Today it is inconceivable to look for a job without using the Internet. The web represents an important source of information and offers a multitude of opportunities to apply for jobs and promote your profile.
Among the useful information, you will find comparative salary surveys, tips for writing CVs and cover letters, techniques for interviews and networking, but also job boards on which you can post your CV and look up ads from employers and employment agencies, not to mention social networks where you can create a stand-out profile.
A great number of job ads. Thousands of websites list vacant positions, from the most general to the most specialized, sorted by field and/or by geographic area.
Internet is available at any time.
Applying online also shows your capacity to use and exploit the possibilities of the Internet.
An email address is a must-have to look for a job on-line. An email account is easy to set up and doesn’t cost anything. There are many sites that offer free email accounts: yahoo.com, hotmail.com, gmail.com, etc.
Search options may vary from one site to the other. Most of them allow you to search by field, profession, company or geographical area. It is often possible to launch an advanced search, which can help you reduce the scope of your search and find positions that match your skills and expectations more accurately.
Search agents are computer programs that automatically and continuously search for vacant positions that match your criteria.
If you set up an account on a job board or on an employment agency website, you can subscribe to receive job alerts, namely emails containing job ads matching your search criteria.
Most websites allow you to choose the frequency of notification, for example every day, every three days, once a week or once a month.
The advantage of a daily notification when you are actively looking for a job is that you find out about an ad as soon as it is published and get to be among the first applicants. On the down side, you might get a lot of emails from these sites if your criteria are very broad. If your purpose is to be a simple observer of the market, a bi-weekly or monthly notification is sufficient.
In this day and age, job applications are mostly sent over the Internet, either directly on the website where you saw the ad or by sending an email to a recruiter. One may then wonder: Is it necessary to send a cover letter? Should it be attached to the email or is the body of the email enough? How to write this email? Are there any rules to follow?
Even the era of Internet, a cover letter remains important for recruiters. The higher the position the more necessary it is.
It helps you stand out among other candidates and show what you can bring to the company. It is an essential addition to your CV allowing you to present yourself and to convince the recruiter that you are the one their company needs. Therefore, dashing off a cover letter can work against you.
Spelling, vocabulary and presentation are key elements that can make you stand out. However, you can do without it if you are applying to a position that requires few qualifications or no particular education or experience. In this case, a short email describing your know-how is sufficient.
Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast rule. It all depends on the position you are applying for, on your type of profession and on the skills requested. There are two ways to go about it: You can either copy-paste your text into the body of the email (don't forget to space out the text to make it easily readable) or you can choose to send a more succinct email.
If you choose the latter, be particularly careful with the words you pick. You need to answer the following questions:
Why did you choose this company?
What attracted you in the job description (if you are replying to an ad) or what type of position you are interested in (if you are sending an spontaneous application)?
Why should the recruiter pick you over anybody else?
Our tip: Attach your letter in a pdf format. This way, the recruiter will have a letter with a correct layout and can print it right away if your application is selected for an interview.