A Helpful Guide To Job Alerts
Finding a new job can take so much time and effort that it almost becomes a full-time job in itself. You craft your CV, research employers, search for job vacancies, apply, and search again. One of the most time-consuming elements of your job search is finding relevant jobs to apply for because there's a multitude of places to search:
- job boards and recruitment agencies
- employer websites and social media
- physical and online media outlets such as newspapers and trade magazines
What would really help is having a way to discover relevant vacancies as soon as they're advertised. That's where job alerts come in handy. Set the parameters of your job search, for instance, job title and location, and you're all ready to go.
The benefits of using job alerts in your job search
Yes, it may take a little time and effort to set up but once you've put that process in place, job alerts can work to your advantage. Here's how.
DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX
Once you've set up your job alerts, the jobs will come to you. There's no need to constantly scour job boards and company websites. Your job alerts will take that task off your hands and deliver up-to-date job vacancies that meet your criteria straight into your inbox.
REDUCES TIME SPENT LOOKING FOR JOBS
When you're looking for suitable job adverts, especially if you search multiple websites, you can find yourself spending a lot of time on the task. If you're working a full-time job and have family responsibilities, that time will generally be on an evening when you want to put up your feet or on a weekend when you'd like to spend time with your family or have a night out.
Once you've set up your job alerts, however, you'll get a large proportion of that time back to spend how you wish.
SET IT UP AND FORGET ABOUT IT
Once you've created your job alert, you can forget about it and get on with your day or week. That element of your job search will automatically be carried out for you.
All that you need to do is handle the job vacancies that land in your inbox and make sure that your search criteria are still relevant to your employment search.
YOU'RE IN CONTROL
When you set up job alerts that are relevant to the type of employment you're interested in, you take control of your job search. Each job advert that lands in your inbox is there because it met the criteria that you chose. Nobody else is telling you what to apply for.
How to use job alerts
The first step in using job alerts is to choose the right websites for your employment needs. Which job boards, recruitment agencies, employers, or professional publications advertise the type of jobs you are interested in?
The second step is to consider your search criteria, for instance:
- job title and variations on that title
- full time or part time
- location
- salary range
Remember, this is your job search for employment that is suitable for you. You get to choose what conditions to include.
Don't be afraid to test and amend your job alert criteria from time to time. Your wants and needs may change. It may be necessary to widen the range of job titles you search for. Make sure that your search criteria are always up-to-date.
Think about how to handle the response emails you'll receive. You may find it useful to create a process for this, for instance:
- schedule a slot of time each day to open new job alert emails
- read and decide whether each job advert is a 'yes','no', or 'maybe'
- delete 'no' emails
- create folders for 'maybe' and 'yes' emails
- apply for job adverts in your 'yes' folder
- once a week investigate job adverts in your 'maybe' folder and then move to the 'yes' folder or delete them
You might even decide to set up a separate email account for your job search.
How JobLookup can help you with job alerts
JobLookup, wants to make your job search as easy and suited to your personal needs as possible. The last thing we want to do is overload your email inbox. That's why we created a simple to use but detailed job alert process that you can tailor to your exact specifications.
Set up your job alert with three basic fields:
- keyword, for instance, accountant or marketing
- location, such as Manchester or Shropshire
- minimum salary
If you want to create a more focussed job search, you can add extra specifications such as the maximum distance from a location your search should cover, multiple keywords, a salary range instead of simply the minimum, and a search for jobs by employer. You can set up multiple job alerts if you're interested in more than one type of position. You can even pause your job alerts at any time.
It's as easy as that to receive job alerts straight to your inbox.
Final Thoughts
Job alerts are just one more useful device in your employment search tool-kit. Set up with your ideal role in mind, job alerts will save you time and deliver the right vacancies direct into your inbox.
