Once upon a time in the Philippines, hiring and job hunting all came down to a combination of luck, geography, and personal connections. This is a lot less true these days thanks to the wider adoption of technology by Filipino recruiters and applicants.
If you’re on the hunt for a new job, here are some simple ways you can use technology to give you an advantage:
1.) Use online job portals
In the Philippines, job hiring portals are now one of the first places job hunters check when they’re looking for new jobs. However, they’re not all appropriate for all kinds of jobs. For instance, some popular job sites are only useful for certain industries or for finding openings in certain areas, such as Metro Manila. Be sure to use a selection of job sites, prioritizing the ones that have good localization features for a more relevant job search.
2.) Use mobile job apps
Mobile job apps can make it simple to update your online resume, get alerts for relevant job openings, and even apply for jobs as soon as the openings become available. One of the most useful features some of these apps provide is the ability to monitor the progress of your different job applications with different organizations.
3.) Create a professional portfolio site
Regardless of whether you’re a fresh graduate or have years of experience in the professional world, you can expand your opportunities by setting up a professional website. A portfolio site can be as simple as a more expanded version of your CV, minus any sensitive personal details. Given that recruiters may use search engines to look at the viability of different applicants in detail, the mere fact you have a professional portfolio site can do a lot to shift their opinion in your favor.
A professional website does not have to be especially fancy unless you are a web designer or a creative worker. However, regardless of your field, it needs to be clean and easily navigated. Most of all, it should project the type of professional image you want to present to the world.
4.) Use spreadsheets to help organize your search
Spreadsheets are perhaps one of the most underrated tools for job hunting out there. Even if you don’t know the first thing about pivot tables and formulas, you can still easily use your favorite spreadsheet app to help organize your search.
While you might be able to keep mental track of one or two job applications, keeping on top of more than this can be as hectic as some actual jobs. Spreadsheets make it easy to arrange and organize your progress through different applications and can be a good way of reminding you which organizations called back and which ones you should follow up with.
You can do this any way you want, but we suggest arranging applications by application date, contact numbers, contact emails, the name of the referrer, and notes on communications and progress.
5.) Apply SEO techniques to digital resumes and cover letters
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of organizing content and other data so that it is easily found on a search engine. While there is a misconception that SEO is only useful for web content that needs to be found on Google and other popular search engines, they are also used to find other content for other purposes, such as in resume sorting.
While automatic resume screening is not yet standard in the Philippines, jobs that are contested by hundreds of applicants are extremely likely to use some form of automated screening. Recruiters and managers may use default email search functions or more sophisticated resume-sorting apps for this purpose. In large businesses that go through hundreds or even thousands of applicants a week, these applications don’t just save time, they also play an important part in the decision-making process of hiring managers.
By figuring out what specific skills a business is looking for, you can design your submitted resume and cover letters so that they are easily found by hiring managers. You can use exact keyword matches from the job posting as well as simple, straightforward formatting to help your application rise to the top.
6.) Gather relevant certification through online courses
Having the right certifications can boost the chances of scoring the jobs you want. Just a generation ago, it wasn’t always possible to get the certification you needed if you lived in the wrong place. Today, sites such as Coursera, Skillshare, and Udemy offer a simple way to earn different types of certification online.
While online courses are a good way to earn the type of certification you need for a position, they’re also excellent for brushing up on things you already learned but might have forgotten. Even if you already have certification, it may be worthwhile to look up these online classes regardless, as there may be new developments in your field that you might have missed.
Technology hasn’t just changed the way we do our jobs, but the way we find them as well. Make sure to look up the tools and strategies we suggested above for a more comprehensive job hunt. Good luck and good hunting!
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