Searching for jobs online can be overwhelming. A single search could return thousands of results . some of which aren’t even in your field. So, how can you cut through the fat to find the best jobs for you?
Learn how to conduct a targeted job search to find open positions that meet your requirements.
Browse by job title
If you’re not exactly sure what types of positions you’re looking for, that’s alright. You can begin your targeted job search by browsing jobs by title. Many job boards-including ADVANCE Healthcare Jobs-have this feature.
Start by exploring positions that interest you and check out the qualifications to get an idea of where you stand. If your skill sets and preferences line up with about three-quarters of the list, you’ll know you’ve found a winner.
Browsing jobs can also help you eliminate some of the positions you thought you were interested in, but aren’t a good match. You may find out that you don’t have the right mixture of qualifications or maybe you simply wouldn’t enjoy the job. On the other hand, you might find a few new positions that you never considered.
Identify your preferred specialty
According to Johnson & Johnson Discover Nursing, there are 104 different nursing specialties. So, simply searching for “nurse” on a job board could yield hundreds to thousands of results. There is no way you can look through them all. Instead, you’ll have to narrow your job search further by figuring out which specialties make the most sense for you.
You probably already have a good idea of which specialties you’re interested in, but if you’re struggling, examine your education and experiences. More than 50 percent of applicants for any job fail to meet the basic qualifications. Save yourself some time and avoid being part of that group, because those people never get the job.
So, for instance, if you’re a new RN grad, your best bet is typically going to be a med/surg position in a hospital. These units tend to be bigger and aren’t focused on a specific specialty. From there, you can move on to your preferred specialty in your preferred setting. On the other hand, if you had sufficient clinical experience in pediatrics, you may have more luck applying for pediatric nursing positions.
But don’t dismiss your preferences. If you know you want a job in cardiology, keep applying to those types of positions. Just be prepared to wait for the perfect fit.
Target your searches
Once you’ve figured out which types of jobs, specialties and settings you want to pursue, you can start integrating these preferences into a targeted job search by looking for a more specific job title or by including keywords in your search.
Searching this way can yield extremely specific results, eliminating jobs that aren’t of high interest to you. However, if you’re not finding much, consider adjusting your filters to make your job search less specific. Some companies may not be overly specific when listing positions, so your dream job might not come up when you apply all your filters. Keep an open mind and play around with your filters until your search starts producing the results you need.
Use healthcare-focused niche job boards
If narrowing your search isn’t doing the trick, try using niche job boards to get more applicable results. Healthcare-focused niche job boards, like ADVANCE Healthcare Jobs, only offer positions in the healthcare industry, so the results are automatically more targeted to your skill sets. Applying filters to niche job boards can give you an even more refined results set.
Searching for jobs online can be a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, you have access to thousands of jobs, available with the click of a button. On the other hand, you have to figure out how to narrow down a set of enormous results. By following these tips, you’ll be able to conduct a thorough, targeted job search and begin applying to positions that match up with your interests, experience and skills.
