This guest post has been submitted by Totaljobs and given their reputation in the recruitment industry I thought it would make sense to publish, although no great surprises. The figure certainly showed that the candidates are applying for more and more jobs on line, which I am sure is the result of it taking just a couple of clicks to apply for a job. Hence we as agencies are getting inundated and without a competent CRM it becomes almost impossible to manage.

The salary range applied for does show a understanding of the current market, by not having excessive expectations though.

Jobseekers could be forgiven for taking a pessimistic attitude to their search for new positions; unemployment levels are higher than they have been in the past and many companies are recruiting less extensively. However, there are still jobs available for those who are prepared to put themselves ahead of the competition and use all the tools available to them to secure their next role.

The competitiveness of the British job market is illustrated by the results of the recent totaljobs.com user profile survey, which revealed that almost one fifth of job hunters have spent between one and two months actively seeking a job. A further 47.3 per cent, almost half of all respondents, have applied for at least a dozen vacancies.

Neither of these statistics is particularly surprising; as a jobseeker in the current climate, you would expect to spend a significant amount of time applying for positions. As such, the results are no reason in themselves for jobseekers to have negative attitudes.

The results of the poll also indicate that most job hunters are getting their expectations right. The most commonly-anticipated salary band is between £15,000 and £20,000, with more than 20 per cent of those surveyed expressing this expectation. This is a level which should not be outside the reach of the majority.

The survey also found that 43.56 per cent of people consider websites such as totaljobs.com to be their most important resource. Specialist job websites can prove to be extremely useful in finding a job and should help to keep jobseekers’ hopes for employment high.

Online, there is the opportunity for job seekers to apply for a high number of jobs, which is particularly important given that some applications may unfortunately be unsuccessful. In fact, more than a third of the people surveyed haven’t yet managed to secure an interview, so it is now more important than ever for potential recruits to do everything possible to stand out from the crowd.

Fortunately, gone are the days when browsing through the back of the newspaper was the most effective way of finding a suitable job. The Internet has allowed us to broaden our employment horizons; with job portals such as totaljobs.com giving us access to thousands of available positions. You may even discover a position in a location you hadn’t previously considered; something that a local paper simply wouldn’t be able to open your eyes to.

Whatever the state of the job market, of course, a high standard CV and job application is a key component of any potential success. There is plenty of guidance available online to help with the process, with specialist job websites such as totaljobs.com offering CV advice to its users. Tailoring your CV directly to the job you’re applying for is a must and alongside staying positive, can help you to end your search sooner than you might have thought.