How to Get a Job! some starter tips...

It is easy to sometimes get carried away with searching for a career, that you forget the basics on how to get a job. For some of us, a job is just a job! But in this current climate, finding employment, of any value, can be just as tough. With this in mind, here are some starter tips to help you get a job….

Use the Services that are available and expect a Service!

If you are unemployed…use the Jobcentre. When I say ‘use the jobcentre’ do not necessarily expect to get everything handed to you on a plate, but at least ask, what do they have that might help you.  Apart from the obvious, a jobcentre is after all a paid for service for you to use, so if they are not forthcoming in offering other career services, expect a service anyhow. Things like; CV advice, interview tips, free training, courses, career advice, should all be at your disposal if you just ask. You may also find  that there are some kind of job assist centres, charities that specialise in getting people into employment, or jobs clubs that you can join that all also be able to help out.

If you are currently employed, free career advice may not be so easy to find, but any good recruitment agency, should be able to offer you some career advice, be it CV, interview tips, etc, either online or face to face in an office.

What skills make you employable?

Reality check. It is great that you have a degree in Business Studies, but alongside the 50 odd other applicants with business related degree’s, what skills and experience do you have, that make you stand out over the crowd. Sometimes it may be the basic work experience that you have that you take for granted, for others it will be the volunteering work that you have undertaken, or the IT programming course you did in the evening. Education is an advantage, but specific skills and work experience, may make the difference to your application. So, don’t take it for granted, what you think you have done, that does not matter – as it may make all the difference.

Use Recruitment Agencies…

Touched on in the first point, and without being biased, recruitment agencies are often not given enough credit. Yes, there are some really poor agencies and consultants out there, but this aside, recruitment agencies, like it or not, are responsible for managing a good percentage of the temporary and permanent jobs that are available and advertised. Therefore don’t not consider using recruitment agencies just because of a previous experience, or something you heard – there are plenty of agencies out there, and maybe more than one will be able to help.

Ask your Friends and Family.

WOM. Word of Mouth. Friends and Family. Simply, your friends and family, could be your next step to finding a job. If your friend works for ‘Company X’ that is recruiting, quite often or not they will have a recommend a friend scheme, or a referral scheme, to help fill the positions they have available. Advertising and Recruitment Agencies can cost Company X thousands of pounds but my using their current employers and even offering a small incentive, they can save a small fortune. Therefore, without harassing, make sure that your friends and family know you are on the lookout. If you are unemployed, even add it to your Facebook account every now and again, and you may be surprised at the job possibilities that open up. With regards to Family – if any of them own a business, and you need work experience to add to your CV, offer to work for a few weeks for free. A couple of weeks’ work experience for free, could save a couple of months job searching, once you add that experience to your CV.

We hope these ‘How to get a job’ tips can help. One more thing…good luck on your employment journey.. If you can add any other tips, please comment below. Why not Sign up for our free newsletter for more top tips and articles…