The process of searching for a job is easier than ever before. There are thousands of job seekers applying for jobs daily – and with the number of employment opportunities on the rise, many employers prefer searching for viable candidates on job boards, through placement agencies and via their own employees.

Job Boards

If you want to find a job quickly, the Internet is the way to go. When you upload your resume to job websites or job boards, make sure you use the right keywords in the text.

These days, most resumes are scanned first before being sent to an actual human being. Companies indicate certain words for their computers to look for before a resume is allowed through the electronic screening process for a second look.

Look through your resume and make sure you’re using the right words for your industry. You can look at the employer’s ad for clues.

Placement Agencies

Forward your resume to several job placement agencies. Let recruiters know what type of job you are looking for. Recruiters often deal with LOTS of people – so make sure you stay in touch with the recruiter for the latest updates on what openings are available.

Many job fairs take place, especially in major cities; make it a point to visit them with plenty of resumes in hand. You never know – you may come across the job you are looking for!

Network of Employees

Always let your friends, family and business associates know that you are looking for a job. They may have valuable information regarding openings they can refer you to.

The more people that know about your job search, the more help you can get. It is a well-documented fact that companies prefer to hire people that are referred to them by an employee or someone else they know.

Online Application

Visit company websites and forward resumes to them. Even if they do not have an immediate vacancy, they might be willing to contact you in the future if an opportunity opens up.

If you have already applied to some companies and haven’t heard from them, you can send a small email reminding them about your application.

Your job search will be a lot easier and productive if you stay focused and positive.

When considering a new job offer, you may want to give your current employer a chance to make a counter offer.  If your employer want to keep you as an employee and you still want to keep working with the employer, using the salary negotiation you will have a chance to improve your compensation.

There are advantages of a counter offer. Because hiring a new employee can be quite expensive, you may have a strong position in any renegotiation of your compensation package.

For most employers, it is cheaper to keep you on than find a replacement. You need no training, and there is no learning curve as a new hire takes over your projects. There is an entire list of reasons that it benefits a company to keep the personnel it already has. If you give your current employer a chance to provide you with a counter offer, you can negotiate to get a very good deal.

There are downsides to accepting counter offers, however. If you have been looking for a new job, there is often a reason that you aren’t happy with your current position. More money may not be enough to deal with those issues. Furthermore, many counter offers are based on any raise or promotion the company already had planned for you. You might just be getting your yearly raise a little early — with no added bump later on.

Even if you accept a counter offer, you have no guarantee that your employer will not fire you a few months down the road. In fact, according to statistics from the National Business Employment Weekly, four out of five people who accept counter offers and stay with their current employer will leave within a year. Some are fired, because employers assume that they are disloyal and will continue looking for new opportunities, but many will quit, because the underlying issues that originally drove them to look for new jobs were not addressed by increased compensation.

When considering a new job offer, be sure that you are comfortable taking this new job before you inform your current employer. Many employers will consider that as an informal resignation. The mere fact that you have been looking for a different job can be enough to get you fired from your current one.