How to find a job online (with top tips for success)

While the internet has certainly made the job hunt a more convenient endeavor, it has also created new challenges. You no longer need to flip through the classifieds and mail in your resume, but you do have to make a stronger effort to weed out unpromising prospects and stand out among a larger pool of applicants. To maximize your chances of landing the position you want, consider this step-by-step guide on how to find a job online, along with top tips for navigating the vast and varied world of online job hunting.

How to find a job online

By following these five steps, you can not only approach the job hunt methodically but also improve your chances of getting noticed by the employer.

Define your parameters

Defining your parameters is about developing a sense of the work that suits you. Establishing these qualities is an important preliminary measure because it helps focus your search on the most relevant opportunities. Otherwise, you'd enter the process without direction, which may cause you to waste time and effort on poorly chosen targets.

The act of defining your parameters requires honest self-reflection. Ask yourself these questions and apply the answers to your job search:

What sectors, industries, and functional areas would I like to work in?
What experience do I have in those sectors, industries, and functional areas?
How might my education facilitate my success in those sectors, industries, and functional areas?
What are my professional goals?
What are my personal interests?
What are my key skills?
What are my strengths and weaknesses?
What is my salary range?
Would I prefer to work remotely or on site?

If you're unsure how to answer any of the above questions, seek out resources to gain the insight you need. You should be able to find free career and personality assessments online that can articulate your characteristics through a professional lens.

"Defining your parameters... helps focus your search on the most relevant opportunities. Otherwise, you'd enter the process without direction, which may cause you to waste time and effort on poorly chosen targets."

Build a professional online presence

Aside from being a convenient tool for finding job vacancies, the internet can also strengthen your candidacy for the jobs you want, particularly through social media. To summarize a 2022 article published by the Harvard Business Review, a professional social media presence can make you more visible to employers, expand your professional network, and help you engage with potential key players in your job search. Not only that, but you can also use social media as a virtual business card, informing interested parties on how to reach you to discuss employment opportunities.

Outside of social media, you can also use the internet to validate your qualifications, especially if you're pursuing work in a creative area such as writing, art, or graphic design. With free or low-cost web content management systems such as WordPress and Squarespace, you can easily create an attractive online portfolio to show off your work. Interested employers are more likely to consider you for a job if you provide evidence that you're capable of doing the work at a high caliber.

Create a profile

Now that you've defined your parameters and built your online presence, you're ready to start looking for jobs.

To begin, we recommend creating a profile on your preferred job search website. It's a simple process that typically gives you access to a wider array of site features. On CareerBuilder, for example, all you have to do to create a profile is visit the registration page and follow the on-screen instructions. You can register with your social media credentials or create an account with your email address. Once you're in, you can upload your resume or create one from scratch and make it searchable for employers.

Refine your search

When you start plugging keywords into the search field, you can increase your odds of a high-value results page by refining your search as much as possible. That begins with the right search queries, which may include any or a combination of the following:

Industry or professional field
Job title
Job-specific skills
Company name

Once you have results, you can refine your search further with filters that relate to employment type, pay, and date of posting, to name a few. By refining your search as much as possible, you ensure not only that your job search matches your parameters but also that you don't spend more time than necessary looking for positions that interest you.

Set up job alerts

A job alert is a notification you receive when an employer posts a job that matches your parameters. The advantage of a job alert is that it helps ensure you don't miss out on opportunities that fly under your radar. The alert system does the work for you so you don't have to spend excessive amounts of time scrolling through search results.

On CareerBuilder, setting up an alert is just a matter of activating it. Under the Contact Preferences section of your profile, click the radio button beside "Send Me Jobs" to turn the feature on. CareerBuilder will send you recommendations based on your activity, but you can also create and manage your own saved searches for a more customized recommendation list.

Tips and best practices for applying for a job online

After finding jobs that meet your specifications, consider these tips and best practices to maximize your chances of success.

Act fast

When you find a job that interests you, try not to put off your application. The longer you delay, the harder it becomes to follow through. The next thing you know, the application period has ended. To avoid disappointment, allow yourself no more than two days before submitting your resume to the employer.

Identify keywords in the job listing

Carefully study the listing of every job you want. The idea is to highlight keywords, which are terms and phrases the employer uses to identify suitable candidates. Keep these keywords in mind for your resume.

Tailor your application to the employer

Though you may have uploaded a searchable resume, you don't want to use it when you apply for a job. Instead, you want to modify your resume (and cover letter) with keywords every time you submit an application. These keywords are a safeguard against being filtered out of the applicant pool, particularly if the employer is using an applicant tracking system to automate screening.

Follow up when necessary

If you don't hear back from the employer within a week, it's appropriate to send a follow-up email asking about your application. Not only does this demonstrate to the employer that you're sincerely interested in the job, but it may also suggest you're a proactive and motivated candidate. Just make sure your follow-up email is polite. Avoid seeming pushy, and make it clear that you respect the employer's time.

Ignore qualifications as needed

You'll probably encounter lots of job prospects for which you're not 100% qualified, but you shouldn't pass them up. Employers would prefer that you meet all their criteria, but that's often not a deal-breaker when they're building their shortlist of candidates. Apply anyway, using your resume and cover letter to persuade the employer to give you a closer look.

Protect yourself from scams

Some job listings are scams. The scammer is trying either to rope you into a job that underdelivers on incentives or get you to divulge personal information. To protect yourself from scams, watch out for these signs:

The "employer" asks you for your Social Security number or credit card number.
They require you to pay for training or materials before you can start working.
The job seems too good to be true (e.g., a huge salary for very little work).

Finding a job online is about knowing how to optimize your resources. Use every feature at your disposal and make the system work for you. From there, it's all a matter of presenting yourself to the employer in the best light.