Looking for a job online can be very difficult given the unemployment rate in South Africa. We suggest that you use the smart-search scheme’s that we are about to get into in this article and make your online job search easy and effective. Use these schemes to make the internet work for you – not the other way around.
Where to start with online job search?
The key to searching for jobs is knowing what you are looking for. You need to decide where you want to work, what you want to do, and how much you’re willing to get paid for the job.
It often helps to start with an exercise, which I like to call “Brainstorm Myself”. Be honest and list what you’re good at, as well as any achievements you’ve accomplished (at school, church, or volunteering).
Write down the following:
- Your ideal first job (Top 5 but BE REALISTIC!) – the kind of job you are looking for
- Where you would like to work (the company/individual)
- What skills and characteristics do you have, so you can get a better picture of what you have to offer
- Why do you want to do that job
- Your short and long-term goals
What’s next?
Job-hunting in the olden days was looking through the newspaper and scanning through the classified jobs. We are not saying newspapers are not a good place to look for opportunities anymore, particularly your community paper, but the internet is an even greater place to look, be it at home using your smartphone, school, your local library, or internet café.
Online job-hunting takes implementation, you need to be prepared, because some internet cafés may charge by the minute.
What do I search for?
If you do a Google search for “job opportunities in South Africa”, approximately 441,000,000 results come up. That’s not an ideal place to start!
Use the answers from your brainstorming exercise above and start by typing these keywords into the search field. Use these keywords to search for jobs with specific skill requirements rather than searching for jobs in general.
Visit job sites like SA Gov Jobs and LinkedIn for a greater way to start searching and it is less exhausting!
A lot of career sites advertise opportunities for “first jobs”, “graduates”, “Matriculants”, “Part-time” or “No experience needed”. You should add these keywords in your searches (use the advanced search option).
Read about the organization you would like to work for and learn about what they do, have an understanding of where their vision is headed, and consider if you genuinely want to work for them. Do they have positions available at your level? Do they have jobs for school leavers, and graduates or offer internships or apprenticeships?
Check out their websites for employment or other opportunities they may be promoting, including internship or graduate programs, under the Vacancies, Careers, or Jobs section.
Be specific and creative
Be creative, for example, when looking for jobs in Sales or Retail, type in retail assistant, sales consultant, customer service agent, shop assistant, etc. You are searching for the same kind of job in many different ways, assuring that you do not miss out on anything related to your field of desire.
So, when typing in search terms or filling in entry fields on job websites, the trick is to encompass as many pointers as you possibly can to inadequate your hunt and get closer to the job that’s right for you.
Include the industry you want to work in, job type, and title.
Location: city or area you’d like to work in. Most career sites today give you the option, so use it!
Level (junior/mid/management): keep it real! Look for jobs within your experience level to maximize your chances of getting an interview.
Full-time/ Part-time/ Contract/ Permanent: in these hard times, explore what’s out there. You never know if a part-time position will turn into something more permanent.
It will also count as experience to add to your CV, which most employers look for.
You can visit Elite-CV or Elite-CV Builder to get an outstanding CV that will boost your chances of getting the perfect role when applying online.
