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You can now run many aspects of your life at the click of a mouse and finding a job is no exception. Online job-hunting is now the fourth most popular use of the Internet in the UK.'The Internet is the ultimate global job hunting tool,' says Terra Dourlain, New York-based co-author of 'Online Job-Hunting' a guide launched by Kogan Page this November which lists over 1000 job sites for Britain alone. 'The Internet Job Search Handbook' published by How to Books in July, asserts: 'More and more employers only advertise positions on the web and prefer applications to be sent by e-mail. The Internet has evolved from being one way of seeking employment to the best chance of finding relevant employment.'

Whether you want a portable career, a permanent job or something in between, job banks, headhunters and employers around the world are eager to receive your e-CV. And although virtual job fairs, e-signatures and interview by webcam may sound futuristic, the future is already here.

Speed is the essence
Dedicated job sites such as http://www.fish4jobs.com, http://www.workthing.com and http://www.monster.com have over 400,000 job openings and can send your e-CV to hundreds of prospective employers in under an hour. At California-based http://www.Gisajob.com, new vacancies come in at a rate of about 5000 a day, from a global network. Around 100 new CVs arrive every day, more than a quarter are from abroad.

Recruitment on the web is so fast and competitive that potential employees have to search sites daily and react immediately, which is not always easy during a move. The lack of personal contact can also be daunting, particularly for women returning to the workforce. But job-hunting on the Internet does score points for convenience, and means less time wasted and money saved. It also means recruitment is speeded up - no more waiting for months to hear the result of an application.

'I was contacted by a Schlumberger recruiter the same day I posted my resume on a few Internet job boards,' says Tracey McTague. 'A mere three weeks passed from that time to the time I packed up my entire family (kids, husband, dogs and my mother!) for a move to Houston, Texas working for the Schlumberger Spouses' Association.'

Finding your dream job online
Most of the big sites have international jobs sections allowing searches by specialism and/or country, so these can be a good starting place for everyone. Job seekers are usually invited to register and post e-CVs free of charge. Employers can add vacancies and browse for suitable candidates to contact independently. A 'Job Agent' can also be used to scan for your dream job around the clock, so you can effectively be looking for jobs in your sleep.

Newspapers, the traditional first stop for the job hunter are now online and abbreviated adverts make scouring through job advertisements of the world's leading dailies easier. Adhunter.co.uk carries vacancies from more than 15 regional newspapers in the UK and contains more than 80,000 pages of adverts. A 'smartsearch' tool can select the perfect job and deliver it to your e-door. At sites of local newspapers at your destination you can see job adverts carried over a whole year, which gives a better idea of the kind of jobs available.

'Knowledge is power and the Internet is the world's greatest information database,' states Martin Yate the lead author of 'Online Job-Hunting'. Professional and trade associations, company profiles, career options, salary statistics can all be found on the web.

Recruiters around the world
'Accountants Wanted at the Beach! Vacancies in Bermuda, the Caribbean and the Channel Islands' screams a banner from the online agencies listed at http://www.netjob.co.uk.

Think global and contact world leading recruitment specialists, such as the management recruitment and executive selection group, Michael Page International at michaelpage.com. But don't omit to think local too. The Netherlands in particular has a plethora of such sites: http://www.undutchables.nl and http://www.newmonday.nl offer everything from call centres and customer service to executive posts for English language speakers. Some may only be accessed in the country's language.

Many professional recruiters, unsurprisingly, specialise in IT and ebusiness - like http://www.silicon.co.uk/com. But other professions are represented on the Internet. elgazette.com offers publications detailing the International job market for teachers of English and healthcare workers looking for work abroad may like to take a peek at Canadian recruitment site http://www.Medhunters.com.

Savvy spouses
Virtual networking allows you to take business contacts, clients and associates with you when you move. You can join special interest groups: newsgroups, chat rooms and post on message boards to network in the country you're going to and to make contacts internationally.

Expatriate spouse sites are a ready source of contacts, career advice and links around the world and country-specific sites a good place to check what's going on: http://www.xpats.com in Belgium, for example, lists jobs with the local recruitment agency.

'Getting a job is still a combination of online and offline networking, agencies and newspapers,' says Jane Van Vessen-Whang of C & G Career Services. Terra Dourlain agrees.

Dual careers on the net
Born out of an awareness of the dual career issue, http://www.expatspouse.com looks at career options for women on its membership site. Some sites tackle the dual career issue head on and http://www.netexpat.com helps expatriate partners find worthwhile work in their new host country through 8 programmes covering 40 countries.

Company support
Company support is available to some. At http://www.outpostexpat.nl, Shell spouses can find a career support centre offering training, advice on work permits and a collection of vacancies worldwide.

Paris-based American lawyer, Sally Katz, is one of the success stories of recently-established partnerjob.com conceived and created by Schlumberger spouses. She manages this site which finds jobs for spouses within its 'family' of multinational members.

Temporary work
Not all job hunters are interested in full-time employment, and those looking for temporary work should consider subscribing to the well established US-based Contract Employment Weekly: ceweekly.com. It has clients and contractors all over the world, with Kelly, Manpower and Comforce among them. The online version costs US$35 a year.

Voluntary work
If you're having problems with your work permit, or want to do something different, have a look at http://www.workingabroad.com - an information portal for environmental and humanitarian voluntary projects.

Freelancers and entrepreneurs
Look out for email bulletins such as 'Jobs for Journalists' from the European Journalist Network http://www.ejc.nl and http://www.smarterwork.com, which allows freelancers to publicise their skills and bid for work, wherever they live. At http://www.freelance.com you can find information on projects around the globe.

Offline resources:
Online Job-Hunting - Great Answers to Tough Questions by best-selling author Martin Yate and Terra Dourlain £8.99 (kogan-page.co.uk)

Jobs worldwide
Hone your search by using sites dedicated to international and expatriate job search, which tend to provide additional relevant information.

'I came to Holland because of my Dutch fiance,' American, says Stacey Muangman. 'I went to escapeartist.com and I followed a link to englishlanguagejobs.com where I'm now working.'

The online newspaper, http://www.overseasjobsexpress.co.uk/ provides access to 1,500 vacancies an issue, genuinely open to non-citizens. You can sample 600 job listings at the site before deciding whether to subscribe. In a section entitled 'Jenny's Picks', a 'Yellow Pages for expats', you can find top tools and sites for job-hunters.

Although access is restricted to members, and mostly used by women to get jobs for their contract worker husbands, British-based http://www.expatnetwork.co.uk has a database of expatriate jobs worldwide, a bulletin board, destination and company profiles and employment-related services.

'Remember, the Internet is a stepping stone to getting a job,' says Steve Schimmel of Overseas Jobs Express. 'An employer still needs to stare into your eyes to see what kind of person you are before hiring you.