Job Search Advice and Strategies
This section contains job searching advice, including how to find a job, writing covering letters, where to look for vacancies, how to use job agencies and job sites.
Before you even start to think about your job search, you must ensure that you have a professional CV that can beat all the other job candidates who will apply for exactly the same jobs that you are applying for.
A professional CV writing service like Bradley CVs can totally transform your chances and allow you to get interviews that your own CV would have never won.
Job Search Websites
There are 1000's of websites where you can search for a job. There are generalist sites that aim to cater for everyone and list jobs for every possible sector / profession. Then there are specialist job sites where you can find jobs for just a specific sector or profession. We've collected together a list of some of the top job sites that we like on our website, which you can view at:
Starting Your Job Search
First you need to decide what you want to do. Do you want to stay in the same field or change career direction? It is important to have thought through the types of job / career you are seeking. This will help you identify potential employers and target your applications by presenting clearly what you have to offer.
Next, you need to devise a job search strategy - how you are going to search for jobs? This may be a mixture of different methods or you may just focus on a single method.
The main methods of finding a job are: answering job adverts with either a job application letter or job application form (depending on how the employer wanted you to apply), contacting job agencies, using speculative cover letters to make job applications directly to employers, and networking online and off-line to identify job vacancies.
Answering Job Adverts
Finding a job advert in either a newspaper or an online job site is one of the easiest ways of locating a job vacancy.
The fact that it's so easy though means that you will face a large number of competitors who all want the same job that you want.
To beat the other job applicants you need to put together a great CV.
If you'd like us to improve your CV then please see our CV writing service or to do it yourself please see our free CV writing tips.
You need to carefully study the job adverts, deciding on which which jobs you'd like to apply for. Then you will either send your CV together with a job application letter or complete a job application form, depending on how the employer wanted you to apply.
Job Agencies
Using the services of a job agency is always a great way to find a new job. They may often have jobs on their database that are never advertised, so if you don't register with agencies you will miss out on jobs that you might have wanted to apply for.
Job agencies can also be a good source of advice on your profession / industry sector, including salary / pay rates, etc. For further information please see job agencies.
Speculative Cover Letters to an Employer
Identifying employers that you would like to work for is another good way of finding a job. You can craft speculative cover letters that really sell you to an employer.
You may be able to identify a prospective employer that is about to open a new office / facility near to you, perhaps through a mention in a local newspaper. Or, there may be a company that you've always wanted to work for.
Networking
Networking involves making personal contacts with a view to identifying new job vacancies, often before they are even advertised.
For most people, this is probably the most difficult method of finding a job, as few people are comfortable at networking.
But, it is worth persevering, as networking can be one of the most effective ways of finding a job.
When you do uncover a job vacancy that hasn't been advertised, there will be very few other candidates, or you may be the only candidate.
These days, you can network online and off-line, for more information please see networking.
Developing Your Own Job Search Plan
You need to carefully think through which of the four methods you are going to use to develop your own individual job search strategy, and how much time you are going to devote to each method. You should always use more than one method, unless the method you are using is already providing you with plenty of job interviews for the sort of job that you want to do.
Relying on just one job search method may mean that it takes you much longer to find a job than it should have done.
Other pages you may want to visit:
- FREE Reports: How to Dramatically Improve Your CV / Resume; How to Get a Big Pay Rise; Job Hunting Secrets Revealed.
- Want to improve your CV? Professional CV writing services can substantially improve your chances of securing a job interview
- Introduction
- Free CV distribution to over 1800 top UK recruiters
- Recruitment agency finder UK
- Advertised jobs
- Letter writing
- Example advert and letter
- Job Agencies
- Speculative letters
- How to Network
- Access 100,000+ jobs on our Job Sites section
- Jobs for 16 year olds
- Archaeology and jobs
- Jobs for 13 year olds
- Employment & recruitment agencies
- UK employment agencies
- Jobs for 14 year olds
- Jobs available in my area
- Jobs for 15 year olds
- Jobs in my area
- Jobs for 16 year old
- Jobs that require travel
- Jobs for a 16 year old
- Job vacancies at Heathrow Airport
- Part time jobs for 16 year olds
- Job hunting methods
