Google brings its job search tool to the UK

job searching

Not satisfied with dominating the cloud, web search and browser charts, Google is now attempting to take on the recruitment market too, launching its job search experience in the UK.

The feature has been integrated into Google's search, and means that anyone can type in search terms relating to jobs (such as "jobs near me", "IT jobs" or similar keyword strings), to see relevant vacancies in their search results, discovering more information about the roles in just a few clicks.

Listings will include job title, industry, location, and salary information to help jobseekers decide whether or not to click through to apply on the recruiter's website, so they can see if it's a good fit for them. They can also add job searches to their Google Alerts, so if any new postings become available, they'll see the details first.

Google has teamed up with a variety of recruiters to power the experience, including The Guardian Jobs, Reed.co.uk, Haymarket, Gumtree, The Telegraph, Reach plc's totallylegal, CV-Library and totaljobs.com.

"We've been working closely with Google to optimise reed.co.uk and ensure our clients gain the full benefit of the discoverability that this new search experience will deliver," Mark Rhodes, director of marketing at Reed.co.uk said.

"Early signs from our testing with Google show jobseekers arriving at Reed.co.uk via this new search experience are application-ready, with a high level of intent, so we anticipate seeing a positive impact on the quality and volume of applications we supply to our recruitment clients."

The addition of Google's job search experience is part of Google's commitment to help 100,000 people in the UK find a job or grow in their career by 2020.

The company has already launched Google Digital Garage programme, which offers anyone in the UK the opportunity to learn new digital skills for free, enabling them to jump on the careers ladder in a variety of digitally-led roles.

"We are delighted to partner with Google for the launch of their new and improved job search experience in Search," Richmal Roseman, head of recruitment marketing at Haymarket, added.

"At Haymarket Recruitment Media we are dedicated to connecting the right candidate to the right role so we are really excited to see Google's innovation in Search enhance that service. They have developed sophisticated technology that will benefit both our candidates and our clients when they work with us so we are thrilled to be a partner from the start."

Clare Hopping
Freelance writer

Clare is the founder of Blue Cactus Digital, a digital marketing company that helps ethical and sustainability-focused businesses grow their customer base.

Prior to becoming a marketer, Clare was a journalist, working at a range of mobile device-focused outlets including Know Your Mobile before moving into freelance life.

As a freelance writer, she drew on her expertise in mobility to write features and guides for ITPro, as well as regularly writing news stories on a wide range of topics.