How to find jobs that match your resume
Most people search a job title, scroll the first page, and apply to whatever looks close. That is why so many applications go unanswered: the job asked for skills or years of experience the resume doesn't show. A better approach takes a little more thought at the start and saves hours later.
1. Start from your resume, not the job title
Write down three things from your own resume before you search: the job title you are closest to today, your real years of experience, and the eight to ten skills you can talk about in an interview. These are what recruiters match against, so they are what you should match against too.
2. Search the same title on more than one job board
Naukri, LinkedIn, Indeed and Glassdoor each carry jobs the others don't. The same company may post on one board only, and a recruiter may post the same job on three. Search your title on each board, for your city and for remote work, and limit the results to the last few days so you see live openings.
3. Read the requirements, not the perks
For every promising post, find two lines: the experience range ("2 to 4 years") and the must-have skills. If the job asks for 6 years and you have 2, move on, however good it looks. If it lists eight skills and you have six, it is worth your time.
4. Give each job a quick fit score
- Skills: how many of the listed skills appear in your resume?
- Experience: are you inside the range, or within a year of it?
- Title: is it the job you are aiming for, or a level above or below?
Jobs that do well on all three go to the top of your list. Apply to those first, and apply quickly; good openings get most of their applications in the first few days.
5. Fix the gaps that keep coming up
After twenty or thirty posts you will notice the same missing skill again and again: Tableau for analysts, Docker for developers, GST for accountants. If you already have that skill, add it to your resume with an example. If you don't, it is the best thing to learn next.
6. Keep track of what you applied to
Note the company, the date and the status of every application. It stops you applying twice, and tells you when to follow up, usually after a week.