Tips and Tricks for Using Job Boards
Career counseling

Travelbestjobs is pretty great (there’s no denying that), but chances are most of you are also using Indeed to aid with your job search efforts. And that’s totally understandable! It’s arguably the most widely-used job board by recruiters right now, which means there are TONS of job postings in pretty much every field (including travel and tourism) on any given day.

The downside, however, to Indeed being so popular is that lots of other candidates like you are using it to apply to these great jobs that are being posted. So how do you make your application stand out from the crowd? Here are some tips and tricks that will help give you a leg up on the competition – And keep in mind, these tips apply to Travelbestjobs as well!

  1. Add your resume and keep it up-to-date

After your profile is set up and ready to go, uploading your resume will allow you to include it with your future applications with a single click. Although you sometimes have the option to apply for jobs directly through a company’s website (using the “original posting” link), applying instantly with your profile and resume is faster and you’ll be able to send out more applications in less time.

Moreover, employers with open positions often use the Indeed Resume feature to search for candidates on the site, so even if you do don’t become aware of an open position right away, having your resume uploaded can help you appear in an employer’s searches. When you have a resume uploaded on Indeed or on Travelbestjobs, this allows employers to contact you directly regarding open opportunities for which you might be a good fit.

2. Set up job alerts

Job alerts are updates that get automatically sent your way when a new position becomes available and fits the criteria you’ve set up. With job alerts activated, you can be one of the first candidates to apply for a job when an employer posts it to Indeed. It never hurts to be one of the first applicants! Companies will often remember the first few candidates to apply, followed by the most recent candidates to apply

You can use this tool to set up a single alert OR multiple alerts with different criteria, and then you can receive the emails daily or weekly. Managing alerts is very easy by going into your profile; through there, you can customize the frequency and type of alerts you receive.

3. Always filter results by location

When you search by job title, salary or industry, you may get hundreds of listings, including positions in areas that are far from where you live or want to live. Browsing positions by location can help you narrow down the search field and view jobs that are close by. Within the search bar, you can include a specific zip code or a city and state to only see open positions in a specific area.

After adding the location, you can then add job titles of positions that interest you or add filters to eliminate some of the positions that don’t interest you as much. So, use this feature every time.

4. Research the company you’re applying to

Although this tip applies to job listings on sites other than Indeed as well, it’s always a good idea to do some of your own research to learn more about a given company. Doing this can help you understand what it might be like to work for them, what their work culture and management style is like, and what their core values are. Doing thorough research will help prepare you for an interview where you might face questions about the business and its history. If you know a lot about the company, you’ll impress them and will stand out from the pack.

Indeed company pages often include reviews, photos, average salaries and questions and answers from current and former employees. You may also learn some details about the company that aren’t available from doing a basic Google search. By doing this extra legwork, you can ensure that the company a good fit for you and you can identify any questions you might have to ask the hiring manager conducting the interview.

Best of luck in your career search. Just keep at it – You’ve got this!

By Dan McDonald

Dan is a Sales and Marketing Development Associate and Webinar Host at Baxter Media. He majored in Communications (CCIT) at the University of Toronto.