NEED TO JOB HUNT BUT STRUGGLING TO GET STARTED?

It's a big decision to job hunt and unfortunately it's not always one that you make yourself, sometimes circumstance forces it upon you. There are things you can do to make your job search more successful. Below are my recommendations for what to do to kick off your job search.

WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM YOUR NEXT JOB?

It may seem stupid or simplistic, but the very first thing you need to do is to figure out your career goals. What are the priorities for you in your next job. Is it the responsibilities of the job? Is it the salary? Is it the industry you focus on? The ability to lead or mentor others? It is the location, or a 100% remote or a travel based job? Understanding your careers goals now, and also how those may impact your future - is the first thing you need to figure out. I recommend you reflect on your career so far, what you loved, what you didn't love 'quite' as much (I am always a diplomat!) and where you have the most fun professionally. What do you enjoy? Which aspects of your skills or education do you want to do 'more of'. Get that all identified, and write it down somewhere.

UPDATE YOUR CV OR RESUME

Learn how to present your skills, expertise and what you offer to employers on paper. Have a friend, colleague, or mentor (or us) review your CV. We offer a number of CV tips here, and encourage you to take advantage of them. Writing a great CV is a skill, and it's always good to check in and review if your CV is compelling, well written, and most importantly gets your career goals across to whoever is reading it. We can, of course, review your CV or resume for free.

NETWORK - NETWORK - NETWORK

The power of your network should never be underestimated, and do not feel embarassed or nervous about asking for help. Consider contacting prior employers or colleagues that you have worked with, who know your work-style and ethos, and ask them if they can recommend you to anyone in their network, or if they know of any applicable job openings that fit your skills, where they could put in a good word for you. They may not have anything now, but who knows what next week will bring? Often one of the most effective methods to advance your career is to bounce off the people you already know.

START APPLYING FOR JOBS

It sounds simple, and in todays tech savvy world it often is, but make sure of a few things.

1. Make sure you apply to jobs that you truly have the skills and competence to succeed in. I do not recommend a scattergun approach of applying to every 'easy apply' job you find on LinkedIn. If you carefully tailor your job search, to roles and careers that match your work trajectory - you are far more likely to avoid the inevitable disappointment of multiple (automated - yuk!) rejection emails.
2. When you find a job you love, make it clear! Sometimes you'll find a job that immediately has 'you' written all over it, it matches your professional background, provides you with the focus and challenges you want, and seems to be for a firm you'd be proud to work for! Great! If you apply online, make sure to try to find out who the hiring manager or recruiter is and aim to call them or send a personalised email. It will help you to stand out and also make it clear that this particular career opportunity is of importance to you. 
3. If a cover letter is needed, ensure it's personalised and tailored to the job. I have read way too many cover letters where someone has saved a version and sends it out without adjusting it to the specific role they have applied for - and honestly it's awful! It creates a poor impression, and will also make the recruiter or hiring manager wonder what you actually want in a job. If you are applying for an enterprise data architect role, and your cover letter refers to your love of DevOps and software skills, yet makes no mention of any architectural skills - why will a recruiter even bother to read your CV or resume? Think before you send!

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

Be consistent in your job search! The job market is hot right now, and it is not to your advantage! Hundreds of people are applying for each open role, which means you need to get in early to have a better chance of catching the attention of the recruiter or talent acquisition professional who is reviewing all the applicants. You should aim to job hunt and apply for jobs, every single day. At least then if you have 3-4 job search sites you regularly use (there are many) you will always be applying within the first 24 hours of a job being posted, so do aim not only to review vacancies and apply daily, but aim to do so at the same time each day. Set the time aside or make a calendar reminder.

DO YOUR RESEARCH

Anyone who has ever interviewed with me, may well have heard me joke (not really a joke to be honest!) that websites are like dating profiles - they only tell you all the good things and none of the bad! Before applying to a role, have a quick check on sites like glassdoor.co.uk for reviews to better understand the company's reputation. Have a quick look at their LinkedIn page, and click on 'employees on linkedin' and see how their staff retention is? This is just a couple of examples but a career move is a big choice, some jobs appear too good to be true, and sometimes they are. Do your due diligence and your future self will thank you!

PREPARE YOURSELF FOR INTERVIEWS

Are you ready to talk about yourself?

Do you understand your value?

Can you articulate and give examples of the benefit you have provided to your employers?

Are you able to explain your motivations and goals to a stranger?

Can you sound confident in discussions?

How do you handle situations that are by their very nature, hard to prepare for?

Do you trust yourself?

Will an employer trust you?

Ensure you are prepped for the myriad of interview questions that you will be asked during the job search process. Many are done nowadays via zoom video call, so you can't always just hide away on a phone call, the interviewer will also be judging your body language, eye contact, hesitation and repetition as well as what you actually say! If you need help, we do offer interview coaching to help you gain confidence about that crucial aspect of the job search. There are also some great tips on interview prep here.

ASK FOR REFERENCES

Contact prior employers, mentors or colleagues for professional references. This could be via for example, linkedin, or they could write a nice letter-headed reference that you can save to share with future employers or it may just be them agreeing to support you if a potential employer contacts them wanting to speak about you. Have this prepped, as it's often required.

THE IMPORTANCE OF TENACITY

Keep at it, job hunting can feel like a full time job, but put your best foot forward and treat it with the seriousness it deserves. By using your network, prepping a great CV or resume that accurately reflects who you are, what you have done, how you have positively impacted prior employers or projects, and what you are looking for - a recruiter or hiring manager will far more easily be able to imagine you working with them, and want to have a conversation.

BE READY TO PIVOT!

Be prepared to change up your job hunting approach if required. Might you need to alter your CV? Do you need to change the types of roles you are applying for? Are you being realistic about your skills and fit for the positions you're interested in? Be ready to make little tweaks to your search and what you share in that search, to get closer and closer to the job you want. It will be worth the time you invest, to get it right!

If you need help we are happy to oblige. There is free help on our Tips and Advice page, or you can view our paying services by clicking the link below.