How To Find The Right Job
Thinking laterally about how and where you search for work will increase your chances of successfully finding a rewarding and fulfilling job.
Depending on the current stage of your career, you should do the following:
Register with recruitment agencies
- When deciding which recruitment agencies to register with, there are a couple of things you should take into account:
- Always look for an agency that is established and has a good reputation in the marketplace. The quality of the jobs on offer is a good indication of its reputation
- Another factor to consider is whether the consultants are working on a commission. Many recruitment consultants rely on commission to make up their salary, which can mean that their advice is not always completely objective
- Once you've chosen an agency it is important that your consultant demonstrate some level of commitment to finding you a job. For example:
- A consultant should provide a detailed briefing prior to sending you for interview and obtain constructive feedback from the client after any interview
- Does your consultant proactively contact you regarding suitable jobs or do you have to constantly chase them?
Use Newspapers
- Familiarise yourself with those national newspapers that cater specifically for your profession and find out on which days those vacancies are advertised. For example, accountants will use the Financial Times and jobs are advertised on Mondays and Thursdays. Visit the corresponding online websites to further search for jobs and to research company information.
- Your local newspaper will also have a 'jobs day' and this should be read weekly too. Again, more senior vacancies tend to be advertised nationally or in industry journals rather than regionally, but your local paper will keep you updated with business information specific to your region.
- Avoid regional job magazines, which are often merely a tardy repetition of the local paper's jobs pages.
Read trade magazines / professional journals
- if you are a member of a professional body you should regularly read any relevant magazines to view advertised vacancies and keep yourself updated with industry news. Many such publications are subscription only and students/graduates embarking on a professional career can often take advantage of reduced rates.
Surf the Internet
- A key way to search for a job is through the internet. All of the above mentioned sources, from agencies, to newspapers will have online websites on which vacancies can be found.
- There are also 'job boards' which range from the very general, covering thousands of jobs, to more specialist ones. Most such sites have search engines that enable you to specify criteria such as discipline, job type, salary, location. Some also provide user logins that will save your details and 'post' any relevant jobs to you as they come in.
Approach companies directly
- If approached correctly, direct speculative applications can sometimes uncover vacancies. It is sensible to find the relevant recruitment contact within the organisation and address any application to them. Do not bombard them with follow up calls and letters. Take no for an answer and be prepared in some cases not to receive a reply at all if no vacancy has been advertised. Ensure your covering letter clearly states the type of job you are interested in and ensure it is something you are realistically suitable for!
- On a similar note, do not be afraid to ask friends, colleagues and family whether their employers are recruiting. Many companies today actively encourage employees to introduce prospective candidates to their business, in some cases awarding cash 'bounties' if an individual is sourced and recruited this way.
Visit job centers
- They are packed with vacancies that are updated daily with advisers to arrange interviews. There are obviously far fewer opportunities advertised via this source for professionals but if you are at the more junior stages of your career, these centres can be helpful.
Get yourself updated
- If, despite your best efforts, you are finding the job market slow, now may be an ideal opportunity to bring any rusty skills right up to speed or indeed embark on a course/qualification that will be helpful to your job search.