Online Job Search Tips

The first step to securing a position by via an Online Job Board and/or Posting Online is writing a professional resume that stands out from your peers and does not include any major gaffes - you want a stellar resume that acts as your professional calling card.

Although most candidates know this, many still do not write and post a resume that is mistake free. You should also have a "plain text" resume available to send out via email - it shouldn't contain any bullets, special characters or font formatting. Email it to yourself to make sure what you are sending out is perfect and error free.

Forget about sending your resume and cover letter as an attachment to individuals and companies if you can. As many mailservers will strip out attachments found in inbound emails. Paste your cover letter and resume into the body of your email and use the subject line of the email to reference the particular job you are looking for.

Bad Grammar and Spelling Errors - spell checking is a foregone conclusion but many candidates either forget to do this or ignore the importance of using a spell checker. For grammatical issues, have 2-3 people read your resume and critique it.

Formatting - this mistake falls under the "no brainer" category but many people forget to use the same font in their Titles, Section Headers and actual Body of the resume, which makes for a sloppy resume. Check your formatting carefully prior to uploading your resume to an online job board.

Best Foot Forward - don't hide your success; show a hiring manager how you succeeded in previous jobs and what you've accomplished - be specific when/where you can with actual milestones you've achieved in your career. Use numbers, facts, figures, not generalities.

Don't be Overly Wordy - be succinct and relevant when conveying information, as a hiring manager will not want to wade through lots of detail.

Don't Have Gaps in Dates or Misleading Information - ensure all information in your resume is accurate and if you took time off from work for any reason let people know.

Incorporate Keyword Focus - many online job boards utilize back end technology that enables a hiring manager to deploy an automated search for a job candidate (automated filtering). Make sure you include keywords in the body of your resume that match the position you are seeking - including these in your title and section or background headers.

Minimize Personal Information - in most cases you should not include personal information such as age, race, gender, marital status, etc. It may dilute your chances for finding the right job.

Leave Out Irrelevant Information - you don't need to go back to your first job out of high school or college unless it is relevant to the position you are seeking. If it is not relevant then leave it out of your resume - you may want to touch on it during the interview process. Less is more when writing a stellar resume, leave out extemporaneous information.

Don't Forget Contact Information - you would think most people would never miss this, but some do. Make sure you have all contact information featured prominently in your resume, with emphasis on digital and phone of course. And, remember email filters could block unknown emails from potential hiring firms or individuals - check your spam filters frequently during the process.

Leverage Social Networking - more and more employers are doing searches on Social Networking web sites to do preliminary background research on a candidate. Be aware when you post to many of these sites your posts are legacy information, which may sit on a server for years for all to view. Forget about the obligatory Facebook or MySpace account - there is nothing wrong if you have these but LinkedIn is emerging as the defacto "go to" social networking site for professionals.

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