Set up saved searches
On LinkedIn and Indeed, save your search with the remote filter and turn on daily email alerts.
Careers
Job Search
Find real openings, apply in a way that gets read, and keep track of everything you send.
Introduction
What this covers
A job search is a process, not an event. Most people who find work send many focused applications rather than a few hundred generic ones.
Searching well means knowing where roles are advertised, filtering for the ones you can legally and practically do, and tailoring each application.
Why it matters
- Most listings receive far more applications than the employer can read; tailoring is what separates yours.
- Alerts and saved searches bring roles to you instead of costing you hours every day.
- Tracking applications shows you which channels actually produce interviews.
Step by step
How to do it, in order
Check eligibility first
Confirm the employer can hire from your country, and that the time zone overlap is realistic, before you invest time.
Tailor every application
Mirror the exact words the advert uses for skills in your CV, and write two sentences in your cover letter about that employer.
Track what you send
One spreadsheet: role, organisation, date, contact, status. Follow up politely after seven to ten days.
Prepare before you apply
Make sure your LinkedIn and portfolio are current — most recruiters look before replying.
Common mistakes
- Sending the same CV to every role.
- Applying only through one board and missing organisation career pages.
- Ignoring smaller NGOs and startups, where competition is far lower.
- Paying a fee to any 'agency' that guarantees a job — that is a scam.
Best practices
- Aim for quality: five tailored applications beat fifty copies.
- Apply within the first 72 hours of a listing appearing where possible.
- Keep a short, polite follow-up message saved and reuse it.
- Ask one person inside the organisation a genuine question before applying.
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Next steps
What to do after this page
1
Polish your CV before you send the next application.
2
Set one LinkedIn job alert today.
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