For clients who are re-entering the workforce or simply looking for a career change, searching for a job can seem like a daunting and challenging task. Fortunately, there are tools available that can help make job searching easier and faster for your clients, as well as for you as their career service provider.
A job aggregator is one of these tools. It allows you to search through employment listings from multiple websites on just one site, which is beneficial to both sides of the workforce.
A job aggregator is essentially a large database composed of job postings from thousands of sites. Another way of thinking of aggregators is to think of them as job search engines. Aggregators may enable job seekers to find jobs that they may not find otherwise because the aggregators show jobs posted on employer websites, association websites, newspapers, and well-known job boards.
An essential step when looking for a job is to determine the best job board aggregator for the desired industry. The easiest way to achieve this is to first determine the type of position your client is looking for. Some job search aggregators are designed for career professionals or executive-level job seekers, while others cater to part-time and full-time hourly rate jobs. Some are large enough to cater to any job seeker.
The clearer you are on your client’s employment goal, the easier it will be to decide on the proper job board aggregator to meet those needs. For example:
TheLadders (www.theladders.com) is a membership site targeted toward career professionals. While I don’t typically promote paid sites of this sort, this one may be a worthwhile investment if your client is looking for career advancement or executive-level employment.
SnagaJob (www.snagajob.com) is an excellent choice if your client is looking for part-time and full-time hourly rate jobs. These jobs include some of the country’s largest retailers and consumer-oriented corporations.
Indeed (www.indeed.com) is the best choice if you want an aggregator that lists employment for all experience levels and industries. It is the most frequently visited job aggregator site in the United States.
Once you and your client have decided on the type of employment they are looking for, you should look up the keywords that employers use to describe those jobs. These keywords can be used on an aggregator to find a precise match to the position you are looking for. O*Net Online (www.onetonline.org) is a great place to start looking for keywords. A tip to remember when using these sites is that you can focus your search by using filters. Most aggregators can save searches and send email notifications when new job postings in the searched categories appear. Job aggregator sites also have a feature publicly uploading your client’s resume. This allows employers to actively search for prospective employees. Some companies may even contact them based on their resume, without even applying for a particular position.
If you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out job aggregators in various fields. They can be a real time-saving tool as you search for job opportunities for your clients!
Leave a Reply