Shanavia Reed is a nursing student at the University of South Alabama and soon to be graduate. She comes to the Alabama Career Center to search the web for nursing positions, and agrees, the online hunt can be daunting.
"Just like me I'm out of state and I'm trying to find jobs in other states. Somebody like me is trying to do the same thing. I think employers are bombarded with applications," says Shanavia. With fewer jobs on the market and an increase of the unemployed, standing out from thousands of other applicants can be hard to do.
Pamela Ware says there are key points when applying online that people should be aware. "You want to make sure that whatever skills they are looking for in that job application, that you have some of those skill sets in your background that's going to match what they are looking for," says Ware, Director of Marketing for the Career Center.
Another tip is to make sure that keywords from the job description are sprinkled throughout your resume. "Some companies have resume writing software or certain parameters in place to when you apply online to see if you are going to be an initial match for that particular job," says Ware.
She also says the type of font you use is important when applying online. "Some computers are not compatible with certain fonts or even certain programs so usually a times new roman font will be a safe bet."
And remember that social media can be a great tool for finding a job, but it could also be deal breaker. "You want to make sure that whatever you are listing on Facebook, that they are not seeing anything distasteful, that an employer may not want to hire you."If you are looking for a job, the Alabama Career Center offers resume writing services for free.