Search Strategies

Tips for Using Search Engines and Job Bulletins

Terminology

Research and gain an understanding of the standard terms in your industry. Use them liberally in your resume, website copy and cover letter. Many employers use software or interns to sort through these materials for key-words that fit their needs.

Coupling

Single terms can lead to results that are overly broad. Below are a couple of strategies for 'coupling'. 'Interactive Designer' can mean either a designer or a programmer. Developer always means programmer. Interactive Graphic Designer always means designer. User experience Designer is a broad term applied to both programmers and designers but puts an emphasis on the understanding of design strategy and usability.When searching, couple terms together like; 'interactive graphic designer' 'multi-media designer' 'user interface designer' 'web-site interface designer'. 'Animator' Can mean motion graphics, cartooning and even programming. When searching, couple words together like; Flash animator, cartoon animator, multimedia animator, motion graphics animator.

Listing Order

Pay attention to the order that Required and Preferred Skills are listed. They will be in order of importance. No-one applying for the position is likely to have all of those skills, so don't let that deter you from applying. If you can say yes to half or more of them, you are probably a viable candidate.

Saying Yes to Listed Skills

We are a 'show me' industry. For every yes, you need several professional level works in your portfolio to back it up.

Keywords are Filters

Start your search using simple coupled terms. If the results are too numerous, re-do the search applying these filters:

• Geographic location

• Software

• Skills you excel at

• Years of Experience (or Entry Level)

• Salary

Calculator Your Experience Level

Consider any freelance projects, school projects with clients, internships and part-time jobs as viable listings on your resume and in you calculation for 'years of experience'.

Systemizing Your Job Search

Set up a document that you can quickly copy your resume line-items, website url and cover letter from. Most applications these days are strictly on-line and often don't give you an opportunity to to send or attach a pre-made document.

Alternative Method for Finding Job Postings

You are probably particularly well-suited to work at or for particular companies. Nearly every piece of media will have a creator or publisher attribution affixed to it. Make a list of those with a good fit and visit their websites. You will be surprised how many have job postings.