Searching for jobs in the "electronic age" is deceptively easy. While you are walking down the path of ease be aware you are walking into a trap and it's a trap that catches more and more people every day. Don't get me wrong, the Internet is a useful and necessary tool, and it's one that I use constantly, but it isn't the only tool, and when used incorrectly it's the wrong tool. How do you avoid this trap? How do you use the Internet as a way to improve rather than hinder your advancement?

First off take into account exactly how easy using the Internet to post resumes and look for jobs is. Anybody can sit in their computer chair, with the television on in the background, and surf for jobs. It's truth time, and the truth will hurt, but here it is. Chances are there is somebody out there better qualified than you searching the Internet for the same jobs you are. Should this discourage you from trying? Of course not, but it should encourage you to make yourself stick out more than anybody else. I'll share a dirty little secret with you. It's rarely the best qualified person who gets the job. It's usually the most dynamic person, the person who sticks out and advertises them self correctly. There are a couple of things you need to do to beat out the competition: narrow the competition, stick out.

Narrowing the competition is the part where extra work comes in. Using large job search sites is fine, but not if you solely use those large sites. Where else can you search? There are regional search sites as well as local newspapers that list jobs on-line. Simply by checking those two sources you will eliminate a large majority of the competition. Want to narrow the field a little bit more? Get off the Internet and look in the yellow pages under sections that have companies that might interest you. Call them and see if they are hiring. I know that the last step is a hassle, and some people may even feel embarrassed calling these companies, but believe me none of those companies will look down on you for calling, and if they are hiring they will remember the person who called more than they will remember their on line applicants. Even if you skip the cold calling by checking regional job search engines, and on line local newspapers you make the next step in your job search much easier.

The next step is sticking out. How do you make yourself look better than the competition? Research the company you want to work for. Use the Internet to

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