Get a job

So I don't want to teach you to suck eggs, but getting a job is not just a question of sending in your CV. You have to differentiate yourself from the other candidates. How do you do that? Well here are a few simple suggestions:

- Don't send the same CV twice. Each one should be crafted for the job you are seeking.

- Make your CV stand out, no I don't mean garish colours, I mean focus your CV to the job for which you are applying and highlight the skills they are requesting.

- Keep your summary snappy, not too much detail, when I sift CV's I glance down them so make your skills obvious (Ability to leap tall buildings, x-ray vision, wears underpants outside trousers.)

-If you are submitting to a general site, such as jobs.co.uk or total jobs make sure you highlight your talents in as many different ways as you can. If you use an acronym put the full meaning too or vice versa, this will help when people are searching to ensure you will get a hit.

Here are some useful sites I have come across in my time.
The Ops ladder: Plus points: Good site for jobs in excess of 50K, CV critique, Minus points: Chargeable to do anything other than the simple stuff, but sign up for their regular email to get free tips and hints.
Gum Tree: Not just a jobs site but also a classified ads site (see later). Allows you to focus on your local area. Affiliated sites around the world.
Total jobs: Major site used by larger corporates. Plus points: CV Checker - allows you to check how good your CV is by answering a few sensible questions. Search for jobs by key words and location. Salary checker - find out what your worth. Graduate Zone - just what it says on the tin.
Monster: Another major site. Plus points: CV Checker, New letter, Major Corporate clients, You can set up a "profile".

Linked in: Although not technically a job site, this is the job equivalent of Facebook, Bebo and other social networking sites. It allows you to make contact with old and current colleagues and build a network of people through them. Use it as a show case for your talents, experience etc. Plus points: People can recommend you for work you have done, you can link in to people through other people you know. Minus points: There is a charge for the more ethereal stuff, but you can build a fairly good network just through the free stuff (here's my linked in profile.)