Simply Hired Blog

Ask not what an employer can do for you…

…but what you can do for an employer.

This simple switch can really help you stand out to potential employers during your search. Every job seeker is looking for an employer they would like to work for, otherwise they wouldn’t apply. However, it is the job seekers that show those employers how they meet the needs of their company that stand out from the crowd.

At what point can you start branding yourself to potential employers as the answer to all their problems? It begins with your presence on social networks. Within your various social profiles, carve out a niche for yourself. Develop an expertise in something and participate with others with similar interests to become a master of a certain industry, skill, etc. Also, turn your profiles into a kind of resume, inserting a quick self-pitch in your bio, and get recommendations from past coworkers on professional networking sites such as LinkedIn so potential employers can easily see that your past work backs up what you say you can do. (Read more about building your social media presence in this blog post: Finding Jobs Using Social Media.)

The self branding continues with your cover letter and resume. In your cover letter, highlight your uniqueness – they ways in which your background, experience, and education blend together to make you the perfect fit for a given position. In addition, make sure your resume reflects what the employer is looking for. How do you know? The job description, of course! If the job description says they need a person who has experience manning a register, and you have that experience, don’t forget to include that specifically in your resume.

If you get called in for an interview, the self branding carries on! Make sure you do your research about the company before you go in for your interview. Assess where you can fit as a solution to a problem they’ve been having. Are they looking for an HR representative? Do you have a track record of hiring great people in previous positions? Let them know! Instead of just telling your interviewer that you can make a difference, make sure to support your statements with specific examples of how you can accomplish that.

Got Skills?

A successful job search does not always result from searching by job titles, because those searches limit yourself to jobs that you can think of. But it’s near impossible to think of every possible job we may qualify for, especially if we have worked within a specific industry or type of job for a long time. However many more opportunities await if you search by skill instead.

Searching by skill allows you to view thousands of jobs that require someone with your background, many of which you would have never though of. For example, say you’ve been working as a calculus teacher for the past 10 years and are looking for something new. Well, did you know calculus is also a desired skill for business analysts, quantitative analysts, research analysts, economists, and even software engineers?

Skill searching helps you find jobs that you are more likely to be qualified for, since only results with the skills you have appear in your results. It can also open you up to opportunities you might not have thought were even options for you. The possibilities can be endless!

Home Sweet Home

The first time you visited the Simply Hired homepage, I’m sure you were impressed with how simple and sleek it was, with only the Keyword and Location fields, a nifty description of what Simply Hired does, and a list of job categories to jump start your search. However, if you visit the homepage again, you’ll find a different surprise.

The returning user homepage has a number of features to help you quickly continue your search. Near the top of the page, you will see the number of jobs that have been added since your last visit. In addition, under the search fields, you’ll see a list of your recent searches along with a count of the new jobs that match that search and links to those jobs. You’ll also find quick links to set up email alerts or RSS feeds for your favorite searches.

In addition, if you’re a power user, you can click on one of the three lovely icons below your searches to get more out of your search, including a link to creating a new job email alert, checking out typical salaries for jobs you’re looking for, or viewing the employment trends of job titles, skills or industries of interest.

So as soon as you log on to SimplyHired.com, you can continue your search right where you left off!

Just Browsing Around

I admit, I’m towards the far end of the spectrum in terms of indecisiveness. Conversations that happen way too often include:

Sales person: “Can I help you find anything today?”
Me: “No, thanks. I’m just looking around.”

Parent: “What are you doing with your life? What do you want to be doing in 5 years?”
Me: “I have absolutely no idea. Hopefully I’ll still be alive. That’s a start, right?”

Whether you’re as indecisive as I am, or you just want to do a quick search of jobs in your area, you can use Simply Hired’s Browse Jobs option. Browse Jobs allows you to view job listings based on a broader criteria, such as job category, location, company name, or industry.

New users will see a portion of the Browse capabilities on the homepage in the form of links to job listings by category, such as Accounting / Finance, Healthcare / Nursing, Part Time. Beneath these categories, you will find more browsing capabilities by following the link to Browse Job Listings. It can also be found by clicking the Browse Jobs link on the bottom of the homepage or top of any search results page.

The Browse Jobs area is a great way for you to get started with a search. For instance, say you are interested in retail jobs. By clicking Retail & Warehouse Jobs, you are taken to a more specific browse page with even more specific categories of jobs within the industry such as General Merchandise Stores, Food Wholesalers and even Nonstore Retailers. These take you to search results pages where you can find actual job listings and further narrow down your search to find your perfect job!

Even if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for in your next job, we can start you in the right direction.

Get Organized with Simply Hired Accounts

It’s August, and the sweet scents of freshly sharpened pencils, binders filled with lined paper and Elmer’s glue are in the air. If you have kids, you’ll know that the start of the school year is coming up for many students of all ages. Since going from 0 to 60 in terms of schedules can be hard to handle, this is the perfect time to get organized.

Fortunately, Simply Hired has a tool which purpose is to save, organize and manage everything you need in your job search. By creating a Simply Hired account, you can:

- save and manage your searches.
- create, manage and edit your email alerts.
- see jobs you've viewed.
- see jobs you've mapped.
- rate and save notes about jobs you have viewed.
- block specific companies or sites from appearing in your searches.

While you have most of these functions even without an account, if you clear your browser's cache or cookies, this information is lost. A Simply Hired account allows you to save and access your saved information anytime, anyplace. Think of it as your personal job search Trapper Keeper that you can bring with you wherever you go.

Good luck and don’t forget to pack a bagged lunch!

Note: One of the questions we get the most is in regards to email alerts vs. accounts. Many users request that their accounts be closed while they actually want to cancel their email alerts. However subscribing to email alerts does not automatically create an account for you. You cannot cancel email alerts by closing your account and likewise, unsubscribing from email alerts has no effect on your account. What an account DOES do is allow you to manage your email alerts. Instead of unsubscribing to each of your job alerts through your email, you can log into your account and click on the Alerts tab to view, edit or unsubscribe to any and all of your alerts.