Where to look for advertised jobs Job seeking
The reasons why you’re looking for a new job influence where and how you search for opportunities. Are you looking to change career? Are you looking to progress in your current profession? What factors would impact on where you look and how? Are you settled in a particular location?
Look for jobs on the internet
There are many web sites that advertise job vacancies from general job boards to organisations that promote opportunities for specific sectors. Many of these job opportunities can also be found through search engines.
- Start with fairly broad search terms and progress to more specific searches, based on type of work, subject, skills or location.
- Don’t limit your search to job boards, look at an organisation’s web site and their social media accounts.
- Register for email job alerts on jobs boards.
OpportunityHub
Search for graduate and non-graduate jobs on our own jobs website on OpportunityHub. We also advertise vacancies specifically for OU students.
Look for jobs by sectors and professions
Expand your search to include dedicated sites in your chosen career area. These can include:
- specialist and trade journals
- professional associations
- journals
- executive search firms
- academic sector journals – see our article on academic sector jobs
- professional publications.
You’ll find specialist publications for each employment sector listed in occupational profiles on Prospects.
Look for jobs in the newspapers
Many newspaper have job sections, where you’ll find advertised jobs both nationally and locally. They may also advertise jobs for particular sectors on specific days, make a note of their pattern.
Just a few examples of newspapers who advertise vacancies include The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Financial Times, The Times, The Scotsman and The Irish News.
Look for jobs through recruitment agencies
Recruitment agencies have vacancies that may not be advertised elsewhere. You will also see job adverts placed online by agencies on behalf of employers. If you are interested in a particularly competitive sector, a temporary job through a recruitment agency can provide a way in to longer-term employment.
- Think about what type of agency is most suitable for you, whether it be a general high street agency, a specialist agency or a graduate recruitment specialist.
- Does the type of employer you want to work for use this recruitment method?
- Is the agency reputable - do they subscribe to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation's code of practice?
- Check how employers get to see your details.
- Ask how you can control who sees your information.
- Don't pay - reputable agencies charge the employer, not you.
There are positives to using recruitment agencies and some drawbacks.
Pros
- Recruitment agencies build relationships, know a large number of employers and will have specialist knowledge of a sector.
- There is the possibility to negotiate better pay.
- Saves you time on searching for opportunities.
Cons
- Many recruiters work on commission so may not have your interests completely at heart.
- You may be offered very little information on the employer or may not have time to prepare for a sudden interview.
- Recruiters decide which candidates they put forward for vacancies.
Find a job using LinkedIn
Millions of jobs are posted on LinkedIn every day so if you’re not using it as part of your job search, you may be missing out. If you’re new to the platform, find tips on how to Search for jobs on LinkedIn.
Make sure employers you find you easily by fully completing your profile and using relevant keywords. See our advice on creating a LinkedIn profile in Create a professional profile or portfolio for job applications. You can also let recruiters know you’re open to new job opportunities with the ‘Open for Work’ function.
See LinkedIn’s finding jobs - best practices for advice on finding the right job, uploading your CV and making your profile standout. There’s also a downloadable job search checklist and further help such as how to use filters and modifiers when searching for jobs.
Finally, let your contacts know you’re looking for a new role by posting an update which will appear in their news feeds. People can’t help if you don’t ask. See our advice on how to build your network with LinkedIn in Networking for your career.
