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In today’s post: There are some work-at-home jobs that seem to be filled as quickly as they are posted. Here are a few ways to get alerts for your favorite online job leads.
Some remote positions are incredibly popular, like Amazon’s seasonal customer service roles and Ad Quality Rater positions. So, when companies like these post an opening, tons of people are ready to apply. Often these job posts are taken down within 24 hours due to such high response. That means if you aren’t looking at the right time, you may miss out again.
But, manually checking each site on a daily basis isn’t realistic. You’ve got other things to do with your time.
The good news? There are other ways to find out when positions open up at your favorite work-at-home company. Here are five strategies you can use to receive online job alerts about these coveted positions. Then you can apply right away when they open and increase your odds of landing your dream gig.
1. Turn on Job Board Alerts
One huge benefit of using a job board like FlexJobs is that you can turn on alerts. You can set up specific criteria about the job you are searching for. Then, if a job that matches comes in, you will immediately get notified. These notifications can help you beat the crowd and apply early.
To keep your inbox from getting bombarded with jobs that aren’t what you’re looking for, carefully set the filters for your alerts. The filters you can choose from vary between job boards, but they will typically have options like these:
- Job category
- Job type
- Minimum rate
- Company name
- Job title
Often you can create multiple alerts, which is helpful if you’re looking for a couple of different types of jobs.
Depending on the job board, you may be able to select when you want to get notified. Real-time and daily digest are two common options. Real-time notifies you when the job posting goes live. Daily digests hold onto all jobs that meet your criteria and notifies you of all of them at once each day. For most jobs, daily digest will work, and this option will limit the number of emails you receive. But, if you’re applying for a highly competitive job, learning about it immediately can help.
2. Join the Applicant Pool
Some companies collect contact information and resumes for interested candidates, even if they aren’t currently hiring. By joining the applicant pool, your application will be on file when openings occur.
The exact process for joining the pool varies from company to company. Sometimes you simply email a specific person in the human resources department. Other times, you will need to complete a full application.
After you’ve submitted the required information, the company will hold onto it for a specific time frame. Often this is one year, but most companies will provide these details on their websites.
If a job you’re interested in opens, there are two common results as a member of the applicant pool. Some companies use applicant tracking systems to search for qualified candidates and will automatically move your application forward if they deem you to be a good fit. Other companies will simply notify the applicant pool that they are hiring, so you can fill out the application.
Always read the directions carefully when providing your information to an applicant pool. These should answer many of your questions about how the process works for that specific company.
3. Sign Up for Company Notifications
Some companies allow you to sign up for notifications. You enter your email, and then any time a job is posted, you get notified. The exact process will depend on the company. Some companies let you filter the notifications depending on job category or type. Others will notify you for each position they post. Either way, it’s a good way to learn about openings directly from the company you want to work with.
4. Create a Google Alert
When you create a Google Alert, you can monitor activity without having to do a Google search manually. The process is straightforward and begins at the Google Alerts homepage.
Enter your search query in the box. If your keyword has more than one word, you want to use quotes, so Google sees it as a phrase and not individual words. You can use Boolean operators to get more specific with your keywords. This can use the word or to select options, and use -site to exclude certain sites.
For instance, if you’re looking for a virtual assistant role in the San Diego area, but don’t want results from ZipRecruiter or Indeed, you could type in:
- “virtual assistant job” (San Diego or remote) -site:indeed.com -site:ziprecruiter.com
By getting specific, you will minimize the number of alerts you get. So much content is uploaded to the internet daily, and you don’t want to have to waste time sifting through your email alerts.
As you type in your search query, you can see examples. Keep trying different combinations until you think you have it right. Then, you can click the “Show Options” button to personalize your alert.
Decide how often you want to get notified. Currently, you can choose one of three options:
- As it happens
- At most once a day
- At most once a week
For highly competitive jobs, as it happens is probably the best. For less time-sensitive alerts, you can opt for the daily or weekly digest.
You can also select the language, types of sources, region, and more. Once your alert terms are set, click the “Create Alert” button to have it begin searching. Now whenever there’s a match, you’ll get an email.
5. Use a Zap
Have you ever used Zapier? It’s a great way to automate your job search (and other things in your life!)
While there are paid Zapier plans, the free version can help you keep track of job listings for a few of your top companies. Once you sign in to your Zapier account, you’ll need to create a new Zap.
When creating Zaps, you want to think in terms of “if this, then that.” So, if the Amazon jobs RSS feed posts a new job, you can set it up so you get an email or even a text message. To do this, you must customize your Zap.
You need to select “RSS by Zapier” as your Trigger. Then, you select your email account (like Gmail) as the second app. Then you add the details. Fill in each required piece of information. Then you have the opportunity to test your Zap and make sure it works. If you’d prefer a text message, use an SMS app like Send SMS (which is free).
Setting up your Zap will take a little time, especially if it’s your first time using it. But it will save you tons of time in the long run. Any time a new job is posted to that RSS feed, you will get a message about it.
These five strategies can help you land your dream work-at-home job. They’ll help you see postings quickly, so you can apply early. And for hot jobs, that’s essential.
