With high jobless rates persisting, it pays to hone your online approach, say several career blogs. Here are a few tips:

Tailor
Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes is going for quantity rather than quality, according to one Wall Street Journal careers blogger. When you apply online, don’t send the same cv and cover letter. Take time to tailor them to each application. This is especially important when considering that larger companies use filtering software to narrow down their candidate pool. Make sure your applications echo key words in position description. Echo those words in your cv and letter to show thagt you’ve read the application and that your knowledge, skills and experience fits the employer’s profile.
Better yet, try to find a contact within the company who can get your application to a real person, rather than a computer. Tap into your personal and professional network to do so.

Opportunity research
Also remember that online tools allow you to research positions beyond their mere availability. You can learn about opportunities and problems. This columnist found that departmental unrest led to an open position . He also warns prospective employees about departments that haven’t updated their home pages in years, or who make unrealistic promises. Finding red flags electronically before a telephone or in-person interview can better prepare you to analyze the job. Even in a down economy, it may be better to wait for a position that delivers what it promises than to jump into a department characterized by high turnover and employee dissatisfaction. ‘ It’s the responsibility of job seekers to question the search committee just as much as it’s the potential employer’s right to question the applicants,’ the blogger writes.

Dress your avatar
Finally, some networking sites are using online visual representatives of themselves—avatars. Remember that avatars—even if they carry a nickname, are your stand-in. So make sure that they dress and speak appropriately, warns this blogger.