Cast your net far and wide by talking to both recruitment consultants and employers directly. This makes careful note-taking absolutely essential, as you don't want recruiters to approach the companies that you are already speaking to. Recruitment consultants vary widely, so ask your friends, acquaintances and even employers themselves for referrals if you are struggling to find a good one.

Anybody familiar with social networking sites such as MySpace will be aware of

So what can you do to tip the balance back in your favour?

Firstly, make sure that your CV is well-written and up-to-date. There are thousands of books and websites overflowing with CV writing advice. The major jobsites such as Monster are a prime example and if you find the CV writing process too daunting you can even employ a professional CV writer to do it for you.

To be taken seriously you should always introduce yourself with a covering letter addressed directly to the hiring manager. If the job ad doesn't give a contact name then it's always worthwhile phoning the company to find out for yourself.

(Some companies are remarkably reticent about revealing the names of their staff; reassuring them that you simply wish to know who to address your email to can sometimes do the trick.)

As most people use the same CV for each job application, the covering letter is particularly important because it is your opportunity to show that you understand the employer's needs.

A tried and tested approach for a covering is to explain in brief that you meet all the essential criteria mentioned in the advert, backing this up by alluding to the experience detailed in your CV.

Compliments won't go amiss, as long as you sound sincere, and conveying your enthusiasm is essential, especially if you are light on experience.

When applying for your first job, focus on your energy, commitment and willingness to learn. If all else fails, consider working for peanuts until a better opportunity arises. Other employees may give you hints about jobs elsewhere.

And make sure you get a reference or testimonial. It is handy to have a record of who you worked for and when. What they say in your favour helps you fill in those forms, which ask you to describe your good and bad points.

Voluntary placements tell employers that you are willing to take a long-term view and are infinitely preferable to months of aimless unemployment. Any experience is better than experience of being on the dole.

Entry-level positions can attract a disproportionately large number of applicants, sometimes in excess of 100 per week. Nevertheless, the situation isn't as bad as it sounds, as a fair proportion of the competition will have embarrassingly bad CVs. (As any recruiter will testify.)

Loading your CV up to online CV databases can effortlessly draw the head-hunters to you.

If you have a good CV, then persistence will pay off in the end, as to a certain extent it is a numbers game. However, quality is still more important than quantity, because these days untargeted mass-emails are simply treated as spam.

Cast your net far and wide by talking to both recruitment consultants and employers directly. This makes careful note-taking absolutely essential, as you don't want recruiters to approach the companies that you are already speaking to. Recruitment consultants vary widely, so ask your friends, acquaintances and even employers themselves for referrals if you are struggling to find a good one.

Anybody familiar with social networking sites such as MySpace will be aware of

(Some companies are remarkably reticent about revealing the names of their staff; reassuring them that you simply wish to know who to address your email to can sometimes do the trick.)

As most people use the same CV for each job application, the covering letter is particularly important because it is your opportunity to show that you understand the employer's needs.

A tried and tested approach for a covering is to explain in brief that you meet all the essential criteria mentioned in the advert, backing this up by alluding to the experience detailed in your CV.

Compliments won't go amiss, as long as you sound sincere, and conveying your enthusiasm is essential, especially if you are light on experience.

When applying for your first job, focus on your energy, commitment and willingness to learn. If all else fails, consider working for peanuts until a better opportunity arises. Other employees may give you hints about jobs elsewhere.

And make sure you get a reference or testimonial. It is handy to have a record of who you worked for and when. What they say in your favour helps you fill in those forms, which ask you to describe your good and bad points.

Voluntary placements tell employers that you are willing to take a long-term view and are infinitely preferable to months of aimless unemployment. Any experience is better than experience of being on the dole.

Entry-level positions can attract a disproportionately large number of applicants, sometimes in excess of 100 per week. Nevertheless, the situation isn't as bad as it sounds, as a fair proportion of the competition will have embarrassingly bad CVs. (As any recruiter will testify.)

Loading your CV up to online CV databases can effortlessly draw the head-hunters to you.

If you have a good CV, then persistence will pay off in the end, as to a certain extent it is a numbers game. However, quality is still more important than quantity, because these days untargeted mass-emails are simply treated as spam.

Cast your net far and wide by talking to both recruitment consultants and employers directly. This makes careful note-taking absolutely essential, as you don't want recruiters to approach the companies that you are already speaking to. Recruitment consultants vary widely, so ask your friends, acquaintances and even employers themselves for referrals if you are struggling to find a good one.

Anybody familiar with social networking sites such as MySpace will be aware of

Compliments won't go amiss, as long as you sound sincere, and conveying your enthusiasm is essential, especially if you are light on experience.

When applying for your first job, focus on your energy, commitment and willingness to learn. If all else fails, consider working for peanuts until a better opportunity arises. Other employees may give you hints about jobs elsewhere.

And make sure you get a reference or testimonial. It is handy to have a record of who you worked for and when. What they say in your favour helps you fill in those forms, which ask you to describe your good and bad points.

Voluntary placements tell employers that you are willing to take a long-term view and are infinitely preferable to months of aimless unemployment. Any experience is better than experience of being on the dole.

Entry-level positions can attract a disproportionately large number of applicants, sometimes in excess of 100 per week. Nevertheless, the situation isn't as bad as it sounds, as a fair proportion of the competition will have embarrassingly bad CVs. (As any recruiter will testify.)

Loading your CV up to online CV databases can effortlessly draw the head-hunters to you.

If you have a good CV, then persistence will pay off in the end, as to a certain extent it is a numbers game. However, quality is still more important than quantity, because these days untargeted mass-emails are simply treated as spam.

Cast your net far and wide by talking to both recruitment consultants and employers directly. This makes careful note-taking absolutely essential, as you don't want recruiters to approach the companies that you are already speaking to. Recruitment consultants vary widely, so ask your friends, acquaintances and even employers themselves for referrals if you are struggling to find a good one.

Anybody familiar with social networking sites such as MySpace will be aware of

Voluntary placements tell employers that you are willing to take a long-term view and are infinitely preferable to months of aimless unemployment. Any experience is better than experience of being on the dole.

Entry-level positions can attract a disproportionately large number of applicants, sometimes in excess of 100 per week. Nevertheless, the situation isn't as bad as it sounds, as a fair proportion of the competition will have embarrassingly bad CVs. (As any recruiter will testify.)

Loading your CV up to online CV databases can effortlessly draw the head-hunters to you.

If you have a good CV, then persistence will pay off in the end, as to a certain extent it is a numbers game. However, quality is still more important than quantity, because these days untargeted mass-emails are simply treated as spam.

Cast your net far and wide by talking to both recruitment consultants and employers directly. This makes careful note-taking absolutely essential, as you don't want recruiters to approach the companies that you are already speaking to. Recruitment consultants vary widely, so ask your friends, acquaintances and even employers themselves for referrals if you are struggling to find a good one.

Anybody familiar with social networking sites such as MySpace will be aware of

Cast your net far and wide by talking to both recruitment consultants and employers directly. This makes careful note-taking absolutely essential, as you don't want recruiters to approach the companies that you are already speaking to. Recruitment consultants vary widely, so ask your friends, acquaintances and even employers themselves for referrals if you are struggling to find a good one.

Anybody familiar with social networking sites such as MySpace will be aware of the benefits of their business equivalents, such as LinkedIn. In addition to posting your own profile you can look up other people by company and then send them an email enquiring about employment opportunities. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this direct approach works rather well; not least because both parties can check out each other's personal profiles prior to proceeding.

Real world networking is another important activity. - Sometimes this can be as simple as phoning a past employer to ask if they need any more help at present.

Also, it may be embarrassing to admit that your first job was working for your parents, but when times are tough just accept all the help that you can get.

Of course, all of this job-hunting advice is useless if you can't impress in an interview. The trick here is to practise, practise, practise using every conversation with HR to further refine your answers. Careers centres can arrange practice sessions, if your friends aren't able to help. If you know what to say, but simply lack confidence, then join your local Toastmasters or a similar public speaking group.

Today's managers started from the bottom themselves not so long ago, and they won't expect a recent graduate to be an expert at everything. It should go without saying that you need to put your best foot forward, however, exaggeration is really not the way to go. Being realistic about your current limitations shows that you can be trusted, whilst even a 'little white lie', once spotted will quickly discredit you.

Having been offered the job, make sure that you are clear about the financial package and other benefits such as the number of days holiday. Recruiters can be particularly useful under such circumstances as they often have the inside line on how much the employer is really willing to offer, and because their fee is generally in proportion to your starting salary they have a vested interest in helping you to earn more.

QUICK TIPS

1. Update your CV using Internet advice, or hire a CV writing company to help.
2. Add a covering letter.
3. Get a contact name. Explain you only need the name to address a letter correctly.
4. Get work experience, however badly paid, even unpaid.
5. Place your CV online.
6. Utilise networking communities, such as linkedIn.
7. Approach employers but tell recruiters who you've already approached.
8. Rehearse interviews with friends or at Careers Centres.
9. To gain confidence join Toastmasters who train you to stand up and speak.