Looking for a job can be a pretty time consuming affair and with more and more places out there where you can look for job vacancies, it’s certainly not getting any easier. Like with most things in life, a little prep and planning can go a long way – in a sense it’s all about using your time in the most effective yet efficient way possible. Here are a few tips to help you do just that – our suggestions on How to save time in your job search.

Get organised

Create a plan, a system, a strategy – call it what you will! Simply get yourself organised. Have your basic CV created, write template cover letters, create a database or spreadsheet of companies and agencies you intend to apply to. Keep a record of all your applications. All these things can in some ways speed up the process of applying for jobs and thereby form the basic structure of any effective job search strategy.

Email Alerts

Whether it’s via a company’s own website or a recruitment agency’s job board, register your email address for any job alerts in your chosen profession or preferred market sector. You may perhaps even register for vacancies in specific geographic areas only. Creating email alerts like this can really save you time and can be a surefire way of ensuring that you don’t miss out on any job opportunities that might be of interest.

Social Media

Whether they’re Google+ aficionados or simply prolific tweeters, most companies and recruiters these days use Social Media in some form or other to promote their vacancies and advertise their staffing requirements. It’s important therefore to ensure that you don’t miss out.

Follow or connect with those recruiters, companies or organisations that are most of relevance to your job search. Of course as well as providing you with immediate updates on any potential job vacancies, Social Media is an excellent way for you to engage directly with prospective employers or recruiters. Connect with the right people and who knows where it could lead.

Use Meta-search engines

There are several meta-search engines which can significantly reduce the amount of time that you spend searching for a job. For example, Indeed and Job Rapido are both excellent resources. They simply trawl through the internet and undertake searches of vacancies, job postings and advertisements from a whole host of other sites. Therefore rather than you having to visit each job board or site individually, you can let the Meta-Search engine do the hard work for you. You can also sign up for email alerts of specific job types or jobs in certain geographic areas and then have an email delivered to your inbox daily highlighting the latest relevant vacancies. Time saved? Lots!

Google Alerts

If you’re not only looking for a specific job, but you’re also looking to keep up to date with news and developments in your chosen profession or market sector, then signing up for Google alerts is essential. You can get alerts delivered to your inbox every time one of your chosen or preferred keywords is mentioned. This not only can save you time with regards to looking for a job per se, but will also help save you time when researching a company should you be invited to interview.

We hope that by highlighting How to Save Time in your Job search, we’ve at least helped a few of you save some of that most precious of commodities – time.