Computers and information technology have had as much of an impact on the workplace as the steam engine, with incredible change happening tremendously quickly. Having basic digital literacy—being able to use a computer, learn new programs and communicate online—has become “an integral part” of around two-thirds of American workers’ jobs.
Just looking for a job has gone digital, too, as the proliferation of job search engines proves, even for some entry-level service work. It can be daunting, but digital tools can make your job search easier and educational. Here are three ways:
- You can use online search engines to find jobs, or you can tell those engines to find jobs for you. Click here to launch our job search engine powered by Indeed.com. You’ll see some jobs near you, but you can also use the pop-up window or the widget on the right side of the screen to sign up for notifications for jobs that become available, and you can change the settings for that search so you can see exactly the kinds of search results that you want.
- You can also use social media to search for jobs. This post covers three social networks that can help your job search, but you’ll also want to make sure that you’re projecting the right image online for anybody who might look you up on the Internet. You can learn a lot about a company and its staff, too, by following it and, if possible, connecting with the people who work for it, and they can get to know you, too, as a potential hire.
- If you know of a company that you like, use their website to look for open positions. Most jobs these days aren’t ever listed, instead filled internally or by professional contacts, but you can often find open positions by looking at informational (i.e., “About Us”), corporate or human resources sections of public websites.
If you feel that you lack the digital skills to do these things, you can find free educational tools at DigitalLiteracy.gov. You can also get key career advice and connect with a virtual career mentor who can guide you through it at GoodProspects.
