Demystifying ... Job Search

Searching for a job can be a daunting experience.  Where do you start? What questions do you need to ask?

This blog will give you some pointers about what to expect and what you need to do when searching for a job.

Step 1 – review where you are

• What have you achieved in your career so far?
• Where do you want to get to?
• What skills are you most confident in?
• What makes you unique?
• What experience do you have?
  • Work experience
  • Voluntary experience
  • Other experiences
• What are your goals?
• What time frame for looking for a job are you looking at?
• Have you updated your CV and cover letter to reflect the job role that you are applying for?
• What type of role are you looking for? - full time, part-time, permanent, temporary, internship, self-employment
• What responsibilities do you want to have? What do you currently like or dislike?
• What type of organisation do you want to work for? Is it a small/medium business (SME), national company or international company? 
• What is important to you? Be clear on what you want

 
Step 2 – how to look for jobs

• Research employers
  • Create a list of target employers that you want to work for
    • Look at the Companies careers page, Indeed page, Glassdoor and LinkedIn to find out information on the company. 
• Use a search engine to find recent articles on the company – are there any latest developments? This is useful when attending an interview and they ask what you know about the organisation.
• Network with people who currently work there – ask them specific questions such as what is it like to work there? Do they know if there are any roles available?  How are roles recruited for?
• Useful avenues for finding a job
  • Job Boards Online such as Reed, Indeed, Job site, CV Library
  • Trade, national and local press
  • Networking – this can be face-to-face or using LinkedIn to build connections at different organisations in your local area that do the same job role that you do.
  • LinkedIn 

Step 3 – follow up

• Don’t become invisible – follow up on your application within a few days asking if your CV/application has been received.
• Ask for feedback

If you would like some support with job hunting techniques and recommendations email me today at thecareerowl@gmail.com and I’ll help you get started.