How to Effectively Use Internet Job Boards to Find a Job

Monster and CareerBuilder are two of the largest online job boards on the web today. They post hundreds of thousands of positions and have millions of resumes on file.

So, how do you get found? How do you effectively use job boards to find a job? Following are four tips.

1. Use Keywords: Many applicants don't make good use of this, but it is how you get found by employers. Let me explain.

Employers and recruiters search for resume by typing in key words. If your resume is not keyword rich, even though you may be extremely qualified for a position, it will never come up in their search.

How to Make Your Resume Keyword Rich

As an example, under "Computer Skills" on your resume, you may type in MS Office Suite. Included in this software package is MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel. If you just type in MS Office Suite, and the recruiter is looking for someone with PowerPoint, your resume will not come up in their search.

So, list your skills like this: MS Office Suite (PowerPoint, MS Word, Excel). That way, no matter how a search is conducted, your resume will be part of their search.

2. Revise, Revise, Revise: As in, revise your resume to fit the job. This does not mean lie. Again allow me to explain.

When you see a job you know you are qualified for, but your resume may not reflect it, revise your resume to suit the position.

For example, if you've been an office manager and are applying for an executive assistant's position, take the skills that overlap and rework your resume to reflect how those skills are directly transferable.

Also, have two or three different resumes going at the same time. Take key words and phrases from the job description provided and use them in your revised resume. It's tempting to just shoot off the same resume over and over again.

But, the reason that job hunting is a "job" is because it's time-consuming to tailor a resume to every position. However, this may be what you have to do, especially if you've sent out many resumes with no response.