Job hunting using your PC and the internet

Helping hands
National and local newspapers have moved from providing classified ads in the back of their publications to an expanse of online opportunities offering jobs from IT to healthcare.

Among the most prominent are The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Sun and The Mirror.

Local jobs are often easier to find if you look in a local newspaper. For a simple way to track down all your local newspapers, go to http://news.mysociety.org and type in your postcode.

If you are unsure about the career path you want to follow, you could opt for specific job-hunting sites such as Workthing, Monster and Total Jobs.

These have been specifically set up to offer a wide range of jobs, that you can search through by clicking on a sector, or searching by keywords.

This will let you enter exactly what you are looking for, including salary and the distance you are willing to travel from home.

Make sure you put in as much information as possible here to get the best results. Like Direct Gov, these sites also give information on the best way to go about getting the job you want.

Total Jobs, for example has a graduate zone, which gives information about companies recruiting specifically for recent graduates and information about c ompany graduate schemes. For the general job hunter there are also tips on how to produce a good CV and interview tips.

All three sites also let you sign up to receive email alerts about newly available jobs that match your chosen criteria. You can also go a step further and set up an RSS feed from one of these job sites to get the latest vacancies before people who simply visit the website.

If you want to refine your search a bit more then you may also want to consider a website that specialises in the industry you want to be in.

There’s a recruitment site for just about every line of work. To find those suitable for you, go to Google and type the sort of job you’re looking for with a ‘+’ sign and the word ‘jobs’.

Those looking for something a bit different could also try Gumtree. This is a classified advertisement site that lists jobs ranging from modelling and acting to hairdressing and teaching.

However, as the content posted on the site is not moderated it is advisable to be careful. In rare cases, sites such as these can be used by fraudsters, asking for a fee to help set you up with jobs offering high salaries.