Pro-Active Job Hunting Techniques
It’s stating the obvious to say that the world’s economy has recently deteriorated. Unfortunately however, this obvious fact is affecting those who are looking for work. Whilst times are difficult at the moment though, it’s certainly not impossible to find work and you shouldn’t be put off moving to a major city such as London, as it’s likely that the rest of the country’s economy has been hit just as badly, if not worse.
It’s vital that as soon as you know that you want to relocate for work, you need to put together an action plan to ensure that you find the job you want as soon as possible.
First of all, it’s important to have a good attitude. If you sit around claiming that there’s no point in looking for work at the moment, because employers aren’t hiring, then that’s a sure-fire way to remain unemployed for a good length of time. Instead, use your time ‘off work’ to your advantage over people who are in full-time employment and don’t have as much time on their hands. Make sure that your skills are up-to-date by taking some refresher or distance-learning courses. You can do this before or after your move. Always make sure that your studies are relevant for the industry that you wish to work in. Interviewers will be impressed if they’re able to see that you’ve used your time out of the workplace to brush up on key skills.
What is special about you? With scores of people competing for the same jobs, you’ve got to find your own unique selling point to ensure that you stand out from the crowd. Your C.V or curriculum vitae is usually the first impression that a potential employer gets of you. It’s impossible to underestimate the importance of having a stand-out C.V and yet so many are sent out to recruitment agencies and employers, which are littered with grammatical errors, spelling mistakes and mis-truths. You should consider buying a book on the best ways to prepare your C.V, or alternatively seek professional help by employing a bespoke C.V-writing service or attending a C.V workshop.
If you’re currently unable to land a permanent job, consider doing work experience or temporary work for a short amount of time. Both will fill in time-related gaps on your C.V and ensure that you pick up new skills or brush up on existing ones. If you’re considering taking unpaid work, make sure you don’t feel exploited. The placement should be short and you need to make sure that you’ll get a good insight into the industry you’re considering working for, as well as the possibility of making valuable business contacts.
Temporary work should pay you at least the minimum wage. If possible, try and land a temp job in a firm that you’re interested in working for. With any luck, your employer will see that you’re worth hiring and you could land yourself a permanent role there in next to no time.
Whilst you’re looking for work, an important exercise to carry out is to make a list of everyone that you know who may be able to put in a good word for you with one of their own relevant contacts. You might want to consider college tutors, sixth-form teachers, ex-bosses, family friends and people you know who are involved in the industry you want to work in. Get in touch and explain that you’re looking for work and would like some advice on how to get that first foot through the door. It may seem like a moral grey area, but many people get jobs through a friend-of-a-friend proving that it really is all about who you know.
Finally, if you have a skill that could work well as a self-employed venture, then maybe you should consider starting up your own company. Of course it’s risky, but many successful enterprises which started out in the recession of the 1990s are still around today. At the moment, many companies are looking at hiring freelancers on a project-by-project basis, rather than having a permanent member of staff (with all the red tape and benefits) to do the same work, so in some respects, going solo could be a great opportunity for those with a skill that translates well into freelance work. You may have difficulty securing bank loans at the moment, but if you have a thorough business plan and get advice from government agencies such as Business link, you could see this economic period as being a blessing in disguise.
