Graduate job hunting has gone digital-and university leavers should make the most of the technological tools and tricks available to them.
All graduate job applications begin online-emailing CVs, filling out online application forms, recording video interviews-and it is time you took advantage of what your internet browser can do for you.
While making the switch to Chrome or Firefox and learning how to navigate a Google search bar are good first steps, there are a lot of clever apps and add-ons out there designed to make your life easier. Here are our top recommendations to boost your online job hunt-from upping productivity and slashing procrastination to streamlining the monotony of data input.
The basics
To get you up to speed with the best hacks for graduate job hunting this blog focuses on two browsers-Google Chrome and Mozilla's Firefox-as these are the most reliable and speedy for our purposes.
New Tabs
The most annoying part of looking at job postings is flicking between lists of jobs and their descriptions. All graduate jobs hunters should be using new tabs. This is the simplest way of shortlisting jobs you might be interested in and keeping track of where you are in your sector or location list.
How? Just hold Ctrl/Cmd and click.
Spellcheck
Another basic, did you know you can install a spellchecker on your browser? No matter how annoying or cumbersome it might seem, these plugins and extensions ensure you are not misspelling or using poor grammar in cover letters or application form answers. A definite must if your spelling is not top notch.
We recommend: Grammarly
Autofill
Job applications can quickly become monotonous when you are repeatedly entering the same basic information into one form after another. Save yourself some time and enable your browser to start collecting autofill options, which will allow you to enter repetitive information quickly.
How well this works will depend on how the employer's site is set up for you to enter your data, but if you can make use of autofill, it will allow you to skip the monotony of typing in your contact details (and other info) over and over. A word of caution-always check to make sure your autofill has entered the correct information. You don't want to accidentally apply for a job on your sister's behalf.
Available on: All good internet browsers.
Now let's get technical...
Browsers like Chrome and Firefox offer many ways to tailor your browser for your needs. There are a range of fantastic Add-Ons (Firefox) and Apps (Chrome) which can help you with your graduate job hunt.
Block out distractions
Like all internet-savvy people, we are prone to falling down the rabbit hole and losing hours to Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia and even the BBC. For those of you who are easily distracted, there are Apps/Add-Ons which can help you block out such time-sapping temptations.
You may have used these during essay season to help you focus on meeting deadlines-the same principle applies here. Many of these extensions allow you to lock yourself out of specific websites for a set period of time.
We recommend: StayFocusd (Chrome) or FocusBlocker (Firefox)
Save things for later
Shortlisting jobs can be a pain. You line up four or five jobs you like the look of-but you don't have the time to read through them all in detail with work/a lecture/the pub quiz in an hour. Step forward: Pocket app. Working in conjunction with your smart phone, Pocket allows you to save pages to read later offline.
Available on both Firefox and Chrome, Pocket gives you the chance to review job descriptions or company information on the go. The functionality means you can shortlist your jobs at home and then consider your career options while you are on the bus to uni or the train to work. The app also works for news articles and features-but we cannot officially condone such distractions.
Get Pocket: Don't let the job hunting stop when you leave your laptop.
Prioritise
With job hunting it is important to get your priorities in order and stay focused. Website blockers limit distractions, but never underestimate your own ability to procrastinate. Consider using a smart app which allows you to build to-do lists in your browser so you can keep your job hunting on track.
Apps/Add-ons like Dayboard, Prioritab or ToDoList offer you easy ways to structure your allotted job hunting time. These apps can help combat the lethargy that seeps in when trudging through extensive job applications.
We recommend: Dayboard
With so many quick hacks to help you streamline and work smarter, graduate job hunting need not take hours upon hours. By concentrating and taking advantage of these tricks, techniques, Apps and Add-ons, you will increase your productivity-and bring yourself closer to landing your graduate job.