Google for Jobs

You use Google to search for everything else, why not Google for jobs?  Many job seekers have not heard of Google for Jobs, but it is an incredibly powerful tool for job search that leverages Google’s search algorithms for your job search.  So what is Google for jobs and how do you use it?  Read on.

What is Google for Jobs?

Google for Jobs is a job search feature powered by Google’s search technology. Job seekers search for open positions and Google aggregates the results of that search from a variety of job boards, including ZipRecruiter, Company career sites, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, CareerBuilder, Monster, and many more. Google leverages job seekers’ location to help find jobs that are close to where a job seeker lives.

How does it work?

Google for Jobs works just like any other search in Google.  Once you’ve entered your filters (see below), Google will filters out duplicate job postings that appear on multiple job boards creates a comprehensive list of all related jobs based on your filters.  You can bookmark (save) opportunities. You can be very specific in your search (such as “accountant jobs at Apple”) or apply a broader search.

There are just a few menu items at the top – “Jobs”, “Saved” and “Alerts”.  These menu items are covered in more detail below.

Focus your search results using filters

Google filters are also very powerful, helping to minimize the time spent job hunting by filtering out opportunities that don’t meet your skillset or other requirements.  If you have a list of companies where you would like to work, Google’s filters can help you find opportunities at the companies on your list.  These appear in the “Jobs” menu item by default.

1. Ensure you are signed in to your Google profile.  If you don’t have one, it is easy to create.
2. Enter a job title (such as “accountant jobs”).
3. Google returns results based on your current location.  You can modify the job location by entering the location.  As an example, you can enter “accountant jobs NYC”.
4. Click on the “Jobs” banner and you are now in the dedicated “Google for Jobs” screen.  From this screen you can further refine your search by title, location, “New to You” (you haven’t seen it yet), date posted, date posted, requirements, type (full time, part-time, etc.), company type, and employer.
5. Each of the filters mentioned above allows additional levels of refinement.  As an example, clicking on “requirements” will allow further refinement  – no degree, no experience, under 3 years of experience, etc. Using a combination of the filter will allow you to focus on jobs that meet your specific requirements.

Applying for Jobs

Now that you have your filtered list, you can review and apply for specific opportunities. You can save opportunities for review later or apply immediately.  Google displays application choices based on the specific opportunity, along with the company’s logo and name.  Since Google has aggregated opportunities, it eliminates duplicates and you have the option of applying for jobs on any of the sites where it is listed.  As an example, if an opportunity appears on ZipRecruiter and Glassdoor, Google gives the option of applying on either site.

Once you select the site you want to leverage for applying, Google takes you directly to the opportunity.  Want to apply on LinkedIn?  No problem, click “Apply on LinkedIn” and a new tab opens for the opportunity on LinkedIn.

Saved Opportunities

Depending on your approach to job search, you may want to highlight a few opportunities based on your filters and then go back to your “short list” once you’ve reviewed the filtered opportunities.  Clicking the Save bookmark saves these opportunities.  The Save menu item at the top displays the number of opportunities you’ve previously saved.

Clicking the Save menu item displays all of the opportunities you’ve bookmarked. Saved items can be managed from this menu. You can review, apply for any of these opportunities from your saved list or remove saved opportunities by clicking on the highlighted bookmark.

Alerts

Alerts are based on your current search parameters based and filters. To leverage alerts, you need to click “Jobs” from the menu item and then turn on alerts on the bottom left of the page.  Once you’ve turned this on, Google will send daily alerts to your email account (added when you created your Google profile). You can create multiple alerts by altering your filters and then selecting “turn on alerts” again from the bottom left of the page.

As with Saved opportunities, Alerts can be managed by clicking the Alerts menu item at the top.  The Alerts page will show all of the alerts that are currently scheduled as well as show the email account where they can be sent.  You can modify the frequency of alerts to instantly, daily or weekly.  You can remove an alert by clicking the “X” at the top right of the page.  Google will then give the option of deleting the alert or canceling.

Alert on Alerts

There is a very strong argument for setting your alerts to “Instantly”.  Instantly implies that soon as an opportunity that meets your alert filters is found by Google, an email will be sent to you.  Why is this important?  Many job opportunities that are found through job boards (and Google for Jobs) receive tens if not hundreds of applications.  It’s unlikely that hiring managers will review hundreds of applications.  Most hiring managers will select the first ten or so qualified candidate applications to review and then interview.  The sooner you apply for your dream job, the better the chance that you will get an interview.

For the very same reason, weekly alerts are probably not worth your time.  By the time an opportunity is three or four days old, there have probably been too many applicants. While it is quite possible that the hiring manager has not found the “perfect” candidate for the job after a few days, your time is better spent looking at instant and daily results.

Research

Google for Jobs often provides a lot of information on companies, compensation, and more. This helps job seekers quickly focus on the organizations where they would like to work as well as helps them save time applying only to the jobs that meet their requirements.