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What is a Job Opening?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

A job opening is a vacancy which an employer desires to fill. Typically, such openings are advertised in appropriate places, to ensure that the company gets a broad cross-section of suitable applicants. For job seekers, tracking down job openings is very important, while employers want to quickly fill the position with the best possible person.

When an employer recognizes the need for a new employee, the person in charge of hiring usually sits down to create an advertisement for the job opening. Typically, the advertisement includes the job title and a brief description of the duties associated with the job. The company name is included as well, and contact information is provided. The job opening may specify that a resume is required, and it will indicate how applicants should apply for the job. Potential salary information may be included in a job vacancy advertisement as well.

Most job applicants will need to submit a resume to be considered for a job opening.
Most job applicants will need to submit a resume to be considered for a job opening.

Depending on the company, a job opening will be published in various locations. If the job is with an Internet firm, for example, the job will usually appear on the company website and on relevant online job boards. If the job is a more casual retail job, it might be published in local classified ads. Some employers may also directly advertise a job opening with a sign in the window which is intended to lure potential applicants in.

Job openings may be published in the classified ads section of a newspaper.
Job openings may be published in the classified ads section of a newspaper.

People who are looking for job opportunities generally search in areas which provide information about positions which will utilize their skills. A teacher, for example, might peruse advertisements in the Chronicle of Higher Education, while a computer engineer could check classifieds on websites which focus on jobs in the tech industry. Some people sign up for mailing lists of relevant job openings, or subscribe to websites which offer job placement services. It is also possible to find out about job openings through a career fair, and in some cases a potential employee may be recruited directly because his or her skills seem notable.

Job openings may be found through professional networking.
Job openings may be found through professional networking.

Once an applicant has identified a potential job opening, he or she should carefully review the available information. By researching carefully, someone can determine whether or not they are a good potential fit for a job, and they can also educate themselves about the company doing the hiring. Job applicants should follow application directions carefully, and they should always present themselves neatly to the potential employer. An applicant who drops by for a copy of a job application in tidy clothing, for example, is far more likely to get the job. Resumes and other supporting material should also be neatly organized to project an air of responsibility and confidence.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a SmartCapitalMind researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a SmartCapitalMind researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

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Discussion Comments

subway11

Crispety- Using staffing firms also help because they don't charge an applicant anything and they could not only help you with your interviewing and resume building skills, but they also might be able to find the right job.

With staffing firms the client or the hiring company usually pays the fee. For jobs that require permanent placement, the hiring company pays a percentage of the annual salary of a job applicant.

This percentage is usually about 10 to 15% and sometimes higher of the applicant's annual salary.

The fee is contingent upon the applicant lasting at least four and sometimes six months on the job. If the applicant quits before that time frame, or gets fired before that time frame than the applicant will have to return the fee to the staffing company.

At that point the staffing company would have to start over with a new applicant and return the fee to the client.

Crispety

Cafe41- Also, remember some of the best job opening never gets advertised. They are usually filled through word-of-mouth and referrals.

Going to networking events in your industry will help you gain access to jobs that you didn't know were even available.

Keeping in close contact with previous coworkers also helped to look for more job openings. The more avenues you explore the higher the chances you have to find the right job.

cafe41

Sneakers41- Sometimes trade schools and universities offer placement services for their graduates. They also have local job openings as well.

Usually these positions are entry level but they often provide great opportunities. Steven's Tech, in Hoboken, posts NJ job openings for its students and graduates.

sneakers41

Greenweaver- That's really true. I used to work in a staffing firm and we would use job search engines all the time to post ads for our jobs.

We would always post on Monster, Career Web, and Career Builder. These job search websites offer the highest readership which is why we subscribed to them.

We would also post local job openings in our newspaper as well. Our current job openings were also listed on our website. Many job applicants that saw our ad in the paper would go to our website and inquire about the job.

These job applicants would be screened over the phone and if they match the backgrounds of some of our open job orders, we would bring them in for an interview.

We also check their references and prepared them for a client interview, if they were qualified. This was a technical staffing firm that had most of its job openings in Florida.

GreenWeaver

Great article- I want to add that companies sometimes post job opening with staffing firms, especially if the positions are very difficult to fill or are highly specialized positions.

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    • Most job applicants will need to submit a resume to be considered for a job opening.
      By: NAN
      Most job applicants will need to submit a resume to be considered for a job opening.
    • Job openings may be published in the classified ads section of a newspaper.
      By: Feng Yu
      Job openings may be published in the classified ads section of a newspaper.
    • Job openings may be found through professional networking.
      By: Jenner
      Job openings may be found through professional networking.