You've been looking for a job for the past few months and not seem to be getting anywhere. Here are 5 tips to help speed up your search.

1. Don't sit around waiting for the phone to ring after you have applied to a job post. Follow up by phone a few days later to check on your application status. This move sets you apart from the competition.

2. Consider signing up for a personal job agent on the job site, who will notify you by e-mail when jobs posted on the database meet your criteria.

3. Look at job postings that feature multiple positions within the same company. Apply to those companies, even if you don't see a posting in your field. They may just need employees in other positions and departments.

4. Dedicate a specific amount of time to do your search and stick to it. It is easy to become distracted while online.

5. And finally, get to know a company by signing up for their online newsletter. Their newsletters would have up-to-date information and recent news. Use this information to make yourself stand out from the competition in your cover letter and interview. Keep track of business news online as well. You can find out if a company is profitable or headed for bankruptcy. This way you can separate hot prospects from the not-so-hot prospects.