Job search options explained.

Jobs & Skills offers a number of search options (see below) to help you find jobs which match your personal preferences. Jobs returned will be ordered according to 'Best match'.  Jobs which closely match your search criteria will be shown at the top of the results list.  As you move down the list, you'll see jobs which are less relevant but still may be of interest to you.  On the 'Job search results' and Job details pages, you can use the Search options on the right hand side to amend your search. Alternatively you can select the More search options link on the right hand side to go to a page which allows you to amend your search subject, location and any of the options described below.

Distance
You can use the 'Distance' drop down menu to set the size of the area for your job search.  The default option is 15 miles, which means that searches will return vacancies within a 15 mile radius from your specified location.  You can narrow or widen your search area by selecting different distance options.  Please note that for an 'all jobs' search, the distance will be limited to a maximum of 15 miles.  You may see some jobs listed which are outside your search radius. This is because these vacancies are classed as regional or national vacancies.  These types of vacancies may involve travelling over wide areas or home working and are therefore not limited to a specific location.

Hours
You can use the 'Hours' drop down menu to select how many hours per week you are looking to work.  The default option is 'Any hours'.  If you are looking for part time work, you should select one of the other options, such as '1-16 hours' or '16-30 hours'.

Perm/temp
You can use the 'Perm/temp' drop down menu to set your preference for permanent or temporary jobs.  The default option is 'Both'. You should note that temporary vacancies are considered to be those which are expected to last for a maximum of 6 months.

Age of vacancy
You can use the 'Age of vacancy' option to return only vacancies which have been added to the Jobcentre Plus database after a certain date.  The default option is 'All jobs'.  However, if you conduct job searches regularly and only want to see the most recently added vacancies, you may wish to choose one of the other options from the drop down menu e.g. 'Last 2 days' or 'Today's jobs'.

Working pattern
You can use the 'Working pattern' options to set specific working pattern preferences.  The available options are 'Evenings', 'Nights', 'Weekends' and 'Term time'.  You can also use these search options in combination with each other so that if, for example, you are looking for evening jobs at weekends, you should select the 'Evenings' and 'Weekends' options.

Jobs provided by external partners
The default search in Jobs & Skills is for vacancies advertised through Jobcentre Plus.  You can also search for jobs advertised through approved third party organisations such as employment agencies.  To do this, on a Job List page, select 'Jobs from other sources' (on the right hand side under 'Search options').