Sometimes it feels like there are more software problems than software, and as Jobseekers there are some we experience more than others. Maybe your job search engine pages are loading slowly, or the application forms aren’t displaying properly on your browser. This can make an already difficult task extremely frustrating. So, to help you through it we have found the most common problems jobseekers have with their web browsers, and quick, medium, and slow fixes to get things up and running again. Remember to start with the quick fixes!
Web Pages Loading Slowly on Job-Search Engines
If you are experiencing long search engine loading times, or even finding they never load, you probably have a problem with your internet connection. The good news is that there are some simple things you can do to make a big improvement to your connection speed:
Quick Fixes
Run an internet speed test to see if your connection is fast enough for surfing (1Mbps download and 0.2 Mbps upload for a smooth experience).
Close browser tabs you don’t need to open anymore.
Check your operating system (iOS, Windows, or Linux) is not updating in the background. Pause the update if it is.
Stop people on your connection from streaming movies or playing multiplayer games.
Medium Fixes
Use a wired connection to your internet router to make your connection faster and more stable than WiFi.
Move your internet router away from thick walls and lots of metal objects.
Download a WiFi analyzer to make sure your home WiFi isn’t sharing all it’s bandwidth with other WiFi signals. Switch your router to a new WiFi channel if needed.
Follow the steps in Maximizing Your Internet Connection Speed.
Slow Fixes
Invest in a faster internet connection.
Application Forms Not Displaying or Working Correctly
There aren’t many things more frustrating than working your way through a detailed job application form and it crashing, not saving, or not sending. All of that effort just for us to try it all over again! Here are some fixes that might help you fix application forms that aren’t working properly:
Quick Fixes
Copy the form and fill out your answers in a word-processing app like Word. Now you can copy and paste your answers into the web form without losing your hard work!
If you are using a different browser to Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Safari, load the page again on one of these browsers. Most websites are designed to work best on these.
Turn off any adblocking plug-ins you have running and refresh the page (F5 key).
Medium Fixes
Come back to the page later today, or the next day, to see if the company has fixed their problem.
Try loading the page on another laptop or computer.
Uninstall and reinstall your web browser.
Update your operating system and try again.
Slow Fixes
Contact the company directly and ask for help. Sometimes that’s all you can do!
The Text is Too Big or Too Small
It doesn’t matter if you are looking at one giant word on your monitor, or everything is too tiny to read. The fix for this depends on the operating system you are using. Let’s look at each system separately:
Windows
Open your web browsing software (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, Edge) and hold down the “Ctrl” key on your keyboard. While you are holding Ctrl, use the scroll wheel of your mouse to zoom in and zoom out.
iOS
To zoom in and make the text bigger, press Option-Command-Equal Sign (=). You can Zoom out by Pressing Option-Command-Minus Sign (-).
Wrap Up
Whatever the problem is with your web browsing software, don’t be afraid to look through menus and Google solutions and to try new things. This is how you get confident with problem-solving in IT, and how you build a troubleshooting toolkit for software problems in general. Just remember to try the quick fixes first so you don’t waste time. Happy problem-solving!