We hear the same thing time and again, “I don’t know where to look for jobs!” The good news is that jobs can be found in many different places.

You could start with your network. If you do not tell people you are looking for work, then nobody will ever know and be able to help you. Think of how many people each person in your network knows. If you tell just a handful of people what kind of a job you are looking for, chances are good that one of them knows someone they can connect you with for more information.

Another place to look is in your local paper. Lots of companies will post their job vacancies in the local classified ads. Remember though, the competition will be fierce for these jobs because so many job seekers begin their job search in the local classified ads.

You could also check out local community boards. Many companies will source out local free community boards to post their vacancies. Usually the employers are close by too!

WorkBC Employment Services Centres are a great place to find jobs because lots of employers build relationships with these centres and will send their job vacancies to the centres before advertising through other mediums.

Online job boards like Craigslist, Monster, or Workopolis are just like your local classified ads in the papers, except they are online. Thus, you must have access to a computer and have some computer skills. Again, however, the competition for these jobs will be aggressive.

If you are comfortable using social media, you may want to consider building a profile and searching for jobs on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is like Facebook for professionals. It is a great networking tool if you use it appropriately. Join groups, share relevant content, and comment on others’ posts.

One of our favourite ways to search for jobs is at hiring fairs. You will find advertisements for hiring fairs in any one of the aforementioned places. The difference with hiring fairs is that you get to go and meet the people responsible for hiring face-to-face! If you have a winning smile and a charismatic personality, you are sure to shine at a hiring fair.