Finding a Job - Less Likely Places to Look

Everyone needs a job.  Preferably one that pays enough to keep the lights on.  It's a fact of life and applies to all of us.  Unless you were born into money.  And if you were, you're probably not reading this so we're just going to assume that anyone reading this needs a job.

But where do you find one?  There are lots of job boards like Monster and Indeed.  You post your resume, look for and apply to jobs listed and then sit back and wait.  And wait.  So you try another approach.  LinkedIn has jobs listed so you go there.  Now, this is actually a really good idea.  You can find jobs listed that you can apply for but before you go through what can be a lengthy process you can also see how many other people have already applied.  When you go to click the "apply" button it usually says just below the button how many others have clicked or applied.  If it's a high number you're probably better off continuing your search.  But if it's only a few it may be worth your time.

Related: Using LinkedIn

These are the most common places and approach to finding a job but not where you'll probably end up getting one.  Things have changed quite a bit in the last few years and old methods no longer work.  The best way is to use your network.  Let people know you're looking and ask if anyone has any leads for you.  It's ok to ask.  When they're in the same position, they're going to ask you.  But there are other places to look for jobs that you may not have thought of.  And if you haven't thought of it, chances are most other people haven't either.  Which means your likelihood of landing that interview increases because you have less competition.  And in today's hyper competitive job market, less competition is a fantastic 
thing.

Related: How a Positive Attitude Helps Your Job Search

The first place you should wander on over to is Craigslist.  We all know Craigslist has job listings but how many of you actually go look?  And how many of you go back on a regular basis and keep checking?  Probably not many which means less competition.  Another great thing about Craigslist is that when you send in your resume it ends up in the hands of a person who will look at it.  When you apply to the big job boards your resume is filtered through a program designed to look for certain keywords.  If your resume doesn't have those keywords or not enough of them, it gets deleted and no actual human ever sees it.  And what are those keywords, you ask?  Only the person who set up the filter knows that.  And they're not talking.  That doesn't happen on Craigslist so at the very least you know someone will actually see your resume.

Another great place to look is Mashable.  They're an online magazine that specializes in technology articles and information as it relates to business in various industries.  They have a really good job search page.  You can find it here.  It lists jobs from all over the US and allows you to filter based on location, company and job category.  Even if you don't have tech skills like writing code you should take a look.  Even tech companies need admin and HR help.  And again, since this isn't an overly common place to look for a job you'll have less competition and more chance that you'll get noticed.  You'll also find more interesting jobs listed.  More interesting is always better.  

So next time you're cruising around the interwebs after having filled out lengthy, time consuming applications take a minute to search the news or social media site you're on.  See if they have a jobs list, even if it's just for that particular company.  You never know, you may just find your next job where no one else thought to look.