In the space of around 18 months, we’ve gone from a sellers market where good candidates were in short supply, and anxiously fought over by employers and recruiters alike, to a buyers market where those who have a job count themselves lucky.

If you haven’t had to look for a job for a few years, you’ll soon find out that the world of recruitment has become increasingly complicated and difficult to navigate.

When it comes to job hunting online, many job-hunters simply don’t know where to start. Others, after countless unsuccessful registrations and job applications, are left wondering if internet job boards are simply black holes into which their precious CV simply disappears without trace.  

To make sure you get the most from your online CV, here’s Janet’s top 10 tips:-

1. Be very selective about where you post your CV online. 
   A CV database is only as good as the candidates within it. Only register your CV with websites that carry the jobs that you are actually interested in, and that you can reasonably be considered qualified to do. 
    
2. Make it easy for recruiters to find you. 
   If you want to be found on a website where you register your CV, you must remember to make it search engine friendly. 
   
   When a recruiter is searching a database for candidates for a particular job, they will use various key words that they consider to be important for that role. These could be particular skills or qualifications, the names of companies, trade associations, colleges or universities, even the name of a country or a city. If you want a job in IT, PR or finance make sure that your CV contains those trigger words, particularly in the first few paragraphs, to enable it to register properly in a search.
   
   A study by the University of Hertfordshire showed that certain words and phrases used in CVs had an influence in determining which candidates were actually short-listed for an interview. Their research revealed that the top words to include in your CV were:  achievement, active, developed, evidence, experience, impact, individual, involved, planning and transferable skills.
    
3. Keep your CV registrations up to date. 
   Some recruiters will only look at new CVs being posted on particular job board databases because candidates often don’t take themselves off when they are no longer looking. Don’t just post your CV somewhere and forget about it. Update it at least once a month and take it off when you’re lucky enough to have landed that great new job. 
    
4. Finding the best websites. 
   Recruitment advertisers work very hard to make sure that you can find their sites via top search engines like Google. With more than 2000 job boards online, it can be a bit like trying to find the proverbial needle in a haystack. You can save lots of time, and uncover many hidden gems, using the reviews outlined in my e-book and on newlifenetwork.co.uk in theFind a great new job section.  
    
5. Bookmark your favourites. 
   Once you’ve found the best combination of places for you for job-hunting online, bookmark them in special job search folder on the toolbar of your computer. That way you’ll find it easy to keep coming back to your favourites, and you won’t keep reinventing the wheel. 
    
6. Be safe online. 
   Many people worry about identity fraud and resist registering their CVs online for that very reason. You don’t have to give your full address (although a valid email and telephone number is essential if you want them to contact you!), your National Insurance number, your bank details or your date of birth on your CV. 
    
7. Is it a real job? 
   Recruiters will often place positions on several different websites and sometimes ‘forget’ to take them down, even when the job has already been short-listed or filled. If in doubt, call the recruiter beforehand to check the situation to avoid wasting your time applying. You never know, another candidate may have dropped out, or perhaps it wasn’t filled from the short-list – you’d be surprised how often that happens.  Either way, you may get to make a personal contact with a recruiter who could help you in the future. 
    
8. Don’t be anonymous. 
   People buy people, so do get away from your computer and meet recruiters in person whenever you can. They may not have a job for you today but, if they’ve met you and made a connection with you, you’ll be the first person that comes to mind when they do, perhaps even before they post the job online.
    
9. Apply to companies directly.
   It might not pay off immediately but you never know what might be around the corner. Many companies now allow you to apply for jobs with them online via their career micro-sites. 
    
10. Track your efforts. 
    Keep a thorough record of all your applications, follow-ups, interview dates and so on. You may need it to show you’re really looking for work if you’re claiming benefit, and it helps to keep you organised, motivated and on track. You can download a free job tracking spreadsheet at newlifenetwork.co.uk on the Find a great new job page.

These tips were taken from Surf your way to your next new job by Janet Davies. The complete version can be downloaded free of charge from the newlifenetwork.co.uk website: