For many people, job seeking is a full time job within its own right. But it doesn’t have to be. With so many job opportunities now available online, you can speed up your job search, expand your opportunities, and gain a competitive edge without even leaving your chair.

Before searching job websites, consider what you’re looking for, where you’re likely to find it, and how you’re going to get it. Generally, it’s best to have a clear goal in mind, more than one version of your resume to hand, and a willingness to tailor each cover letter to each prospective employer.

Make sure you include relevant words and phrases in your resume to increase your chances of being a match in the employer’s applicant database. Standardizing industry-specific terminology and tweaking your skills to include those repeatedly mentioned in the job ad can potentially double your chances of success.

Reading online is 25 per cent slower than reading from paper, so make things easy for prospective employers by resisting the urge to waffle. Instead, keep your cover letter to three short paragraphs, and provide key information only: an introduction, summary of your skills/background, and closing statement is ideal.

Searching job websites needn’t be time consuming. Make sure you sign up to have new jobs emailed to you on a regular basis, and if your job’s advertised under non-standard titles, create a new job alert to reflect this so you never miss out again.

It pays to view a prospective employer’s website before you apply for a job with them. But remember there’s also a wealth of information available about company products, movements, competitors and clients on personal blogs too, so it’s worth typing the company name into a niche search engine such as Google Blog Search.

When responding to an online job ad that’s caught your eye, instructions are your best friend. Show prospective employers that you can follow their requirements by including everything they’ve asked for in your application, whether it’s a specific reference number or examples of your best work.

Don’t submit your online job applications and then forget about them — print them out and save them in a safe place for future reference