With many job postings, now requiring candidates have to to apply via email, first impressions are made not with a handshake but with words on a computer screen.

To avoid sabotaging your job search, here are some tips to follow when sending cover letters by email:

1. Forget what Instant Messenger has taught you.

A resume can either open doors or keep them closed . Never assume that people are going to read your resume because the fact is that most resumes get only a passing glance. You must do everything possible to spark immediate interest during that moment.

Constructing a resume that earns interviews is remarkably simple.

Here are six do's and don'ts to follow when composing your document.

So here are some tips on how to write a better resume:

Objectives

Your resume has two objectives:

To secure an interview by quickly showing that you fulfill the job requirements as described in the job advertisement or by the recruitment agency.

To act as a prompt for the interviewer by providing the details that back your claim to be a preferred candidate.

A perfect CV layout has 2 objectives:

To illustrate your strengths and maximise your chances of getting through to interview and to put factual information, such as dates, places, names together in a presentable and readable form.
Focal Point

It is claimed that the human eyes are naturally drawn to a focal point one third down from the top of the page. Therefore, put your most useful information in this area. It might be your Profile, Key Skills, Professional Qualifications or details of your most recent employment. You can choose whichever you think is most important and relevant to your application.
Always get a second opinion when you have put your CV together. It is difficult to be objective about oneself.

The interviewer hopes that YOU are the right person for the job. They are under pressure to fill the position so that they can get back to their own work. Therefore you are in a greater position of strength than you think. Concentrate on what you have to offer in the way of qualifications and experience instead of feeling intimidated.

An interviewer has 3 aims:

1) To learn if you are the right person for the job

2) To assess your potential for promotion

3) To decide whether you will fit into the company environment

The key to a successful interview is in preparation

Due to the increasing competitiveness of today’s job market requires the job seeker to be far more aggressive in their overall job search campaign, particularly when developing their career-marketing document – the resume.

With a window of opportunity often as little as 10 seconds for the resume to spark the readers attention, demands a dynamic document that portrays the candidate’s expertise and overall value offered. Gone are the days of a tasked-based resume with an inventory of a position’s responsibilities, coupled with a standard (and boring) list of personal aptitudes. This has been replaced with an achievement /accomplishment driven document that depicts you as a pro-active candidate that demands results and demonstrates the significant value on offer to the organization.

So you say you’ve sent out 4 million resumes and have not gotten as much as a nibble? If you’ve got the right experience but you’re just not getting your foot in the door anywhere, maybe there are problems with your resume. I recently asked TechRepublic members who are IT managers what kinds of things make them want to just chuck a resume in the trash.

The internet makes it possible to point and click your way into your dream position or a gig just to pay the bills. On-line job boards such as Hotjobs.com receives over 7.5 million visitors each month making it easy to get lost in the mayhem of the point and click stampede toward employment. Have no fear, there a few things you can do to get in the groove of this fast-paced job shuffle.

1. Choose Your Format Correctly - There are two main resume formats - chronological and functional. If you are seeking a job in a field in which you already have work experience, you will probably want to choose a chronological format where you will be able to showcase your job history. If, however, you want to transition into a different field, you definitely need to use a functional format.