How to Find Job Openings at Any Experience Level: A Step-by-Step Plan

1. Decide what level of job you are targeting. O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration, undated) groups occupations into Job Zones: Zones 1-2 need very little to some preparation, usually a high school diploma or GED plus a few days to a year of on-the-job training; Zone 3 needs vocational training or an associate's degree; Zone 4 usually a four-year degree plus several years of experience; Zone 5 usually graduate school. Write down which zone your target sits in, so you stop applying to jobs you cannot yet qualify for.
2. Pick two or three specific job titles rather than a field. Search those exact titles, plus the obvious variants employers use, and keep the list on paper.
3. Check what the work typically pays before you negotiate anything. CareerOneStop's Salary Finder (U.S. Department of Labor, undated) covers earnings in more than 800 different types of careers, and figures vary by state and metro area.
4. Rewrite your resume once, properly, then tailor the top third to each posting. CareerOneStop's Jobs Toolkit (U.S. Department of Labor, undated) includes a Resume Guide and a Practice Job Application you can work through before you submit anything real.
5. Build a search routine. CareerOneStop's Job Finder (U.S. Department of Labor, undated) lets you search thousands of postings updated daily, see complete postings without creating an account, and link straight to the employer website or state job bank to apply. Set aside a fixed block each weekday for searching and applying.
6. Apply where the employer actually receives it. Where a listing links to the employer site or a state job bank, use that route rather than a third-party copy of the ad.
7. Get in-person help if your search stalls. The American Job Center Finder (CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor, undated) locates a center in your neighborhood or elsewhere in the country; centers offer job search workshops and free computer access.
8. Follow up in writing about a week after applying, keep a log of what you sent and when, and ask for feedback after any interview that does not lead anywhere.

Have all of this in one folder, digital or paper, before you send the first application:

• A master resume with every job, employer, city and start and end month, plus a one-page version tailored to your target title.
• A short cover letter template you can adapt in ten minutes, with a blank line for the specific employer and role.
• Three references with current phone numbers and email addresses, each one asked in advance and told what you are applying for.
• Copies of any license, certification or training certificate the posting asks for. CareerOneStop's Toolkit (U.S. Department of Labor, undated) includes a Certification Finder, License Finder and Local Training Finder if you need to check what applies in your state, since licensing rules differ by state.
• Your work-authorization and identity documents gathered in one place for the onboarding paperwork that follows a job offer.
• Portfolio pieces or work samples if your field expects them, saved as PDFs or a simple link.
• A practice run through an application form. CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor, undated) offers a Practice Job Application so you can collect the details forms usually demand before a real deadline is in front of you.

Spread your search across a few channel types rather than relying on one site:

• Public job search tools run by the U.S. Department of Labor. CareerOneStop is sponsored by the Department of Labor (Minnesota.gov, undated), and its listings come from NLx, run by the National Labor Exchange and co-sponsored by the Direct Employers Association and the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, with postings updated daily (CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor, undated).
• Your state job bank, which many listings link to directly for applications.
• American Job Centers near you, found through CareerOneStop's American Job Center Finder (U.S. Department of Labor, undated), for workshops and free computer access.
• Employer career pages. CareerOneStop's Jobs Toolkit (U.S. Department of Labor, undated) includes a Business Finder and a 'Largest Employers' list covering the 150 largest employers in any state, which gives you a list of career pages to check weekly.
• Professional and trade associations, which often run their own job boards; CareerOneStop's Professional Association Finder (U.S. Department of Labor, undated) helps you identify the bodies in your field.
• Staffing and temp agencies that specialize in your occupation, useful for short assignments that become permanent.
• Targeted resources if one applies to you: GetMyFuture for young adults aged 14 to 24, Worker ReEmployment for laid-off workers, Job Search Help for Ex-Offenders, and the Veterans Job Matcher (CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor, undated, and Military OneSource, undated).