Google unveils new AI-backed search tool for job seekers

Hunting for employment online has just gotten a whole lot easier thanks to a new AI tool from Google that will allow job seekers to access postings from many of the top databases using only the search engine on the Mountain View, California-based firm’s main website.

Dubbed “Google for Jobs,” the technology will allow job hunters to access listings on websites such as Monster, LinkedIn, WayUp, CareerBuilder and others right from the Google homepage, and it will also include some companies’ individual employment listings, said TechCrunch.

“Whether you’re a student looking for a part-time job, an electrician seeking work closer to home, or a teacher moving to another state to be close to family, finding a job can be difficult,” product manager Nick Zakrasek explained in a blog post. “With job postings scattered across the web, newspapers, and help wanted signs, it’s not always easy to find ones that are a good fit.”

The goal, Google officials explained to TechCrunch, is to eliminate the time wasted by going to multiple websites only to find duplicate listings or employment opportunities that do not meet a job seeker’s specific needs (i.e. positions or geographic locations outside the desired area).

First announced at the company’s I/O developer’s conference, Google for Jobs is “a company-wide initiative focused on helping both job seekers and employers, through deep collaboration with the job matching industry,” Zakrasek explained. “With this new experience, we aim to connect Americans to job opportunities across the US, so no matter who you are or what kind of job you’re looking for, you can find job postings that match your needs.”

Service provides notifications, eliminates duplication, Google says

Google for Jobs is already available in English on both desktop and mobile, and according to the folks at LifeHacker, all you have to do to use it is to hope over the search engine’s homepage and enter a phrase such as “jobs near me” or “[insert career field here] jobs.” The tool will then check out other sites and present a list of every job it found that matches the specific inquiry.

The catch, however, is that you can’t actually apply for the jobs directly from Google’s website; while the tool will show you the type of work it is (part-time, full-time, freelance, etc.), the date it was posted and more, you will still have to click on a link that takes you to the page where the opportunity was originally posted in order to submit your application.

In addition to removing duplicate listings, Google for Jobs uses machine-learning algorithms to sort through and categorize different opportunities, allowing users to filter them by industry, job location, date of posting and employer. Furthermore, job seekers can turn on notifications so that they will be immediately informed of new listings that match their desired criteria.

Google representatives told TechCrunch that they are trying to avoid stepping on anyone’s toes (hence the need to go to the source website when applying), but that it hopes that its new system will encourage companies to share more pertinent information when listing new job openings.

“People from all walks of life, experiences, and backgrounds have undergone a job hunt at some point in their lives,” said Zakrasek. “Whether you’re a young adult looking for your first job, a veteran hoping to leverage your leadership experience in civilian life, or a parent looking for a job with better pay to support a growing family, we hope this new experience on Google will help make the job search simpler and more effective.”

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Image credit: Google