Everyone knows the big job searching tools. LinkedIn is one prominent tool, featuring more than 300 million users, according to Mashable. But there are a number of additional methods that can be used just as well to help improve the quality of your search even further.

Google Alerts

Business 2 Community reported that one of the best tools anyone can use to help out their search results is to set up Google Alerts. At the outset of your job search, you should definitely make a list of companies that you’d be especially interested in working for. If there are a few you think you have a real shot at, using Google Alerts to keep tabs on their practices will help you learn more about their day-to-day changes. Any new information published about the company, whether it’s on the Fortune 500 or is a smaller local business, will be held under the specific alert you set up. This means that whether the company is introducing a new product or just put out a call for new applications, you’ll be one of the first to know. Over time, this can help you focus your resume, better target your cover letter and come off as a better potential hire in your interviews.

Another benefit of Google Alerts is that even if you’re not applying to one of the companies you follow, you’ll still be able to learn plenty of information about the latest industry trends. This means that any interview you go to will be easy, because you’ll have plenty of information about the different factors changing throughout the industry itself. You can even set a Google Alert for yourself, which can help you find out how your reputation has been considered over time and change anything that may be questionable in the eyes of an employer.

Twitter and Google+

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide network regularly using social media. While Twitter and Google+ aren’t the most popular such tools when it comes to job searching, that doesn’t mean they should be discounted. Twitter can be a valuable tool to keep you up-to-date on industry movements. All you have to do is set up a list of various industry news sources and companies, and consulting it over time will give you plenty of information. If you follow industry leaders as well, you can read what they think about the industry at hand and learn more about potential practices you can take.

Google+ is also growing quickly in prominence, especially as small businesses need to adopt the service to stay on top of their Google search results. As such, you should expect some small business owners to have a strong presence on the site. You won’t absolutely need one, but it may help for some smaller industries.

Websites

Mashable added that there are dozens of websites on the market that can help out the average job search. There are the constants that most people are aware of, like Craigslist and CareerBuilder, and there are smaller ones that may help anyone depending on the specific industry one works in. The possibilities range from region-specific job sites, like JobDig that focuses on the Midwest, to general improvement sites that can review company cultures and look over your current efforts. While it’s just as important for you to look to the services of staffing agencies to help out a search as well, as they will be able to examine your current resume and experience and help better match you for positions, using these websites can help you get a boost against your competitors.