Google Search Tips & Tricks For Your Job Search: Find The Information You Need When You Need It
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“Google it”! How often have you heard that? Whether it’s to do some research, find directions, check show times or settle a bet, you’ve probably used the “googlelator” to find information about one thing or another. But have you ever used Google for assistance with your job search? If so, you know how much help it can be. If not, read on as we introduce you to Google search tips and tricks for your job search so that you can find the information you need when you need it.


“Wait’, you say, ‘Google? Shouldn’t I be spending my online time on sites like Monster, Indeed, CareerBuilder, and LinkedIn”? Well of course. You should continue to employ search techniques that have worked for you in the past. We’re simply suggesting that the effective use of Google will enhance your job search by making more relevant information available to you.

Before we get started, there are two important things to remember:

1.What gets posted on the Internet stays on the Internet; and

2.If it’s on the Internet, Google will most likely find it.

We’ll get back to those words of caution soon but before we do, here’s how to use Google to find a job.

Plan the plan. If you’ve spent any time browsing the web (and who hasn’t?), you know how easy it is to go off on some wild tangent. One minute you’re reading the Washington Post. Then, before you know it, it’s an hour later and you’re watching kitty videos.

News flash: You’re not going to learn much by doing that, and you sure as heck won’t find a job that way. So before you implement your Google job search, you should have a strategy. And stick to it. Be clear about what you’re looking for. Actually write your research question and goals on a piece of paper that you keep nearby as you search. This will help you stay focused.

Another warning: Don’t get tangled up in a fruitless search – set a time limit for each search; if you don’t, you’ll find yourself disappearing down a rabbit hole, ultimately resurfacing with nothing to show for it aside from anger about all the time you just wasted.

To get the most out of Google, you need to use it wisely. Although the search engine organizes information very well, it will usually only find what you ask it to find. If you ask it general questions, you’re going to get general answers or the type of information that most other people are looking for. You probably won’t get the level of detail you want, however. If you’re not yet fully comfortable conducting an Internet search using Google, you might want to hone your skills a bit before you rely on them in your job search.

Conduct a comprehensive search. As a job seeker, here are the types of items you will likely want to include when you Google:

◾The industry (trade publications, industry websites, blogs)

◾Specific companies

◾Specific individuals (your interviewer, CFO, CEO, or contact)

◾News releases/newspaper articles

◾Stock market performance for publicly traded companies

◾Search for Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and other social media accounts. These can provide you a great deal of information, much of it unofficial, about the company, its philosophy, corporate culture and the level of satisfaction of both employees and customers. You may, in fact, find out more about what you want to know than you actually want to know! Comment threads/posts are often full of unedited and unsolicited opinions or complaints. They may not all be accurate, but they may give you pause or provide you with things to ask about an interview.

Organize your results. How often have you “Googled” something, found what you wanted, and promptly closed the tab without bookmarking it or printing the relevant page(s)? We see you nodding your head. Exactly. Set up a folder in your Bookmarks (or “Favorites”) for each industry, employer, or simply each job search. This will be especially helpful if you’re one of those people who routinely deletes the history of their Internet activity (something we recommend by the way, especially on your computer at work). Bookmarks make retracing your steps a simple task, enable you to quickly refer to search results to look for some detail you know you’ve seen but can’t quite remember, and helps you to follow-up on your efforts. If creating bookmarks sounds like too much work (seriously?), setting up a Google account permits you to enable Google Web History, making it even easier to revisit your past searches.