Applying for Jobs Online When Youre Laid Off

Applying for Jobs Online When Youre Laid OffApplying for Jobs Online When Youre Laid Off5Remember when youd read about job listings in the classifieds section of your local newspaper, circle the ones that piqued your interest, and call the number listed on the posting? Yeah, those days are pretty much over.Today, job seekers are almost entirely searching and applying for jobs online.If youve recently been laid off, and it has been a while since you last looked for a job, its a good idea to take the time to better understand the ins and outs of applying for jobs online.These tips should help get you started with searching and applying for jobs online when youre laid offBe specific. If youre looking online for a flexible or telecommuting job, you might think that using sites that have millionsof listings will be a better option for you. After all, more is better, right? Well, no, not necessarilyespecially when youre looking for a remote or work-at-home job.Having to read through tens o r hundreds of thousands of listings can get overwhelming pretty quickly, and you might not find quality listings for flexible jobs.Instead, use a niche job site, such as, whichfocuses on what you really want, such as remote work options, your specific career field, and so on. That way, you will spend your time looking at jobs that are specific to your interests, not everyone elses.Get alerted. You cant spend all day, every day on your job search, so let technology do some of the work for you. Sign up for alerts for the jobs that youre interested in, and youll find out when a job thats peachy for you appears online. And keep in mind that the typical job posting will get its first job application a mere threeminutes from the time its posted, so it makes sense to get your application in earlyFocus on the new. Lets say that you find a fantastic flexible job. Problem is, the listing is about a week old. Should you apply anyway? Absolutely, since you never know how many candidates have ap plied for the position- and have already been eliminated by the hiring manager. That said, you still should focus your energies on newer listings, and place a lower priority on those that are older.Establish your social status. Its estimated that almost every hiring manager (93%, to be exact) peruse the social media profiles of job candidates that theyre interested in. How are yours looking? You should spend a few hours going through all of your accounts and make them private, to start. Eliminate anything (posts, pics, etc.) that dont paint you in the most professional light possible, and consider starting new profiles that represent you as an expert in your industry. That way, potential employers will find tweets from you that showcase your knowledge about current industry info, not you engaged in a political Twitter war.And it goes without saying that every job seeker should have a pretty (and polished) LinkedIn profile that is up-to-date and professional.Stay away from the scams. For every one work-from-home job, there are upwards of 60-70job scams.Well let that sink in for a second.That means that the remote job youre applying for right now might be a scam- unless you know what to watch out for.Your best bet is to use reputable job search sites (such as) that screen each and every job posting to ensure their legitimacy. You should alsoavoid search terms like work from home and work at home since those are used often by job scammers. (Terms like telecommuting, remote, and virtual are safer options.)In addition, be mindful of what youre reading. If a job posting has typos in it, lots and lots of exclamation points, poor grammar, a personal email instead of a professional email contact, or claims that you can make thousands of dollars a week or month doing something that you know in your heart isnt a realistic salary, you might be scammed if you apply for the position.An online job search can be a great way to find a flexible job Know what you want and structu re your search to reflect that. And as always, be cautious while searching, and youll be working remotely sooner than you might thinkStart Your Job Search