Job Search Tips

Getting Started

Using AARP is just like using a general search engine like Google. You can quick-search from the home page, as follows:

• Type words into the box marked 'What:' that describe the kind of job you are looking for, such as a job title, skill or employer name.
• Type into the box marked "Where" the city, the State or the zip code where you want to find a job.
• Click the 'Find Jobs' button or hit Enter on your keyboard.

Jobs will be returned that match your keywords within 25 miles of the specified location. If you enter two or more keywords, it will return only those jobs that contain ALL your words (you don't have to include 'and' between the words).

Exact Phrases

To find jobs containing an exact phrase, put double quotation marks around the words.

For example, enter: "real estate"

Capitalization

The search isn't case sensitive. It makes no difference whether you enter upper or lower case letters - e.g. "general motors" will give you the same results as "General Motors".

Narrowing Your Search

Try adding more terms to the 'What:' box and search again. Also, don't forget to use the 'Where:' box - using just your zip code works well.

Another great feature is to exclude jobs containing certain keywords. Just type "not" before any terms you don't want.
contract NOT lawyer

Broadening Your Search

To find all jobs that fit your interests, you may need to broaden your keyword search. One way is to remove keywords from the 'What:}' box and search again. It is often more effective, though, to use 'or' between terms. If you are looking for a management position, for example, you could enter: manager OR director. This will return all jobs that contain either the word 'manager' or the word 'director'.

Abbreviations

Some names and phrases are better known by their abbreviations than their full forms. To make sure you don't miss any jobs, however, use both abbreviated and unabbreviated forms together. For example, enter: HR OR "human resources"

Company Names & Job Titles

You may limit your search to show just jobs from a particular company or with a specific job title.

For example, enter the following into the keyword box to return all jobs at Microsoft:
company:microsoft

Or, to return all jobs that include the word 'consultant' in the job title, enter this:
title:consultant

If there are multiple words in the company name or job title, use double quotation marks. For example:
title:"business development"

Complex Phrases

You can use complex phrases, often called 'Boolean' logic, to fine-tune your search.
e.g. (manager OR director) and healthcare

This will return all jobs that contain the term healthcare and either the word manager or director.

You can keep revising your search string to improve your results set. The example above could end up looking like this:
(manager OR director) and (healthcare OR pharmaceutical) NOT sales

You can see your last 10 searches in the bottom left hand margin of your screen, so you don't have to remember your search strings or reenter them each time you search.