Time-saving strategies for a faster job search

Now its time to move on from what youve got and become much more concrete. You have probably already discovered several organizations that feel interesting. Write them down. Maybe you have received tips about some organizations that are recruiting right now. Could you take a note of them too? Or you may have found some ads that feel spotless. Could you include them in your list?

We will supplement the list and prioritize it. You will continually update your list, delete what no longer feels relevant, add new opportunities you discover, and re-prioritize in what you believe in the most. The list helps you constantly keep track of and learn lessons in the job search process.

One way to find a job is to let the jobs find you. You do this by building a solid reputation and a straightforward platform for your communication. Maybe even do a campaign, which is spread, shared and ends up in front of the right person. We go into more about this in this guide.

If we simplify a lot, there are also two main ways to find possible jobs:

• First, you will find jobs that are advertised. We can call these visible jobs, and the most common is to find job advertisements on large job sites.
• You are looking for jobs that are not advertised. These are usually hidden jobs, and the top way to find them is through contacts.

There are many more hidden jobs than advertised jobs. It is a typical iceberg. You know, as they say, only a tiny part of the iceberg is visible above the surface. The rest is below the water surface and invisible to us.

Writing an ad, going through many applications, and giving feedback to everyone who applied costs, employers, a lot of time and money. So you can go other ways. You better do it. Therefore, many vacancies are not advertised, but when it is time to recruit, the employer prefers to ask around among the existing employees or in its network. In other cases, a recruitment company or a staffing company is hired to do the job.

While few jobs are advertised, it is also the jobs that most people apply for. This, of course, leads to the competition being the fiercest right there. However, if you have plenty of time and have no problem waiting for your next job, you can set up searches for particular titles or certain employers and sometimes check out what comes up. Then, when the right job comes up, you move on.

But if you have decided that your next job is coming soon, you must use a different strategy. Spend less time on advertised jobs and more time on other actions. We recommend that you spend a maximum of 20% of your time on advertised jobs. This means that if you are applying for one job a day, five days a week, you should only spend one of those days on job advertisements.

You can find the advertised jobs by simply googling them up to read about them. You get to know the job first and then think about whether it is right for you. In many cases, it starts with you seeing an advertisement for a job without knowing anything about who is behind it. You may not even know the organization in advance, but get to know them just because they showed up when you applied for a particular job.

For hidden jobs, it is the opposite. You have to start by thinking carefully about what you want, to then be able to discover opportunities there. You often find the organization first and the role later. You need to start by knowing which organizations you are interested in to look for them from there.

Where to find them:

• Undoubtedly, the most important here are your contacts. And lets face it - your network is not just about the people you know. It is also their contacts in the next stage. And often, when it comes to jobs, it is not through your first-hand contacts that you get an offer, but through their contacts. So it is not because you know the boss that you get a job, but rather because you know someone in an organization who is currently hiring or someone who knows someone where your skills are needed. So, go out to such contacts, tell them what you need help with and add what you get back to your wish list.
• Through conversations and meetings with people you meet on social media or in the physical world. Some networking may also be said, but many do not perceive it that way. All the everyday conversations we have with people we know or with people we meet. If you dare to talk about jobs and find a good way to describe yourself and exactly what you are looking for, then the conversations often lead to new exciting opportunities. Add them to your wish list.
• Another way to find hidden jobs is through spontaneous applications. Also, it is a greatly underestimated form of applying for a job. Only a few send spontaneous applications. But for the organization, it is a good source of candidates. Start from your wish list and send an application to the 10 most prioritized organizations, even if they are not currently looking for one. Of course, it is not certain that they have anything going on shortly. But if they have, you can move on quickly. And if they have nothing, your application may, in many cases, be saved for later. 

Then tell your network that you are looking for a job - feel free to write about it on your social media. LinkedIn is commonplace for recruiters to search. Facebook can also be an excellent place to find vacancies. In addition, many groups report jobs in different industries, and it often happens that employees at companies looking for jobs write this in their status updates.

Although advertised jobs are… yes, advertised, they are not always easy to find. Where to look? And what to look for?

Where to find them:

• Job sites. There are a bunch of big, broad job sites. You probably already know them. And you can easily find them. Here are mainly ads from large employers, and the emphasis is on jobs where there may be a number of jobs.
• Specialized job sites. In some areas, there are more focused job sites. For example, sometimes it can be a recruitment company focusing on an industry or a type of job.
• In groups on Facebook, on LinkedIn and in other social media. Large and small organizations spread their ads both in their channels and job groups. Smaller organizations in particular often place their ads only in that type of channel - they never appear on the big job sites.
• Directly on the organizations website. Some jobs are "advertised" but only on their website.

Four approaches:

With visible advertised jobs, you usually start with a job simply because it is the natural way to search and filter.

1. Keep in mind that a role can have different names. So get in the habit of writing down other names for roughly the same job, so you can more easily search further.
2. Use other keywords. Even if it looks like you have to enter a position when you apply, you can enter anything on many sites. Try entering one of your strengths, and you will get a bunch of services where the ad mentions just that strength. It can provide new perspectives.
3. Set up searches. Many job sites allow you to post searches, its worth doing but remember to narrow down, so you do not get too many irrelevant suggestions.
4. Do not miss all the visible positions but not available on the major job sites. Set up notifications with Google Alerts, and you will receive an email every time google finds an ad with your keywords. And join relevant groups and channels on social media. Follow hashtags.

What to look for:

Remember to be systematic. Not all jobs are interesting to apply for. Start from the directions you have decided to process. If you stay in one direction, it will be easier to conclude, and you will get more out of the research you will need to do. On the other hand, if you work with too many tracks in parallel, it will be challenging to get to know the industry, the organization, and the role as deeply as you need to.

Another source is recruitment and staffing companies. They act with both advertised and hidden jobs. Sometimes, the recruitment company handles the advertising, and then it is, of course, a visible job. But the recruitment company may just as well have the task of finding candidates without advertising.

Here are three things to keep in mind to find a job through recruitment companies:

• Think about whether the industry you are in has any specialized recruitment companies. Or if there are recruitment companies that focus on your profession. Then you can contact them and introduce yourself.
• If you know of any specific organizations you want to apply to, you can figure out which recruitment companies they use. Sometimes you can read it on their websites, and sometimes you can find it on the recruitment companys websites and sometimes you can find it in ads. If it is an organization in the public sector that you are applying to, you can call and ask which recruitment companies they use - they should be able to answer that.
• You can also use job postings to identify recruitment companies that often appear to have assignments in your area. If you see the same recruitment company repeatedly in several of the ads you are looking at, then contact them directly and introduce yourself.

In contact with recruitment companies, keep in mind that on the one hand there are busy people who may not have time to listen to you right now. But on the other hand, you can do them a favour if you call at about the right time and have a relevant and credible presentation. Their mission is to find suitable candidates. It is often the search that is costly to them. So if you are the right person and get in touch at the right time, you can save time and money in their search process.

Prioritize your list of opportunities. The best way to make your list of industries, roles and organizations are to gather as much information as possible. The more information you get, the wiser you will become. There are various ways to find information about an industry, an organization or a job market.

Bring out your shortlist

Once you have read about your market and done solid research, you can summarize what you have come here. Feel free to write in order of priority with what you would like at the top. Let it be a living document. What you are interested in can change when you make further contact.