With the Internet becoming more and more a big part of our daily lives, we can't avoid the inevitable - like it or not, job hunting online is here to stay. Technology has changed the way we do things now. Can you remember how job hunting was like before the Internet arrived? Everything had to be done manually. You had to scour newspapers for job listings. Then you had to print out hard copies of your resumes, and send them out. If someone calls you, that's good news. But most of the time, there will be no reply.

Now, job seeking is very different. You can do everything online. New websites and applications are being invented and released to help manage the job hunting process. Both employers and employees must learn how to make full use of technology to help them achieve their goals.

Understanding both sides of the process.

The employer.

Even if you are a seeker, it will certainly help if you can understand more about what is happening on the side of the employer. Here is what usually happens when an employer wants to find new employees online.

The employer goes to a number of job search websites, and pays a small fee to post a job listing. The post contains job description, and all other relevant information about the job position. Contact information and job application details will also be listed. The employer will then manage the job applications from the respective job sites.

The employee.

Now think about this. As an employee, how do you come to know about the job opportunities available? You make a keyword search based on the position right? When you make a keyword search at a job site, all the jobs with the relevant keywords will be presented to you. You may then proceed to read the job descriptions, and decide whether you want to apply for the job or not.

There are several ways you can submit your job application. Some employers accept only resumes in Word Doc. Some may require you to email the resume to a specific email address, while others may just need you to post your digital resume (assuming that you have already saved your resume on the website). The employer will then shortlist the job candidates, and contact them to arrange for face to face or telephone interviews.

This is the most common process. Sometimes, the process can be reversed. That means, instead of the employee seeking out the right job opportunities, employers now attempt to seek out the right job candidates. How do they do so? They can conduct resume searches. Again, the searches are based on keywords.

By now, you must have realized the importance of keywords in a resume. Use all the relevant keywords you can think of in your resume before uploading it to a job site. That will greatly increase your chances of being exposed to the right employers.