Thanks to all of you who responded to our Job Search survey. We learned quite a few things and wanted to share the nuggets with you. Hopefully these tips will make your job search more effective!

• Start with good sources - Top resources students and grads turn to for jobs are company websites (73%), university or alumni career centers (70%), career fairs or events (69%) and job board sites (60%). Students tend to use career fairs and university career centers, while alumni rely more on company web sites and job boards. This is pretty consistent with what we have seen in prior surveys as the most effective sources.

• Hone in on the “sweet spot” - Most respondents use 2 to 3 criteria to narrow online job searches, most often using job function (65%), type of job (53%), and experience level (50%). Location is also regularly used. This is generally an iterative process, use too many and you might get too few job results, relax the criteria until you get a decent selection.

• Put your best foot forward - When applying for jobs, 73% first review a job two to three times, research the company, and then apply. Most conduct research by visiting company web sites (97%) or researching companies using search engines (78%). Try to learn more about the company before applying; it will help you tailor your capabilities to the situation.

• Sign up for auto emails - While there are lots of ways to find out about job opportunities, most students and alums stay informed through emails from school (73%), search agent emails (52%) and updates in school/alumni portal (47%). Sign up for automated emails or feeds of jobs whenever you can, less work for you and it keeps jobs at the top of your to-do list.

Participate in our next survey and win a $50 VISA gift card - take the survey on Generations & Careers.