By James Murdock, Search Consultant for Gateway Group Personnel

Looking for a job? Then, tackle this process similarly to how you would start a home repair project - put together a plan, gather necessary tools, be strategic, set deadlines and tweak the plan as you go. By starting with a plan and applicable tools, you can determine a clear path and achievable benchmarks to reach the goal you want to achieve.

Each job seeker will have a different plan for success and creating this plan requires a bit of soul searching to know what it should entail. I recommend checking out this Idealist Career article that offers three suggestions for creating a strategy .

Once you develop a strategy, it’s critical for the job searcher to gather critical job search tools. For this post, I have outlined my top four tools that I believe will maximize any job search plan.

1. Linkedin

Think of Linkedin as the power tool in your job search arsenal. Linkedin showcases endless job opportunities, allows you to leverage your background and expertise on a public forum to entice a company or recruiter and keeps you connected with hiring managers, co-workers and countless other contacts. If you don’t have a presence or an updated profile, make this priority one in your job search.   

2. Indeed

Indeed is an exciting, free website that pulls job postings from companies’ websites and compiles them into one list for you to browse. You can set up saved searches where Indeed will email you when an applicable job is posted.

3. Job boards

Job boards, such as CareerBuilder and Monster still provide significant benefits to job searchers.  Although LinkedIn is a much more powerful tool, these job boards still offer an avenue for publicizing your expertise and allow employers and recruiters to see your resume and credentials.

4. Hire me

Just kidding – sort of. Find and use a recruiter you can trust. Enlisting a recruiter that is well networked in your job niche will prove to be invaluable. The right recruiter will receive valuable information about job openings, salary expectations, interview information and connect the dots with the best applicants.  Many companies use recruiters instead of posting their jobs to save time and money. Working with a recruiter offers a short cut to the hiring managers and gives you the benefit of knowing if you’re a good fit for a job – before you walk into the interview.

Using these four tools and coupling them with a thoughtful search strategy will put you on the right track to finding your perfect job. Want more tips? Check out this roundup on The Muse. Good luck and happy hunting!!

James Murdock counts close to nine years with Gateway Group Personnel. He specializes in placing Accounting and Finance professionals, but also has extensive experience recruiting Human Resource, Information Technology, Marketing, Engineering, Purchasing, and Operations Management professionals. Learn more about James here.