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The Internet has long been a critical tool for job searchers. It allows them to tap into corporate databases, post their résumés on help-wanted boards like Monster.com and HotJobs, and distribute résumés to anyone with an e-mail address. But the Web is also a favorite resource for companies looking to fill jobs, with more and more businesses moving their recruiting portals online.
Here are some tips to help boost your chances of standing out in cyberspace:
• Use keywords -- on your résumé. Greg Cardenas, director of Talent Sourcing for pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca (AZN
), suggests applicants include a list of keywords on the bottom of their résumés. Because recruiters must comb through many résumés, they search for relevant keywords. You might be fully qualified for the job, but without the right words on the page, your résumé could be passed over.
Add a keyword list, and you'll boost the chances of having your résumé show up first -- or at least make it through the filters. Use maybe 5 but no more than 10. Too many will make you look desperate.
• Take advantage of "job agents." Many company and job-search sites offer programs that hunt down positions for you. Applicants enter what kind of job they're looking for and the job agent will notify them, usually via e-mail, when something becomes available. Cardenas advises applicants to "reply quickly, so you're not the 50th candidate in a line of 200 when the recruiter only has the time to review the first 25 résumés."
• Search daily. Positions and openings change constantly. Quicker respondents usually have a better chance of catching a recruiter's eye.
• Use the Internet for research -- not just the job search. Applying for a job online can make the hunting process seem easy –- but that's no excuse for being lazy. You still need to do your homework on companies you want to work for, says Richard Bayer, chief operating officer for the Five O'Clock Club, a New York-based outplacement firm.
Bayer suggests using the Internet mainly as a means to do helpful, critical company research. By investigating a potential employer you'll learn more about how the company operates and what kind of person they would be likely to look for. Both types of information will help when it comes time to interview.
• Adapt your résumé. Many companies ask applicants to submit an electronically formatted one, usually by filling in an online form. Don't leave any sections blank. Without data, a recruiter is less likely to add your résumé to the pile.
If your research has helped you figure out what the company is looking for, tailor your résumé's job descriptions to highlight any relevant experience or skills. Don't forget to include a cover letter. It may be your only chance to show your personality. Taking the time to write a note rather than just hitting the "send" key on a résumé forwarder shows commitment.
• Send your résumé via e-mail. In addition to sending your information through an online engine, send a copy of your résumé to a company's internal human-resources department to be included in the company database. Other recruiters within the company may see your résumé for jobs you haven't applied for, Cardenas says.
• Use multiple Web sites. You might love the ease of HotJobs or CareerBuilder, but broadening your search base could clue in more recruiters to your credentials. Be sure to post your résumé on several different sites. Cardenas suggests using industry-specific sites, including professional society sites and user groups.
• Follow up with hard copy. Bayer recommends that applicants always send a printed cover letter and résumé to the company. Ideally, applicants should address their dossier to an internal contact. "If you can hit the send button, so can 250 other people," says Bayer. "You've got to find another way."
The acid test remains whether you get a call from a recruiter. If no one's getting in touch with you, it's time you rethought your résumé -- and strategy.
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By Jordan Burke
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