The days of circling vacancies in the back of your local newspaper are long behind us – but don’t fret; a few simple tricks with technology can help you get a jump-start on your job search!
Set up voicemail on your phone
A recruiter or hiring manager won’t expect you to always answer your phone, especially if you are currently working – but there’s nothing more frustrating than calling a candidate only to find there’s no option to leave a message. You could be missing out on opportunities without even knowing!
Download an email app and check your messages on the go
Whether you use Outlook, Gmail or just the built-in mail app on your smartphone, being able to access your email wherever you are means you can reply in an instant! You can even save time by setting up an email signature, or an out-of-office message to let recipients know when you’re not available.
Use social media to search for a job
LinkedIn is a great place to look for vacancies, and even has a built-in jobs section – even Twitter has specialist accounts you can follow for relevant job alerts. But make sure your profile is professional – hiring managers often do a background web search on potential candidates!
Set up job alerts for relevant roles
If you don’t have time to trawl job boards every day – and who does? – then consider setting up job alerts for the area or job title you are looking for. You will receive emails with vacancies of interest to you! Here at Protocol we set up job alerts for all candidates automatically – but you can also set them up yourself on job boards like CV Library and Reed.
Make use of your phone’s calendar
Be sure to record any meetings or appointments – they will be harder to forget, and you’ll also be able to see immediately when you’re available, should a hiring manager call to arrange an interview. It’s also a great idea to make a note of when you apply for a specific job – it will help you keep track of which you’ve applied for as well as any you need to chase up.
