Today’s Tip: Using Search Engines in Your Job Search

Do you speak Boolean? You need to! This is the language that search engines understand. To get the most efficient and accurate results from a query on a search engine website, you need to know how to use the advanced commands for that particular search engine. Note: Just because a command works on one search engine, that doesn't mean the same syntax will work on a different search engine. For example, to look for a particular filetype extension (an Excel spreadsheet) on Google, you would type "filetype:xls" in the search bar, whereas in Yahoo, you would type "originurlextension:xls". In order to learn the nuances of each search engine, click on the "Advanced Search" or "Help" area to learn more about them.

Also, I am sure that most of you have your "favorite" search engine and you use that one exclusively. This is is mistake. Your favorite search engine will (at best) have only a fraction of the Internet indexed with your search criteria. Thus, by using multiple search engines for your job search, you will open up more results that may, or may not, be indexed by your "favorite" search engine. To see a complete list of search engines, go to www.thesearchenginelist.com.

I just happen to know that Bing is also a good search engine to use! How do I know that? I Googled it!