Look In the Right Places

Job boards are great if you’re looking for a position to tide you over. The problem is most technical or specialist firms stay away from them.

They go through the high quality agencies, or even traditional individual recruitment. You need to start looking in the right places for the type of role that you want.

Stop Being Picky

Sometimes it’s more important to get your foot in the door instead of getting the job of your dreams.

Everyone starts somewhere, right? Start off at the bottom and work your way up, like Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc! Being picky is just leading you to losing out on great job prospects.

Build Networks and Relationships

Networking is more important now than it has ever been. It is time to get networking with the companies that you want to work for and build relationships with the people in charge. There are a few ways to do that, but social media is the most powerful and easiest option.

You can ask questions about the different roles or for tips to get a position. Show your interest, share articles that you’ve found that will be of interest for the company and make sure your name is known for the right reasons.

Use Connections You Have

You never know who will recommend you for a job. It is time to start using the connections that you have. Tell your friends in the coffee shop that you’re looking for a job or talk to the mums outside the school gate.

Share your interests and skills, and you may just come across the perfect job opportunity for you.

Make Sure Your Resume Is Perfect

Now it’s time to focus on your resume. Spelling mistakes and problems with your grammar are not going to get you very far. If you can’t be bothered to proofread your resume, it tells the employer that you’re lazy and won’t perform well in the job role.

Do you really want to give that impression? It’s also important to make sure the resume focuses on the skills for that particular job.

Practise the Interview Techniques

After the resume is the interview. Once you get there, you want to speak with confidence and be prepared in every way possible. Practise your techniques and research the company in full.

Be prepared for the different types of questions likely to be asked and ask your friends to help you with the rehearsal. You can never over-prepare for this opportunity to work at the company of your dreams, or in the role you really want.

Update Your Resume

It’s time to give your resume an overhaul. There are a number of old habits and bits of advice that are now completely wrong. For example, don’t list all the jobs you’ve had. Make your resume tailored for the job you’re applying for and only include the most relevant positions and skills. You will soon catch an employer’s attention and he will want to know more.

Do More Between Shifts

Instead of using your free time to just watch TV, start getting out there and do more. Make yourself look great and improve your skills.

Some of the things an employer will look for include volunteering and charity work. They give you skills and you prove that you’re not just in it for the money. At the same time, boost the amount of work you do while at work.

Get Some Work Experience

If this is your first job or you’re looking to change your career, it’s time to focus on work experience. You’ll see that most jobs will say “X year of experience necessary” or something similar.

If you’re fresh out of college, you will struggle unless you find graduate placements. How do you get experience? Start volunteering for positions just to gain the skills.

Behave Professionally Everywhere

Watch out for the stuff you post online, including your “private” social media accounts. Employers are using the internet more and more to research someone’s name, and that is leading to more people losing out on jobs.

The slightest thing can affect how professional you come across. It could be complaining about your current workplace to your friends or writing a post about a person you came across in the street. If you’re writing about those, what’s to stop you from writing about your new place of work?

Be Innovative During the Application Process

You need to show why you should get a job. That means being innovative and unique. You could share your blog that you write about your experiences and skills—as long as there are no rants!—or you could share some computer code that you’ve developed.

Attach these to your resume somehow and you will give your potential employer something new, different and interesting to look at. You’re more likely to be invited to an interview.

Be the Perfect Employee

At your current position start doing more than you need to, without asking for extra.

Show your current boss that you are a valued member of staff, which will help gain a glowing reference when a potential employer calls. You come across as the perfect employee.

Think About the Jobs Available

The first thing anyone needs to do is assess the jobs available and think about their skills. You need skills that will work for the jobs that you’re applying for, especially if you’re going back into work.

Think about the roles that you have done in the past, and the skills you have gained over the last few years. They don’t have to be from employment. You may have volunteered, or developed skills by helping with school needs.

Talk to Your Current or Previous Boss

Use your connections to your advantage. If you are currently in work, you may want to talk to your current boss and see if there are options to decrease your hours.

However, understand that your employer doesn’t have to accept this and there may not be positions within you area. You could also contact a previous employer if you haven’t left on bad terms or too long ago to see if there are part-time openings available to start sooner rather than later.

Place a Generic Resume Online

There are plenty of job websites online, and it may be worth creating a generic resume for these. Employers will come to look at your resume and decide whether you are right for a role.

LinkedIn is also a great option to detail your work experience and skills that you have for employers to contact you.

Create Job Specific Resumes

However, when it comes to applying for certain jobs, you need to have resumes tailored for them.

There is no point detailing the skills you gained in cooking through previous employment if you are applying for a cleaning job, for example. The job specific resumes show that you have thought about the role and increase the chance of finding work.

Tailor Your Cover Letter

Don’t forget about the cover letter. This is a brief introduction to you and why you’re perfect for the role—your resume goes into more detail.

It’s important that it stands out for all the right reasons, so tailor it for the jobs that you are applying for. Take some time to really think about this letter and what it is saying about you.

Get a Professional to Look Over Documents

There is nothing wrong with having a professional look over your resume and cover letter. If you have been out for work for a while, whatever the reason, this is a great opportunity.

A professional will be able to discuss your skills and assess the right style of resume for the specific roles that you are applying for.

It is always a good idea to make sure that you are traveling to the location of the interview the day before. This is necessary to ensure that you are not going to be late. You will know how to get there and how long it is going to take you to arrive. This is a must if you really do not know how to get to the location of the interview.

Always arrive early

This shows your potential employer that you are dedicated and that you are also responsible.

It is often recommended that you get their roughly ten minutes early and check in with the receptionist so that they know you are there.

Make sure that you are taking your portfolio and your resume with you

Now, you may assume that they already have it but that does not mean that they do. It is also a good idea to have a list of references with you and ready to give to the employer as well.

If they ask for them you should have them ready to go. It is not wise to make them wait for this type of information. They may just go with the next interviewer because they are prepared.

Never smoke before an interview

Even if you are not able to smell it the potential employer will be able to. This is not a good first impression. You should not plan to chew gum in order to cover up this smell either.

No potential employer wants to watch you chew gum doing the interview. It is bad manners and should be avoided. You can eat a mint before the interview starts but that is it.

Try to find out who is interviewing you before you arrive

This is necessary because you will want to greet the person by name. Always look them in the eye and shake their hand. Be firm with this hand shake.

When the introductions are over you should not sit down until you are told to do so. If you are able to wait on the interviewer to sit first then this is what you should do.

Keep your energy level high

And show the person that you are interested in what they have to say. Try to have a list of questions ready to go about the company and the position before the interview.

This shows them that you have been thinking about it and you do have an interest in what you are going to be doing.

Finally, never state negative things about your past employer. Even if the interviewer states something negative about them you should not feed into this. It could be a test to see if you are loyal. You will only make yourself look bad if you do.