Universal Jobmatch, www.gov.uk/jobsearch.gov Job Searcher Reviewed

Welcome To Our Government JobSearch Feature - Introducing Universal Jobsmatch

It has been a few weeks since our last review of the Universal Jobsmatch, things have been fine tuned and we notice some improvements but we like to stress again that you will need to log on and register in order to get the most from the service. If you'd like more details please read on. If you come across some bugs or errors let us know and we'll feed them back to the DWP website.

Since the middle of November last year there have been some great innovations to the way you can search the Government's online job databases, not just the UK vacancies but also the European and international jobs. We've now had some lengthy searches on the site and made a full investigation of the facilities available. We've set out our experience below but as a summary we'd say - if you're looking for a job, or are thinking about moving from your current position the Universal Jobsmatch is a good resource. A word of caution, you won't get the most out of it unless you register! It's much more than a vacancy database you can access a wide range of employment and benefit related resources through the pages.

Yourcounty has been publishing links to job resources and value added help for over a decade. In that time our content has been shaped and improved by our users and researchers. If you have a particularly good or bad experience with the Universal Jobmatch we'd welcome your comments. If appropriate we'll pool feedback and pass it on to the relevant .gov department so that they might develop their coverage. Our contact information is below.

If you're looking for Jobseeker Allowance help, this is now on a separate page. This link may be useful if you want to know about how the Universal Credit may affect Jobseeker’s Allowance and any other benefits you may have previously been entitled too. The Universal Credit is also set to replace: Child Tax Credits, Employment & Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credits and Housing Benefit.

The Features Of www.gov.uk/jobsearch.gov - Universal Jobmatch

The first thing to say about this service, is that although you'll be able to browse current vacancies you'll need to register and create an account in order to enjoy the full range of services. Registration requires two things, a current valid email address as well as a Government Gateway account. Access the service at www.gov.uk/jobs-jobsearch.

Our own initial view is that this service is definitely a step in the right direction as far as technology goes, getting a Government Gateway account can be a bit clunky and might put some users off! The look and feel is much more modern and interactive and those jobseekers who invest in a Government Gateway sign up will see a much improved agency style service.

Online Job searching

The Jobmatch service is completely free, job posting and matching services bring together employers and job seekers. It's available 24/7 and should be accessible from public and private computer terminals. With this service job seekers can upload and create a CV, it's possible to set up bespoke job search and job filtering services. There is also a possibility to receive ongoing job alerts against pre-set search criteria. A great improvement on the old service is that you can search and apply for jobs online. Rather than call a contact number which was frequently the case with the jobcentre plus database.

Your Comments

"Dear Yourcounty,

I don't think you stressed enough the benefits of registering when you use the universal job search,, if you don't you can't save your job, nor put up a CV to send or save, in fact you're only really browsing the facility the same way you would in the job centre. There is also an email alert that you can set up, it's quite hard to do but well worth the effort.

Mr B Bellingham"

"I don't think you mentioned that you can search international jobs through the Universal Jobsmatch databasa (sic), my daughter has applied for vacancies in both Italy and Ireland. I know not everyone will want this but it seems like a wonderful innovation."

.gov.uk/jobs | CV Uploading And Editing

There is a CV editing facility that allows registered users to upload, amend and save their CV online. Online help and hints enable users to fine tune the document. Once the CV is in place it can be used created matches to vacancies. The print facility will allow a hard copy to be made of any 'single document' within an account.

Job seekers can be automatically matched to vacancies via their CV or even keywords used on the online profile which can be set up. The matches then triggers a message to the user's account and creates an email alert.

Follow these links if you need contact details for your local Jobcentre or the Yourcounty listings of local employers and employment opportunities.

Help For Freelancers And The Self Employed

We're still seeing some complaints about the lack of help being made available to self employed and freelance job seekers. We're researching this at the moment and will come back with more details when our investigations are complete.

Contact

If you're unable to access the new website for any reason you can call Jobcentre Plus on 0845 606 0234 or get the textphone service on 0845 605 5255. The lines are manned Mon to Fri from 8am to 6pm.

Government Job Search Feedback & Disclaimer

If you find that any links are broken or content out of date let us know. This is a page under constant improvement. We welcome feedback on from users with direct experience of www.gov.uk/jobsearch.gov or Jobcentres and their services.

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