Jul 22, 2010

Internet Job Searches - The Keyword is the Key

The prospect of looking for work is a scary one, but it’s a fact of life for many of us; either you’re dealing with a lay off, or you’re looking to cash in your education, or you simply long for a better work life.

The pickings are slim out there and with companies tightening their belts, creative departments are taking a huge hit. Small to medium-sized firms now choose to make due with the few folks they have.

So, how do you ensure that you’re not missing out on jobs when searching online???

Choose Relevant Keywords

You’re a graphic designer. You want a graphic design job. Think about where you want to work: the government, retail, hospitals or medical centers, fashion, colleges, etc. Be precise and narrow down your industry. Then make a list of things associated with your industry. Let’s take hospitals as an example.

Associated terms: hospital, medical, non profit (all hospitals fit in this category), health care, allied health, etc.
You are a ‘Graphic Designer”. So, that will, of course be a search term. Maybe not. Many companies still use the term graphic artist, so think about simply using the word “graphic” or "graphics"

Associated terms: design, **UI or UX (Web design terms), multimedia, graphic art, in-house design, communications, marketing (yep!), pre-press, creative, etc

Start out with one or two keywords. Then, as you continue with your search session, switch out your keywords and see what different options pop up.

Look at your results. Are there terms in the posted jobs that are relevant to you? Add them to your list, and use them in the next keyword search.

Be Search Engine Savvy

There are tons of job search websites that can be helpful in your pursuits. I’m partial to a site called SimplyHired.com (SH). SH pulls jobs from dozens of different websites. In a recent search I found positions originating on dozens of different websites including job sites, company sites, and headhunter and consultant sites.

For me SH was the perfect one stop shop—it’s where I found my current job—but it’s not necessarily for everyone. Here’s a nice long list of search sites that have yielded good results for graphic designers I know in this region: