Are you feeling the “New Year, new me” vibe?
Reckon it’s high time you found a new job?
Not sure exactly where to start? This blog’s for you.
Behold; the five most important things you need to do to kick-start your job search, right now.
1. Decide what you want to do.
Perhaps you already know exactly what you want to do? In that case, skip this point.
If you’re unsure then it’s very important that you don’t just dive into any old thing. Life’s too short to hate your job and this is a great opportunity to find something you love.
Consider…
- What do you enjoy doing?
- What are you good at?
- What do you care about (for example, the environment, people, animals)?
Talk to your loved ones if that helps. They'll be able to give you a more clear (honest) idea of your strengths.
Recruiter Pro Tip If you’re really stuck, then there are resources online that can help you. For example, prospects.ac.uk offer a range of resources, including a “Job Profile” section which gives you an overview of the different kinds of job roles out there and an “Employer Profile” section which tells you about different UK companies. It even has a quiz to "help you find your perfect career."
You may have to sign up, but it is definitely worth it.
2. Revamp your CV.
I know it’s annoying but don’t procrastinate, just get it done (well).
First things first, you’re obviously going to have to add your latest experience.
Make a list of…
- The most impressive tasks you do on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.
- Stats and figures that you can use to your advantage.
- Any training courses you have completed.
Work out which are the most impressive things for the type of role you are applying for – check out a few job descriptions if you need some help - and add them to your CV.
Then, you should work your way through the rest of your CV.
Why update the rest of your CV?
- You’ve changed. Since the last time you wrote your CV, you’ll have gained more knowledge, more experience and more insight which you can use to really make your CV sound more compelling.
- Length. Simply dumping your latest work experience on to your CV could well make it unnecessarily long. Are there other, less important experiences you could delete or cut down?
- Tailor your experience. Realistically, you should be personalising each and every CV you send out to employers. It will help to show your relevant knowledge and genuine passion for that specific role.
If you need some advice on writing your CV, click here, we’ve got a whole blog on the topic!
3. Write a cover letter.
Who needs a cover letter? You.
It’s pretty much as simple as that.
(You know the deal by now. Personalised, creative and well-written cover letters are a must.)
Click here for more advice on this.
4. Check your social media profiles.
Yes, every single one.
Obviously, your LinkedIn profile will be the most important, but a lot of recruiters and employers will also take the time to check out your Facebook etc. so keep it clean!
- No swearing.
- No nakedness.
- No excessive drunkenness.
- No moaning (especially about work).
- No illegal activities.
- No lazy mistakes.
- No offensive posts.
Click here to find out more about the common ways social media could be sabotaging your job search.
5. Sign up to the best (most relevant) job boards.
There are so many job boards out there, big and small, niche and all-encompassing that it’s pretty much impossible to say which one is the “best.”
But some are certainly more popular than others, for example:
- Reed.
- Total Jobs.
- CV-Library.
Check out this article to find out more.
Of course if your industry is very specific, you could use a niche job board, for example, CW Jobs is very popular in the IT industry and Staff Nurse in the social care industry.
Check out our job board guide to find more niche sites.
You’re ready to go!
Once you’ve got all of these sorted, you’re well and truly ready to go.
If you’d like to check out our job opportunities – click here.
Or if you’d like to subscribe to this blog and receive weekly job hunt tips, then click here.
Good luck!
