Blog - Make the most of the internet for job-seeking

Job-seeking blogger Ioana Lazarov tells how the internet has come to her rescue as she tries to find a job in recessionary times.

I was somewhat relieved that the new debates surrounding the upcoming 2015 elections (bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11426407) have succeeded in shifting the attention from the drastic budget cut decisions (news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8699522.stm) and the impact on those affected - the recently made redundant, the long-term unemployed or job-seekers, like myself.

Such dramatic headlines keep me restlessly ruminating over the continuous pessimistic portrayal of my employment prospects.

After reading daily such distressing news on the severity of our unstable and unpredictable economy, the feelings of anxiety and despair have kept me seeking for a solution to my dilemma.

How can I get on the job market as a graduate while being overwhelmed by such negative predictions?

During these testing times, I use the internet as the main gateway to up-to-date information regarding job vacancies and potential employers, as well as for career advice and support.

With unavailable funds to invest in career and personal coaching, the online free resources have provided great help in regaining and maintaining my optimism.

Making full use of the internet, I search for inspiration and ideas on how to find a job during recession, job interview tips - especially how to prepare for a job interview and coaching and success strategies that I apply in the everyday pursuit of my dream job.

And although job-seeking has changed drastically, with the great improvements in technology over the past decade, accessibility, convenience, and easiness to use has made the internet one of employers' preferred methods of recruitment and a personal favourite for me.

Depending on availability, I can easily apply to 10-20 jobs a day; within minutes after the email alerts inform me.

And with options of creating a profile that allows me to store my details, with few clicks I completed and submitted my applications, even at unsocial hours.

The online applications supplement my other preferred ways of looking for a job – going on foot to companies and organisations, introducing myself and providing a copy of my CV, inquiring about possible vacancies, internship or volunteering, as well as making prospective phone calls and posting letters with speculative applications.

However, the starting point is always the information gathered on the internet about the companies and organisations I would like to work for.

With a constellation of such innovative ways of job-seeking, exhausting every possible option in finding the job one desires is what gives employment the edge in the 21^st century.