Looking for a new role is a bit of a necessary evil – it isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do but when done well, can be one of the most rewarding things you’ll do for yourself and your future.
We’ve created this over-arching plan to help you in your job search. Give it a try – if you’ve skipped over some steps already, we’d recommend going back and dedicating a bit of time to following the advice; you’ll more than likely notice a different once done!
Getting Ready:
Preparing for your job search:
- Update your CV – this is crucial. IF your CV is not up to date, prospective employers will notice and won’t be impressed – you won’t get a call.
- Get your CV checked – even if you’ve spent hours and hours crafting your CV, get a professional opinion on its suitability. We see so many talented candidates struggle to get calls because their CV is too long, formatted badly, or contains silly mistakes.
- Prepare a cover letter template. Some roles still like a cover letter, and it can be the difference between getting shortlisted and not. Make sure you understand the purpose of a cover letter – its not just summarising your CV all over again!
- Register on the right job boards. If your role is industry specific, seek out job boards for your industry.. If it isn’t, join reputable generalist job boards. The biggest for the UK are Indeed, Totaljobs and CVLibrary.
- Set up job alerts on each board. This means you decide the role titles you’re interested in, the location/commute you want, and the salary you want. When njobs are advertised that meet your requirements, you’ll get notified.
- If it is suitable for your job role, join LinkedIn and get your profile set up
- Check your social media. Google yourself to see what is publicly available and make any of your personal social media private.
Making Applications:
Before pressing the apply button:
- Really consider the job advert. Do you have at least 50% of the requirements?
- Double check the location and salary (when given) suit your needs.
- Do some initial research on the company. Make sure you’d like to work there.
- Adapt your CV if necessary to show how you meet the requirements.
- Follow the application instructions! Again, we see so many talented candidates get rejected because they haven’t followed a simple instruction.
- Provide your cover letter if it is asked for. Adapt it to the role to show you understand the requirements they’ve asked for and how you meet them.
- Do some initial research on the company.
- Set yourself a reminder to follow up.
- Prepare for the possible phone interview that may come out of the blue.
- Keep up consistent effort when it comes to making applications. Aim for at least 6 a week until you have a job offer.
Interviewing:
There’s lots to consider when it comes to interviews – we’ll cover this in a different blog post.
Recruitment Consultants and Hiring Manager:
When dealing with the people involved in your job search:
- Respond to messages promptly
- Personalise where possible – it makes a difference
- Check your junk mail regularly
- Set expectations clearly: explain when you can be contacted if there is a restriction. Understand that they won’t always remember though.
- Network well. The job they ring about may not be right, but they may have something else in the future that could be.
Overall
- Remain positive and persistent
- Consider different job titles that use similar skill-sets and set up job alerts
- Check for the 50% skills match
- Keep organised – use a system to help you
- Behave professional in all interactions
- Read things carefully
Remember, here at CLDP LTD we can help you when it comes to preparing your CV for your job search. Email us to find out about our services.