Tips on How to Begin an Online Job Search

The advent of the internet has changed the nature of job hunting. With just a few keystrokes, you can search for hundreds of job openings in your industry, and apply to them in one click. Online job sites has made looking for a job easy, but applying for them more challenging.

Online job sites may have made it more convenient, but with millions of people now having access to the same job, it has also made it more competitive. One job opening often have as much as 300 applicants just for one day. That's a lot of resumes to wade through, and not all of them will be read.

Nowadays, having a good resume is no longer enough to get you hired, especially when you're thinking of taking your job search online. So here are a few tips that is sure to help your resume get more than a passing glance.

Have a smashing cover letter. An excellent cover letter is like having a great opening band. It's a way to make a solid introduction, while at the same time, get them excited for the main show. It's an opportunity to inject some personality, which fact-laden CVs don't often show.

Not only does a cover letter humanize you, but a good one will make you stand out.

Get an ASCII resume. This is one example where old technology becomes new again. ASCII is just a fancy word for a plain old text file: no fancy fonts, no bullets, and no margins. It's like writing your whole resume on Notepad. So why is it important to hammer out a resume with absolutely no formatting bling?

One word: convenience. Text files are extremely light, so it's easier to attach them in an email. But the biggest benefit is that you can copy and paste them onto a form without any distortions. You can paste it in an email form, but still remain intact. And since most online job sites rely on e-forms to enter your information, you no longer have to worry about re-arranging your CV every time you paste it on the site.

Take note of the job postings. Job sites generate hundreds, and sometimes thousands of applications for one position. This can be overwhelming for recruiters, so they only spend a minimum of 20 seconds per resume. How can they read so fast? By looking for keywords.

By scanning a resume for keywords, they can weed through irrelevant applications and only focus on legitimate ones. Some companies and job sites even use special software to do the preliminary scan, making sure that only viable candidates are read by human eyes.

These keywords are usually job skills necessary to perform the job your applying for. They can be found in the job posting itself, or try looking at other ads in similar fields. While we've been taught never to use the same word twice, this is one case that repetition is key. So make sure you inject one or two of each keywords in your resume.

Submit directly on company websites. Most companies still hire based on referrals, or directly through their websites. While online job sites are an excellent resources, the volume of applications has become too overwhelming for recruiters. The result is some hiring managers using online job sites simply as a backup pool, or even discounting them completely.

So it's important to expand your job search beyond the regular job boards, and consider sending your resumes directly to the companies you want to work for. Sending your resumes direct also has a couple of benefits: due to the lower application volume, attachments will more likely be opened. So you can send out a spiffier version of your resume, giving it more of an opportunity to stand out. It will give you the freedom to follow-up on your application, as most job sites prevent you from making any additional contact besides your e-application.

When it comes to online job hunting, it's important that you make yourself stand out. Whether that's being more creative with your resume, or weaving it with a healthy smattering of keywords, the more you get your resume read, the better your chances are of getting hired.