Find a job at Internet speed

Interested in becoming the next "Apprentice"? Or, better yet, the next head honcho? You may just be one click away.

A recent survey from www.CareerBuilder.com shows that online career sites ranked as one of the three top resources used by job seekers. This makes sense considering that analysts estimate 20 percent of hires at Fortune 500 companies come from online sources––a number projected to double in 2005.

To make the most of your job search efforts online and land that next great opportunity, Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder.com’s senior career advisor, offered the following tips:

Act Fast. Stay on top of your search. The survey found over 50 percent of hiring managers fill their open positions within one month, 30 percent within two weeks. Regularly check for new online postings. Also, sign up for a free Job Alert, which automatically e-mails job postings that match your search specifications to you, so you can apply directly.

Remember: One Size Does Not Fit All. Customize your applications. Seventy-one percent of hiring managers polled say they pay more attention to resumes and cover letters that are tailored to their open positions. Visit the employer’s website for information on products and services, press announcements, corporate culture, etc. Reflect this research in your communications and pepper in keywords from the job posting as they apply to your skills and experience.

Make It Simple. Use plain text. Avoid ornate fonts and graphics when submitting an online resume as they may not translate well to hypertext language. Also, make it easy on the recruiter to remember you and reference the job number or position in the header with a highlight about yourself. Example: "Communications Expert applying for Public Relations Director."

Advertise Your Skills. Post different versions of your resume to appeal to companies offering positions in various areas of interest. You can control who sees your information to prevent discovery from your current employer and you can track how often employers click on your resume during searches of the database.

Limit the Verbs. Avoid applying too many verbs when describing your experience as employers tend to search through electronic resumes using nouns. Instead of writing "managed projects," use "project manager."

This story provided by North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.