One of the biggest problems young job seekers have is determining where to look for jobs. They get stuck looking in the same places and are limiting their prospects as a result. If you limit yourself to one or two job boards, you’re missing out so many other opportunities.
5 Best Places for Gen Y to Find Top Jobs
It’s time to get out of the job search rut! Here are five more places you can find top jobs:
1. Social Media
Many members of Gen Y still don’t realize how useful social media can be to the job search. There are so many social networks to help you land a job, it’s hard to believe they really work. You can connect with other professionals on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Many companies have profiles specifically for careers. LinkedIn actually has job postings featured on company profiles. Even Pinterest can be used for building a professional network. There is an exhaustive list of ways you can find jobs on social media, and 40 percent of job seekers still haven’t taken advantage of them.
2. Niche Job Boards
Another problem with Gen Y job seekers is the way they use job boards. It’s common to take the easy way out by focusing all of your efforts into mainstream, mass job boards like Indeed and Craigslist. A better method of search is to look for more narrowly-focused job boards. You can find niche job boards for your major, industry, location, culture, and more. You can tailor your job search to down to the details to make sure you find a job you’ll love.
3. Informational Interviews
An informational interview does not guarantee you’ll land a job, but it is a greatly underutilized job search method. Seek out professionals in your ideal career path and set up a meeting. Ask them as many questions as you can think of. Learn everything you can. This is a great way to start relationships with interesting professionals. If you have a great conversation, they may try to help you land a job.
4. Alumni Network
School pride is another thing to take advantage of in your job search. Alumni love to help fellow alumni in their careers. Graduating from the same school automatically gives you something to automatically link you to employers, recruiters, and other professionals who can help you land a job. Networking might seem like a lot of effort, but never underestimate the power of an alumni network.
5. Apply Directly
If you know exactly where you want to work, go straight to the source. Find the company’s career site and learn everything on it by heart. Learn the ins and outs of the company, industry, and the job you want. Knocking right on their door is a great way to show your determination to work for a company. Organizations want someone who already advocates for their brand, so it helps a lot to say, “I want to work for your company,” rather than, “I want to work in this industry.”
Even with all of these job search methods, it’s important not to get stuck using just one of them. The most successful job seekers use a combination of social media, networking, interviews, and more. Gen Y is lucky enough to have so many means of finding jobs, so don’t let them go to waste.
What are some other unique ways for Gen Y to find top jobs?
