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You can find employers with live vacancies without using LinkedIn: search company careers pages, public employment services, job boards, local listings, and recruitment agencies, then confirm each opening on the employer’s own site. To reach someone, follow the contact details and application instructions in the listing; if no recruiter is named, ask the company to route your inquiry to recruitment.

Start with a focused list of roles and employers

Before searching, write down the job titles you want and close alternatives, the skills you can offer, your preferred locations or remote-work limits, your seniority level, and the sectors you want to work in. These terms make searches more precise and help you judge whether a vacancy is relevant.

Build a simple lead tracker with the employer, job title, posting URL, date you checked it, contact route, and next action. PEV’s November 2025 fact sheet recommends recording applications, website links, and dates; using the same fields to track prospective openings is a practical way to adapt that advice.

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Look for vacancies on employers’ own websites

Many employers recruit through their own websites, according to the UK National Careers Service. Search a company’s official site for pages labelled Careers, Jobs, Join the team, Working for us, or Current vacancies. The Australian Department of Employment and Workplace Relations lists several of these labels as common ways to find employer vacancies.

Use the company’s own listing as the final check before applying. Open the vacancy itself, confirm that it is still available, and read the employer’s location, eligibility, and submission requirements. Job-board listings and search results can help you discover an opening, but they are not a substitute for checking the employer’s current instructions.

Widen the search beyond company career pages

Do not depend on a single site. Public employment services, general and specialist job boards, local newspapers, libraries, council listings, career events, and recruitment agencies can surface different employers and roles. Their usefulness depends on where you live and the kind of work you want.

United States

USAGov points jobseekers to CareerOneStop, state job banks, American Job Centers, local newspapers, libraries, and USAJOBS for federal vacancies. For state government work, use the relevant state or territory careers page; USAJOBS is the federal employment portal, not a general listing site for every public-sector role. See USAGov’s job-search guidance and USAJOBS’ About page.

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United Kingdom

The National Careers Service recommends checking employer websites, job boards, recruitment agencies, local council pages, job fairs, journals, and libraries. It also says most job boards provide email alerts. Its page notes that in some industries, 70% to 85% of vacancies may be in the “hidden job market”; that is the service’s qualified estimate, not a universal share of all jobs. Read its guidance on where to find job vacancies.

Australia

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations lists Workforce Australia, other job boards, company career pages, and recruitment agencies as search routes. Its guidance also covers job matching and alerts. See the department’s job-search advice.

These examples reflect the named countries, not a complete directory for every location. If you are elsewhere, look for your government’s official employment service and use employers’ own sites to verify openings.

Set alerts, then verify every opening

Set job alerts for your target titles, skills, and locations wherever a service offers filters. Alerts can reduce the need to repeat the same searches, but they do not confirm that an advertised role remains open. Revisit target employers’ careers pages periodically as well as checking alerts.

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  1. Search broadly: use job boards, public services, and other relevant sources to find leads.
  2. Open the employer’s official vacancy: locate the corresponding role on the company website.
  3. Check the current details: confirm the listing is available and review location, eligibility, and application instructions.
  4. Record the check: note the date and the official posting URL in your tracker.

Because vacancies can change quickly, check the employer’s page on the day you apply rather than assuming a result or alert is current.

Find the right recruitment contact

Start with the advertisement: it may name a recruiter, hiring manager, or recruitment mailbox. If it does not, look at the employer’s Careers, About Us, and Contact pages for recruitment or HR details. Do not invent a contact name or guess a private email address.

If no recruitment contact is listed, use the company’s published main phone number or general address to ask who handles hiring for the specific role. At a larger organization, ask for HR or recruitment; at a smaller business, the appropriate person may be a manager or owner. If you cannot identify a person, use a neutral greeting such as “Dear Hiring Manager” or “To the Recruitment Team.”

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Make a concise, role-specific approach

Before contacting an employer, learn enough about its work to explain why you are getting in touch. The Australian Department of Employment and Workplace Relations advises jobseekers to contact HR at larger companies and a manager or owner at smaller businesses, choose a suitable time, and be realistic about rejection. The UK National Careers Service advises arranging an appointment before visiting where possible and being ready to answer questions or provide a CV.

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Email

  • Use a professional email address and a subject line that identifies the role.
  • State the job title, where you found it, and why your experience or skills may fit.
  • Attach a résumé or CV if appropriate, and keep the message brief.
  • Ask one clear question, such as whether the position is still open or who handles recruitment.

Phone call

  • Write down the role title and your main points before calling.
  • Ask politely to be directed to the person or team responsible for recruitment.
  • If the person is unavailable, ask for the preferred contact route rather than pressing for a private number or email.

Direct outreach is an inquiry, not a way to bypass the employer’s process. If the listing requires an online application or another formal submission, follow those instructions even if you have also contacted the company.

Choose routes by what they do best

Route Best use What to verify
Employer careers page Finding and checking the employer’s own current listing. Whether the role is still available and how the employer requires applications.
Official public employment service Finding government-supported listings and local job-search assistance within its jurisdiction. That the portal covers your location and the type of work you want; federal and state portals may be separate.
General or specialist job board Broad discovery, sector-specific listings, and alerts where offered. The original employer listing and its current application requirements.
Local listings, events, or career services Finding opportunities tied to a community, institution, or in-person event. The employer, role details, and official application route.
Recruitment agency Getting human help or hearing about roles that may not be broadly advertised online or in the press. Which employers and roles the agency serves and what the next step involves.

No route replaces a current check of the employer’s own instructions. Use discovery channels to build leads, then apply through the process the employer specifies.

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