6 Ways to Be Smarter in Your Job Search

6 Ways to Be Smarter in Your Job Search 6 Ways to Be Smarter in Your Job Search Where is the first place you go to look for a job? If you haven’t searched for a job in awhile, you may not be investing your time appropriately. According to the "Top Sources of Hire 2015" report by talent management software provider SilkRoad, the top sources of hires may surprise you. This study will shows where companies have found new hires so you can restructure where you are investing your time and effort. Using data from nearly 300,000 hires, SilkRoad analyzed applicant tracking data extracted from the SilkRoad Recruiting ATS. Companies range from those with fewer than 100 employees to large firms. The study analyzed the success of internal sources of hire, such as company career sites, employee referrals and internal recruiters. It also analyzed? the success of external sources of hire, such as job boards, recruiting agencies and job fairs. The overall top six sources of hire were employee referrals, job search engines, current employees, job boards, recruiters and company career sites or websites. In order to improve the odds of you landing a job, diversify your search across these top six sources. The questions should help you recalibrate how you invest your time. And, of course, don't overlooked the fact that you first need to meet the as many of the job requirements as possible.? Where can you find employees who can refer you? Even before you begin reaching out to your network to announce you are looking (either overtly or covertly) for a new job, it’s important you first identify companies for whom you would like to work. If you don’t know any one inside those companies, ask people in your network to introduce you. Using LinkedIn is invaluable for uncovering this information. What’s a job-search engine? ?Job-search engines are defined by SilkRoad as “aggregators that give job seekers access to potentially millions of jobs from thousands of sources across the Web.” The two most popular job-search engines are Indeed and SimplyHired. Using these sites will save you time and most likely provide more opportunities. Do you want a promotion? The good news is that companies are still interested in promoting from within. Your next job could be right under your nose, so be sure you are polling your colleagues to see what opportunities are coming up. Research jobs inside your company just as you would outside. Conduct due diligence by fully exploring why the position is available and what the scope of the job is. Also speak with people within the department to learn about the leadership style and culture within that group. Which job boards are worth your time? Job boards aren’t dead yet. According to SilkRoad data, these five big-name boards were best at converting applicants into new hires: CareerBuilder, LinkedIn, Craigslist, Monster and Glassdoor. But don’t forget specialty job boards. These niche sites may be run by professional associations or geared toward a specific categories, such as nonprofit or green jobs. Craigslist is also a top contender. It placed in the top five external sources of hire in the study. Should you befriend recruiters? Third-party recruiters and recruiting agencies can be worth your time â€" if you understand how to work with them. Be specific about the types of roles you are interested in and your salary requirements. Remember, recruiters don’t work for you; they work for the company with a job to fill. Some jobs are only filled through recruiters, so it's just one more option for you to explore. Have you checked the company’s career site? Not all companies will post opportunities to job boards, and aggregators don’t typically pick up the postings from company sites. It’s important to visit company career sites regularly to keep up with news and openings. Bonus for soon-to-be graduates: Interviewing on college campus has increased 230 percent in a year's time, according to the study. While that hasn’t translated into triple-digit hiring of new graduates, it does show a level of interest in potentially recruiting new college graduates. Make sure you are connected with your career center and prepared for interviews. Hannah Morgan writes and speaks on career topics and job search trends on her blog Career Sherpa. She is the author of "The Infographic Résumé" and co-author of “Social Networking for Business Success.”