Have you registered your CV with an online job board?  If you have, congratulations!  It’s probably the best way to find a job in this digital era.   The days of ‘situations vacant’ in printed media are quickly becoming ancient history, and the online job board CV database is now the talent spotting ground of choice for employers and recruiters.

Here is the good news:  your resume will most likely be picked up by recruiters who make their money by finding and placing suitable candidates for their clients.  So, all you need to do is to register your CV, sit back and dream of your next job, wait for the phone to ring, no more scouring the net, papers or journals for jobs, no fee to pay the recruitment company, it couldn’t be easier, could it?

A dream come true?

You’re probably thinking there must be a catch? Well, there is.  Just like picking football teams at school, recruiters will only select those who will provide them with the best performance, and in this case for a recruiter this means a placement fee, maybe a bonus, perhaps retaining their own job, certainly keeping their boss of their back, and ultimately the viability of their own company.  Again just like the premier league football manager looking for a match winning player, recruiters are generally not immediately interested in putting someone on their candidate shortlist team who might have potential in 2 years time, they know that their own success depends on their performance in the next match, the next CV that they send to their client.  So recruiters will naturally pick the CV of the candidate who is most likely to score a goal with their client, resulting in a trophy winning placement .

Are you match fit?

So here is my question to you:  Are you making it difficult for recruiters to do the running for you?  Have you turned out on time, match ready, honed to the peak of physical perfection in your full kit with matching socks, or are you waiting on the side lines, polishing your boots, still in your pyjamas, eating your breakfast and hoping that the selectors will help you get dressed?   Top tip: Make it as easy as possible for recruiters to represent you.

The first job is to make sure your CV is optimised for an online job board.  Read my article here on how to do this.

In my next blog I will share a couple of insider tips to increase your chances of selection for the first round play offs.  With a bit of pre match preparation you could be scoring in a penalty shoot out with your new employer this season!  And if it’s interview advice you’re looking for, check out this series of  interview advice training sessions.

In the meantime have you actually registered your CV on OilCareers? It takes just a couple of minutes and it’s completely free.  You can also go back and edit it at any time.  You can also register for suitable jobs to be delivered straight into your inbox, that’s free too!