Job Search

Develop an Effective Job Search Strategy

There’s more to a job search than simply applying for online postings, though the majority of job seekers confine their job search to exactly that.

It may sound crazy but job postings are not the number one method employers use to recruit. A good job search strategy includes a number of job search techniques and approaches, including utilizing your network — the number one source of productive job leads.

Understand the importance of a targeted job search

To learn how to uncover opportunities in what’s known as “the hidden job market” educate yourself on a variety of job search strategies to use in addition to searching online postings (you should still apply for positions posted online but that shouldn’t be your only strategy).

Many students panic at the prospect of not finding immediate employment and apply for any and every job that bears even a remote resemblance to their experience or skill set. This is a mistake for a number of reasons…

  1. It’s difficult to succeed at a job that doesn’t mesh with who you are.
    People who do well at their jobs are people who enjoy what they do — and you’re less likely to enjoy your job if you haven’t taken the time to target your job search and direct your efforts at applying for jobs you’re really interested in.
  2. Creating a polished, professional and tailored application package takes time.
    It’s difficult to invest the time and energy into effectively applying for positions you don’t truly care about — which is why applications from students who apply for “anything that comes up” aren’t usually strong enough to be competitive.
  3. Employers can tell when you’re not all that interested.
    When your documents aren’t tailored or you don’t know much about the position or you don’t seem to care about the company, your application shows it. Employers want to hire people who are enthusiastic about the organization and the position being advertised.

So while it may seem like a good idea to bombard the world with your resumé and hope for the best, you’ll experience greater success by really focusing on opportunities that are meaningful to you. That means fewer, stronger applications as opposed to a multitude of weak ones.

Handouts

Additional Resources

Experience York

Responding to online postings shouldn’t be your only job search strategy but it should definitely be a part of your strategy.

York University Career Centre’s online job posting system

Experience York (Career Centre’s online job posting system): Search for and apply to full-time, part-time, internship, summer and volunteer opportunities. Each year thousands of employers post over 10,000 opportunities for York University students and new graduates.

About Experience York

York University champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Through cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design, diverse experiential learning and a supportive community environment, our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Experience York is our one-stop-shop for students to apply to a full range of jobs and experiential learning opportunities, register for programs and activities that support their personal, academic and professional development and reflect upon and track their skills development. Experience York will provide employers and community partners with an intuitive user experience for recruiting York students for a full range of career and experiential learning opportunities. The new system will also allow York’s faculty and staff partners to manage, track and report on their students’ experiential learning activities.

General Job Posting Sites

Job search Apps

  • Swob: The “Tinder” for jobs, students looking for a job can now search in the comfort of their own phone. Swob is the first of its kind to target students in high turnover industries such as retail and foodservice for part-time, seasonal and full-time employment.

Job search Websites

  • Adzuna Canada : Job search engine sourcing 100+ thousand jobs and internships from hundreds of sites and providing statistics for job-seeking students.
  • Canadajobs.com: Canada’s source for job search “how-to” articles and tips.
  • CareerBuilder: Search for jobs in Canada and around the world.
  • Career Edge: Search for paid internships in non-regulated professions. Career Edge partner with employers to connect them with qualified candidates, including recent graduates, recent graduates with disabilities, newcomers to Canada, and members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
  • Eluta.ca: Search for new jobs in Canada.
  • Government of Canada – Federal Jobs: Search for current government job postings.
  • Government of Canada – Job Bank: Search for jobs in Canada.
  • Indeed: Search jobs, upload Resumé and research companies.
  • JobGurus: Job search engine to discover jobs from thousands of employer and career sites across Canada.
  • Jobs in GTA : A shared platform that connects employers and job seekers in the GTA to be able to hire and get hired.
  • Jooble : A job search engine to get links to job postings from more than 9550 different job sites throughout Canada.
  • Ontario Public Service Careers: Job postings within the Ontario government
  • Ontario WorkInfoNET: See links to work- and career-related websites in Ontario. There are also WorkInfoNets for each province and territory across Canada.
  • TalentEgg: Search for co-op, internship, entry level positions, summer jobs, student jobs, full-time and part-time work. Access career guides to explore various career paths and related resources.
  • Working.com: Search for jobs across Canada, get career advice, and read about current labour market trends.
  • Workopolis.com: Lists a variety of job opportunities.
  • Wowjobs: Search more than 100,000 jobs from thousands of job boards, classifieds and company sites in Canada.

 

Targeted Job Search Sites

Targeted job posting websites can be a good resource for identifying specific types of positions aimed at particular populations, or jobs in a particular field.

Working Abroad

  • Adzuna: Job search engine sourcing 100+ thousand jobs and internships from hundreds of sites and providing statistics for job-seeking students.
  • GoinGlobal: Career and employment resources including world-wide job and internship listings, corporate profiles and country-specific career information. Constantly-updated content on work permit/visa regulations, resumé writing guidelines and examples, employment trends, salary ranges, networking groups, cultural/interviewing advice and more.
  • International Experience Canada: This program is offered by the Government of Canada and gives youth the opportunity to travel and work in Canada for up to 2 years.
  • International Studies Abroad (ISA) : Offers unpaid international internships to students and new graduates. Participants have the opportunity to gain professional experience abroad in a wide variety of fields.
  • Oxford Seminars.ca: Free resources to help you prepare for the TESOL/TESL/TEFL, LSAT, GMAT, GRE and MCAT.
  • SwissDevJobs.ch: A job board dedicated for the Swiss tech industry to find opportunities based on expected salary, technologies and location.

Career Exploration & Job Search Tools

  • Career Cruising: Research and explore detailed information about careers and educational programs using this multimedia online resource.
  • Professional organizations and associations are an excellent way to learn more about a career of interest, professional designations, and networking opportunities (e.g. memberships, conferences). For additional professional associations visit the Career Cruising website; login information and the link to the site can be found on the Career Centre home page of Experience York, under CAREER DEVELOPMENT TOOLS.
  • Career Exploration Guide: The most important element in finding a career that’s right for you is you! The Career Centre’s Career Exploration Guide is a new career assessment tool that contains exercises to help you identify your personal characteristics and type, interests, abilities, skills, values and curiosities.
  • Careers 2030: Gives a sneak peek into the careers and workplace needs of the future with articles and links about changes to the workplace, sorted by sector. Read about sources of change that are affecting future careers and the workforce.
  • Glassdoor: A free resource that offers an inside look at jobs and companies in North America and 10 other countries (including Austria, Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom).
  • GoinGlobal: Career and employment resources including world-wide job and internship listings, corporate profiles and country-specific career information. Constantly-updated content on work permit/visa regulations, résumé writing guidelines and examples, employment trends, salary ranges, networking groups, cultural/interviewing advice and more.
  • Government of Canada: Look at your skills and interests, look at the world of work, make a plan, and manage your career.
  • Government of Canada – Public Service Recruitment Programs: Learn about programs for students and graduates.
  • Government of Canada – Services for Youth: Find out what you need to know about the world of work.
  • Résumé Target: This free career resource for York students has articles with career and job-search advice, as well as a job posting system and links to résumé templates (though remember that every résumé you write should be tailored to the position you’re applying for, so never cut & paste from a template. Use the templates as a reference only!)
  • Talent Egg: A Canadian career resource with job postings for internship and entry-level positions, information about Canada’s top employers, articles and resources for students starting out in their first jobs, as well as a discussion board and an online magazine called, Career Incubator!