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The easiest way to apply for a job is to respond to a job ad. Even if a look at the job ads in the daily and weekly press (especially for graduates with a broad profile and / or little professional experience) can sometimes be rather sobering, this does not mean that you should not follow the 'official' job market path.

• Tages-Anzeiger: “Stellenanzeiger” on Tuesdays and Thursdays, “Alpha” on Saturdays
• SonntagsZeitung: “Alpha”
• NZZ: “NZZ executive” on Saturdays
• NZZ am Sonntag: “NZZ executive”
• See the Swiss press www.zeitung.ch

• Check whether there are specialist or trade publications for your preferred sector.
• Or specialist and professional associations with an Internet platform.
• Other options include lists of companies and sector-based websites.
• Academics in Germany have the arbeitsmarkt run by the Wissenschaftsladen Bonn e.V. which comprises two print magazines that together present over 500 vacancies a week in “education, the arts and social work”, and “the environment and natural sciences”, drawn from over 140 print media sources and online portals. Subscriptions are available, as are trial copies and a regular newsletter.

• Bulletin boards in the UZH institutes
• In libraries
• On the 3rd floor of the main building (KOL).

• Job ads reveal a lot about a company and the vacant position. Carefully read through the ads that match your profile and analyze the following: Which (trustworthy) company is advertising? What does the company say about itself? Who are they looking for? Area of responsibility? Job requirements: What is vital? What else is requested?
• A job ad is always tailored to the ideal candidate so don’t immediately be put off by the list of requirements. Nevertheless, you should be able to offer 80% of the must-have requirements (usually hard skills, described in terms like “A prerequisite is / It is expected that you have ...", ), otherwise it does not make much sense to apply. Of course, it would be preferable if the skills or experience that you are missing are ones that are quick to learn; or can be offset by other areas of expertise or by your fulfillment of all the ‘should have’ criteria (usually soft skills, described in terms like “we favor, it is preferable, it would be an advantage, you should display, you preferably have”).
• If anything is not clear, then give them a call. By phoning, you will gain important information on the position which will either enable you to make your application more specific, or will save yourself the effort of an unsuccessful application. Besides, a telephone call is a good opportunity to market yourself and to collect bonus points - so be well prepared.
• Cut out or print out the ads to which you want to respond and note the dates and sources, as you will need the ad when preparing for an interview.
• If no deadline for applications is mentioned, your application should reach the company no later than 14 days after the ad was published. However, if the ad states that the position will be filled at the earliest opportunity, then it can already be too late.
• Be cautious when responding to box number ads, as these are sometimes used by rogue employers. It is another matter if ads are not published under the employer's name but in the name of a job agency. In this case, the agency is handling the application process for the employer and your application will first go to the agency which will then carry out the selection process and probably the first round of interviews at least.