3 Steps to Kick-Start Your Online Job Search

Whether you are searching for technology, marketing, healthcare or finance jobs, following these guidelines will help you launch a successful online job search within any industry.

#1. Develop a clear objective

You already know that smearing an objective across the top of your resume is an outdated idea. However, having a primary objective to guide your overall job search is a good strategy. It will help you establish your target, keep you focused and give structure to your search.

First, explore areas where you excelled in past jobs and think about things that energized and fulfilled you. Then, take your experience, education and achievements into consideration while making a list of job titles that match your unique qualifications. Think outside the box in this step. It will narrow your lens, yet bring new jobs into focus.

#2. Target your responses with effective keywords

Before submitting a resume or starting an online application, thoroughly read the job description and requirements. Highlight or underline the key phrases, then pack your resume with them. Each company is telling you precisely what they want.

Next, research all relevant keywords for the job title. You can weave them naturally throughout, or create a section labeled Professional Strengths. For instance, if you are targeting senior accounting jobs, include legitimate keywords specific to the core competencies of all finance jobs. This will ensure an applicant-tracking system, also know as ATS, accurately hones in on your resume.

#3. Create an ATS-friendly version of your resume

Somewhere in the virtual universe, an ATS is waiting to inhale your resume. Follow these tips to keep from disappearing into that black hole:

* Remove the fancy formatting. Stick to a content-driven, plain-text style. Omit graphics, tables, special characters, borders, lines and shading.

* Put your contact information in block format at the top, so your name appears on the first line, your address is on the second line and so on.

* Make your relevant accomplishments easy to spot. These stand out best if you use numbers, instead of numerals, within the text.

* To divide a plain text resume into sections, use the equals sign to create a tidy line across the document.

* Unless instructed otherwise, save the file in .rtf or .txt format. Do not include attachments.

All of these ideas can help you create multiple resume iterations for your online job search. You can even adapt a keyword-intense, plain-text summary into your micro blogs and professional profiles. No matter how far you extend your reach, stay keenly focused on your objective of landing that new job.

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Attached Images:

• License: Royalty Free or iStock source: depositphotos.com

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This entry was posted on Friday, November 23rd, 2012 at 8:07 am and is filed under Career, Career Coaching, Job Search, Online Career Space, Social Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.