If you’ve exhausted your job search options through online job boards and haven’t had any luck, it’s time to go back to the more traditional and old-fashioned ways of job hunting. These are the methods that can be used alongside a focused online job search to increase your chances of success. Here are a few obvious places to search for a job that may have been overlooked by today’s jobseekers.

Contacting a Company
One way to put yourself out there and get some possible leads is by contacting the company you want to work for directly. If you already have a business in mind, simply go online to its website to get more details about what it may be looking for. Sometimes, companies may have their own internal job postings that haven’t been uploaded to a job board yet. If you don’t see any listed opportunities, you can still email or call one of the managers to find out about potential hiring. The worst that could happen is that you find out there are no openings, so you really have nothing to lose going this route.




Uploading Your Resume
Another effective way to jumpstart your job search is through a resume database website. Uploading your resume to a site like LiveCareer can help you attract some potential opportunities. You can even get extra tips in crafting a great resume that helps get you noticed. Employers get job alert notifications sent to them when a potentially talented job candidate uploads a suitable resume. This way, your resume can work for you while you focus your energy on other places to search for a job and wait for recruiters to contact you if your skills match what they’re looking for.

Networking Online
Another one of the commonly overlooked places is within your own network of contacts. In today’s world, most people have a vast network of people they know through online social media websites. This network of family, friends, former colleagues and acquaintances may help you discover the perfect job opportunity. All you need to do is notify your social network friends that you’re looking for work. Give details about your industry experience and your talents, and ask your contacts for any potential leads. Use Twitter and Facebook as well to do some targeted searches for job specifics in your region. Someone is bound to know an individual who may be looking for a new person to hire.

Using School Resources
Next, you should revisit your former school’s career resources department to get even more potential job leads. Recent graduates or those getting ready to complete their degree should make sure they stop by the career center to get some basic advice to start out with a job search. Even if you graduated from your school many years ago, the staff at your school’s career center could be very helpful to you. Some colleges may hold periodic job fairs for former graduates, so inquire to find out how to sign up to attend one. Additionally, your school’s career center may offer a wealth of job hunting resources, such as resume building workshops, interview practice sessions or an alumni network that could help you land your next employment opportunity.

Joining a Professional Association
The last place to find a potential job opening is within a professional community. Many industries have professional associations or memberships that are optional to join. Investing in the cost of membership may help you focus your networking on industry leaders and helpful contacts to boost your job search potential. Some of these associations publish periodic newsletters or journals that could offer job leads that aren’t posted online or advertised. Take advantage of your membership and attend industry events to get even more potential prospects.

Finding the right job takes some creativity and resourcefulness. While you scour the internet for places to search for a job, don’t forget about the most obvious and overlooked potential job sources that could help you get hired sooner.