With the national unemployment rate under 5% on average, recruiters are often seeking out passive candidates (candidates that don’t actively apply to their job openings).  If you’re on a job search, I think it’s important to actively apply to openings every day, but it’d also be great to get a message from one of these recruiters without having to do much of the work yourself. In order to be “found,” make sure you have a presence online in a few different ways:

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the #1 professional social media site and it’s imperative you create a profile on it if you’re looking for a job.  Not only are there a ton of jobs posted on LinkedIn, there are a bunch of recruiters out there using LinkedIn as a potential candidate database.  To make sure you have a great profile, use some of the tips we’ve written about over the years.

Indeed

Indeed.com is a job search engine – it collects job listings from over 1,500 job boards and is considered a “one stop shop” for relevant job openings in your area.  Another feature of Indeed is the resume database.  Right on the homepage, there’s a link in the top right corner that says, “upload your resume.”  The resume database is an easy and affordable option for recruiters to search from and contact candidates that potentially meet their requirements.  With one click, you can make your information available to any recruiter that might be looking for exactly what you have to offer.

Professional Industry Associations

Most professional career fields have some sort of association that provides resources to those in that profession  – human resources, marketing, accounting, nurses, IT, law, the list goes on and on – there are literally thousands of different associations around that can be a resource for you.  Many of these organizations have a job board to which positions can be posted and a lot of them also have resume databases where you can keep your resume on file for recruiters to have access.  I also recommend attending any networking or educational events hosted by an association, in order to meet others in your profession, or to potentially meet a recruiter.

University Career Centers

Recent college graduates may use their university’s career center as a job search tool, but alumni have access to their services as well.  A university career center often allows recruiters to post job openings for free, creating a valuable way for recruiters to advertise an opening affordably.  Many career centers also have resume databases to which you can upload your resume, as well.

When you’re on a job search, make it easy for recruiters to find you by uploading your resume to as many different resources as you can, and also by creating a professional social media presence on LinkedIn.  If you’d like some more personalized assistance on your job search, check out Purple Ink’s career consulting options.