When you find yourself unemployed and at home with a blisteringly fast connection, it’s easy to get a bit lazy and rely upon any one of the several employment search engines found on line, exclusively.  If you’re serious about finding a good job and fast, this is a terrible mistake.  Given the massive resources that should compliment such searches, there is no reason to rely upon one type. 

Though there’s nothing wrong with employment search engines themselves, the trick is to keep your search as wide ranging as possible, working your own angles and contacts.  It should also be noted that some of these Meta search engines that index hundreds or thousands of job posting boards have been banned by some of the most popular sites such as Craigslist and Monster.

If you’re looking to work for a large company, employment search engines are valuable tools.  They can allow you to search many pages at once.  Don’t forget that you can get filtered subscription feeds (rss employment feeds) from many search engine sites as well as other news and information.  Feed tools can also be invaluable if your unemployed state is leading toward self employment, as often happens as a result of sudden unemployment.

Sometimes, small businesses that are terrible to work for advertise for applicants on employment search engines because they’ve exhausted the local labor pool due to a bad reputation.  You can avoid problems like this by diligently talking to people who’ve had business and labor relations with the company.  If people react strangely when you talk to them, you might want to dig a little deeper.

When submitting your resume to employment search engines, be sure your copy is absolutely error-free.  Be honest, succinct and precise in your intentions and communications.  You should also withhold overtly personal information, as addresses can be used by identity thieves

If there is a fee involved, you should check to see if there are other employment search engines that can be used without charge.  There’s a great deal of competition, given the large number of job seekers out there when economies turn down.  You do, however, still have to “pay” by having your eyeballs assaulted by flashing and dancing ads.

When conducting a job search, you should use every means at your disposal, not just employment search engines.  For instance, a network of friends and associates often yield a distinct advantage since someone trusted can vouch for your character.  You can also create your dream job and “pitch” it to prospective employers.  The results are surprisingly good if you’re able to be flexible and helpful.