But this doesn’t have to be the case—There are less time-consuming job search tricks available that can help bring positive results, and let you focus your search. Stop sending resumes in response to whatever job posting looks interesting. Don’t send out generic cover letters and resumes, thinking luck will come your way. You can find the job you want with far better methods.
Keep in mind that at all points of your job search, it’s important to keep it confidential. Sharing your search—especially with the wrong person—can leave a bad impression with your boss.
1. Announce you’re searching for a job—secretly. You can now do this using LinkedIn’s new feature called “Open Candidates.” With this new service, you can reach out to recruiters privately and let them know that you’re currently looking for a job. LinkedIn will hide the Open Candidates signal from your company’s recruiters.
2. Indicate your job interests. Using the same LinkedIn feature, you can also toggle the job titles and industries you’re currently interested in. This includes the geographic locations you’re willing to work in. To use this, open your preferences in Open Candidates, go to LinkedIn Jobs, and select your details.
3. Get to know the company. You can also take advantage of LinkedIn by searching for companies using their “Career Pages” feature. You can view relevant jobs, get a grasp of different corporate cultures, and review the various company overviews you’ll find in this section. This new feature will save you a lot of time when it comes to researching, and give you deeper insight about the companies you’re interested in.
4. Get to know the team. You can also get to know a company’s employees using the Career Pages feature. Simply go to a company’s career page and look for “Meet the Team” to view more information about the people working in the company.
Use all the resources available to you once you have decided to look for a job—while you already have one. LinkedIn lets you use your time wisely, even if you have a full-time job.