If you are one of the unlucky ones that is without a job, you need to do as many things as you can to give yourself the best chance of getting hired again. Sitting around all day complaining and feeling sorry for yourself isn’t one of those productive things. You can try to make money from home online but for most people, getting a real job is the best option.

Use The Online Job Sites

Nowdays, you must have your resume posted at the online job search sites if you want to give yourself the best opportunity to have an employer find and hire you. Many companies now do some or even all their recruiting online. If you don’t have your resume online where employers can find it, you are at a big disadvantage to everyone else who does. If you are one of those people who still resists technology and computers, now is the time to start learning.

The top free job search websites are:

1) Job.com is free and is one of the biggest websites where you can search for jobs in your area and post your resume online so employers can find and view it.

2) Monster.com is free and is the biggest of all the job web sites. You can both pst a resume and search for jobs.

3) SnagAJob is also free and if you are looking for part time or hourly work, this site is the first place you should go.

4) Resume Bucket is another free online job website where you can submit your resume so that it is there for prospective employers to find and view.

Go To Job Fairs

If you are one of the ones looking for a job, you should seek out all the job fairs in you city. Even if they are not for the exact field you are in, it might be beneficial to go to all the ones that are related in any way to what you do. You never know what ideas you might get and what connections you might make by just getting yourself out there and mingling with both job searchers and employers.

Job fairs are great because they are a collection of companies that are all hiring or foresee hiring in the near future. Jobs are not going to come to you if you just sit home all day and getting out and making contacts is the smart thing to do.

Tell Your Friends and Neighbors

Along the same lines is to tell everyone you know that you are looking for a job. This includes friends, relatives, past co-workers, neighbors and anyone else that you are friendly with. This does not mean to go out and beg your friends to help you get a job: it just means to let people know that you are looking and if you are lucky one of them might be able to give you a lead or two. In this economy, your pride is not something that you should be worried about as everyone from janitors to company presidents are finding themselves out of work these days.

Use Employment Agencies and Recruiters

Many middle salary jobs are found through employment agencies and recruiters. You will find that many times, if you post your resume online at one of the job web sites, your resume will be seen by recruiters. The call or email you get will not be from the company itself but from a recruiter they have hired to help find potential candidates.

Not only are you looking for a job but companies are always on the lookout for good talent that might fit in with their corporate culture. Job finding and  has evolved and become a big business where there are lots of middlemen (recruiters) who’s only job it is to find people that might might qualify for jobs and to send them on to the various companies they work for.

Companies of all sizes use recruiters to sift through all the job candidates and find the ones that have the most attributes they are looking for. You too can use an employment agency or recruiter to help you with your job search but you will have to be prepared to pay for it.

One of the things I have noticed is that most people have too high expectations. They somehow think the Internet is a magical place where miracles happen and money is made very easily and quickly. They don’t believe this about their job when they clock in for work but they do think they are somehow missing out on quick easy riches online. When they find out that whatever program they sign up for requires actual work, they immediately run to the exits yelling “SCAM!”.

These unrealistic expectations are somewhat the fault of all the spectacular claims of big money to be made by so many online money making programs. You have all seen the endless number of ads promising effortless passive income and quick easy ways to make money at home. After having seen so many phony claims, many people seem to buy into the myth that it is really possible. This causes them to continue to search for that elusive nugget of information that will forever change their life and allow them to live on the beach while their computer cranks out money.

The truth is that while there are some real scams online (like the Google jobs scam), most things you sign up for are real. I have yet to be actually cheated out of anything on the Internet in my quest to make money. Now, I have signed up for eBooks and programs that I have thought were overpriced or didn’t deliver much information, but I have not been actually SCAMMED. When you get scammed it means you lose your money with no chance of ever getting it back, a product is never delivered, or the product is not anything as advertised.

People are very quick to use the “scam” word and it is a shame because it hinders many people’s chances of ever learning how to make money online. You are surely not going to succeed overnight and any sensible person not caught up in the hype will realize that. Learning how to make money at home online is something you can do if you are patient and willing to learn what works and what doesn’t. You may never be able to quit your real job and totally replace that income but you can learn how to earn some very nice money on the side. That is, if you are willing to believe that there are legitimate websites and learn how to take advantage of them.

1) Telecommute

One of the best ways to use the Internet to your advantage when it comes to making money is by finding a way to relate it to and utilize it for your regular job. While it might not be possible to work from home full-time, you may be able to cut one or two days off your weekly commute into the office. If your employer will allow you to telecommute, even part-time, you can save money on commuting and childcare expenses as well as be able to work from the comforts of your own home.

2) Write Web Content

You don’t have to be the next Hemingway to get started writing web contact. In fact, many web content producers are average people with very little professional writing experience. Check out some of the bigger, better-known sites such as Associated Content, Helium, or Textbroker to get a feel for what’s out there. You might find yourself with more work than you have time for and being paid pretty well for doing it.

3) Photography and Video

With nonstop news services and websites, there is an almost constant need for photos and video. Nowadays you never know where a breaking news story will pop up or if you’ll be there when it does. Sports, weather, traffic related events or whatever, even if you just take your camera or camera phone along with you when you go to the store, you might be able to snap a few images for which people would be willing to pay.

4) Online Auction

For some, eBay is becoming the average person’s garage sale. They are cleaninghouse and makinggood money at the same time. This method of making money by way of the internet can be a side income or full-time employment depending on how in depth you want to get with it. It can take a bit of time to get used to and if you aren’t willing or don’t have the time to sell the items yourself, consider taking them to an eBay store where employees will do the work for you – for a price of course.

5) Resale

If you aren’t sure you want to go the eBay route, or just don’t think you have items that would sell well enough to make it worth your time, you might want to consider internet resale options. There are plenty of internetsites devoted to reselling books, CDs, DVDs, and video games. The challenge is finding the one that will give you the best price for your particular items. Consider checking out Cash4Books.net for books you’d like to sell or SecondSpin.com for CDs, DVDs or video games you’re ready to be rid of.

6) Sell Your Wares

It may not be things you already own that you want to sell, but things you are producing. From candles to clay pots and pictures to postcards, you might have a knack for making things for which others will pay money. If you aren’t particularly internet savvy, you might consider paying someone else to set up and run a website for you, and just focus on producingwhatever it is you want to sell.

7) Data Entry

Data entry work can be a great way for the average person to earn money by way of the internet. Be wary of offers that sound too good to be true though. You likely won’t be making $5000 a month doing data entry and advertisements that make such claims can be a red flag to possible impropriety. Conduct your due diligence and beware of giving out personal information when finding a reputable employer.

8) Consulting

Depending on your area of expertise, consulting can be a great way to make money on the internet. You don’t always have to be an internet genius to consult on a variety of topics with which you are familiar or have professional qualifications.

9) Website or Blog Creation

As familiarity with the internet grows, the average person is becomingmore in tune with website and blog development. At the same time, a number of companies are making it increasingly easy for people to develop their own websites or blogs. You don’t necessarily have to have an extensive IT background, or develop an overly elaborate website or blog to make money on the internet anymore. Sometimes just finding your own niche or untapped market is all it takes.

Kris is a full-time freelance writer who works with www.moneycompare.com.au, a comparison website where you can quite easily compare a wide variety of investment products including the best online savings accounts that provide an excellent return on investment.