Most people are aware that the Internet is a hugely important tool for jobseekers. But how do you get the most out of the Internet and what (if any) are the pitfalls? There are literally hundreds of "job boards" in the UK (and overseas) so you need to think carefully about which particular boards are going to be right for you. 

Within the IT industry you could look at specialist boards such as www.cwjobs.co.uk, www.computingcareers.co.uk and the www.theitjobboard.co.uk. Both employers and recruitment agencies advertise jobs on these "job boards" and you can search for jobs by job category, sector, skill, location and salary band. You might want to utilise basic Boolean techniques in your search string so that "Project Manager" AND "Web 2" will return jobs containing both those phrases. Equally an OR statement may be useful. "Project Manager" AND (SQL OR Oracle) will return jobs for Project Managers with either Oracle or SQL mentioned in the advertisement. Remember that advertisers generally buy an on line advertisement for a period of time which could be 28 days or longer, so don't blame the recruiter if you find that the position has already been filled when you apply. Check the date on the advertisement and if in doubt contact the recruiter or employer directly before applying to double check that the position is still open. Another important point is to make sure that your CV is tailored for the job you are applying for. If you have both Project Management and Service Management experience then make sure you have different CVs that highlight this different experience. If the Recruiter is looking for a Red Badge Qualified ITIL Service Manager don't send your CV stating that you are a Prince 2 Accredited Project Manager (even if you are!).

Most of the job boards also give you the facility to upload your CV to the site. If you are serious about your job search then I strongly recommend that you upload your CV to several sites and make sure that you "refresh" your CV on a regular basis. Not surprisingly recruiters tend to look at "recent" CVs. If your CV has been sitting on a job board for 3 months they will probably assume that you have already found a job! I can pretty much guarantee that you will get calls from recruiters if you keep your CV on-line.

Don't forget that in a difficult UK job market you might also want to look at overseas opportunities. I would recommend searching initially on the country name i.e. "Dubai" should return Dubai based jobs. However some of the job boards allow you to search specifically for jobs in one particular location choosing the country and city (e.g. Switzerland and Zurich). Most of the job boards allow you to set up an "alert", just enter your search string and you will receive a daily or weekly e-mail each time a new job comes up matching your requirement.

Finally don't forget that you can find a wealth of advice to on the job boards, usually under a "Careers Advice" tab where you can generally find tips to help you brush up your CV or improve your interview technique.  

Good luck with your on-line job search!