Looking for a job or just a change in careers? Despite the national unemployment rate stabilizing around current levels, layoffs, corporate downsizing and bankruptcies continue to add to the ranks of the unemployed. The job market is still assimilating laid-off workers, all looking to replicate their last job and pay scale, which are now competing with those individuals just looking for a change in careers. With so many individuals looking for work, employers are sitting in the catbird seat selectively picking through the daily deluge of snail-mailed and on-line resumes. This phenomena has left many job seekers frustrated and somewhat disappointed with the result of their job hunting efforts. 

One of the most daunting problems perspective employees face is that companies are still paying headhunters a fee to find high-paid, qualified candidates for their job openings, often passing over individual resumes and agency offerings. In the past, there was a clear line in the sand between employment agencies and recruiters. Employment agencies were funded by job seekers who received counseling, resume writing and interview training as a part of the service package. Companies looking for specific job candidates paid headhunters and recruiters a fee for bringing them prequalified employees. This was the clear difference between the two job service groups. That line has become gray in today's economy, with agencies now collecting fees from employers, just like recruiters and headhunters.

Although traditional means of recruiting such as print ads, job fairs and referrals remain a key component of the average company recruiter's strategy, the Internet is quickly becoming their ideal tool of choice. Local company recruiters say personal home pages; online job services and news groups are delivering high-quality hopefuls to their desks with just a few clicks of the keyboard. Even local job recruiters and agencies are using the Internet to locate qualified candidates for the jobs they want to fill quickly and efficiently. Some are even heralding the World Wide Web as the newest, and possibly best, way to find new talent. "It's the hip thing to do," said Stacey Herron, an analyst at Jupiter Research. To no one's surprise, there are still a few skeptics to accompany the fans. 

The first step of a job search is to develop a marketing strategy and establish some personal goals. This includes taking a look at your previous work experiences, skills and qualifications, then trying to determine how much you're worth in the marketplace and desired job availability. Researching these subjects on the Web can help you with this task. Once you have established your goals, and have considered what it might take to get there, then it's probably time to rewrite the much-maligned resume. A strong cover letter will help personalize your resume. It should contain three paragraphs: one to explain how you found the job opening, the second to explain your skills and experience, and a final one that asks for an interview.

The best way to get instant exposure for your resume is by posting it on the Internet, which is usually free of charge, unless you choose to make use of the value added services offered by that particular web site, which could provide greater impact for the document. Sites like www.careerbuilder.com could be a good place to begin your online job search. They have thousands of links to help you get started. The sites in their directories give you access to millions of jobs and tons of advice. They have everything you need to find your next job - online!    www.nationjob.com bills itself as the net's premier resource site for job seekers with its on keyword search function. Their search engine feature allows job seekers to find jobs by categories or geographic location. www.resume.com covers all aspects of your job search from writing resumes, cover letters and thank you letters to assistance with the interview process and career coaching, as well as posting your resume on the Internet. 

If your just looking to change jobs, not your career, you might want to find thousands of current open job listings posted by the top headhunters, recruiters, and search professionals in the world at www.pamdixon.com.  This online guide to job sites provides visitors with a list of the top 53 key job-searching sites online. This list gives detailed information about the privacy practices at each site, including information about how much spam or job offers a resume posted at the site received. Because resumes contain such detailed personal and professional information, it is well worth caring about how job search sites handle privacy issues.

There is no doubt that the Web is a powerful weapon for finding local, talented employees in a market saturated by qualified job seekers. For the perspective employee, the web offers instant access to company home pages and convenience in sending resumes at the click of a button. For employers it provides them with efficient way to access large numbers of job applicants, making the Web a better experience for both the seeker and the hunter. Overall, the general consensus is that the Internet is a powerful medium for communication between job seekers and employers because it offers a low-cost alternative to the paper-resume-piling, phone-tag approach to recruiting, if used correctly. 

Despite people who say that cutting-edge Internet marketing isn't realistic for everyone, people who use it effectively are finding good jobs every day. But in order to get the most out of the Internet, job seekers need to approach it with a defined strategy in mind and a keen sense of adventure.

It doesn't matter whether your new dream job is a big step up from your current one or just a minor career change, recognize that finding a job still requires a great deal of work, perseverance and a little bit of luck. It's true that a few select individuals in highly specialized professions receive unsolicited job offers every week, but most people just aren't that lucky. So don't give up hope, be flexible and remember there is a good job out there waiting for you: you just need to find it.