last name, and email address of your contact. As the relationship progresses, you will get to find out more information about the person, such as a work address or personal phone number, which can be located through their email signature.
Step Three: Record important communication as “log entries”
Track your communication by logging in entries from time to time. It could be a simple email exchange between you and your contact. It is not necessary to do this all the time, but if there is something big or important, ensure that it is recorded.
Step Four: Follow up
JibberJobber gives you the option to create “action items” that are basically due dates for your
log-entry. At times, we tend to forget to follow up with someone. So, you can customise your follow up notification and in turn nurture a better relationship with your contacts in the long-run.
If you opt to create your own system, you can do so by making electronic files or paper folders to store all relevant documents along with interview notes for a target company.
Interview simulator
It is no doubt that practice makes perfect, and with an interview simulator, you can do just that! In addition to researching a company, practice interviews should be part of your preparation strategy. An interview simulator prepares you for the real deal through a mock interview. A mock interview typically consists of potential questions that might be asked for you to rehearse.
Utilising technology to practice a face-to-face meeting gives you the added advantage and experience you may encounter before going for an actual job interview. This tool will give job seekers a positive experience as well as a boost of confidence, as it can help them focus on how they communicate during the mock interview, rather than giving a memorised answer.
In a typical mock interview session, you have the option of choosing a pre-built version, or
custom-build one by selecting the questions yourself. You can choose to set the timer on your smartphone to gauge the time taken to answer the questions. Once the mock interview is completed, you will be given feedback on your performance. From there, you are able to get a good idea of the sort of things to say and not to say.
