by Nicole Selley

Created on: March 17, 2009

Searching for a job online has many advantages. The most important ones are surely the speed with which you can access jobs and contact the employer or their recruitment agency as well as the cost savings compared to the old fashioned application maps you had to send by post.

But you may be wary of using the internet to find a job if you have never done it before. You shouldn't be worried by following some simple guidelines you will easily get the hang of it.

Step 1 - Prepare

First of all, even before you open your web browser, you should bring your CV and your cover letter up to date. It is very tempting to search for jobs online and then, when you like a job, you want to use the speed of the internet to apply immediately. If you haven't prepared your paper work yet, you are likely to send something you quickly put together there and then. Some sites provide you with tools to automatically create a CV by answering the relevant questions. But it you still need to ensure your dates, content and spelling is correct, so it is worthwhile creating a CV beforehand.

Don't forget, quality is still just as important to an application sent online than to an application per post.

Step 2 - Review and choose jobsites

Now you are ready to go online. There will be a number of online jobsites you already know from TV and radio advertisements, such as http://www.monster.com, http://www.careerbuilder.com or http://www.hotjob.com.

It will be worthwhile to include these sites into your job search as they are well established and therefore attract most employers. But at the same time it also attracts the most competition for you!

You therefore should not neglect the smaller and less well known online jobsites. It is not difficult to find them, especially if you are looking for a job in a specific profession or industry.

By using as search engine (such as Google) you can type in the relevant keywords such as "job search marketing" or "job site engineer" and a range of sites will come up for you to you.

At the same time don't neglect trade press such as industry related magazines. They usually include job adverts and have an online presence you can use to review current positions you might want to apply for.

Not all sites are easy to use and with the vast number of sites available, not all of them are useful for your job search. Once you found a site you might therefore want to review its credentials, such as site security (to ensure your personal data is protected), contact details and information

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