Career Advice Series Part 4: 6 Steps to Finding the Perfect Job
Finding the right job can be like looking for a needle in a haystack; there’s thousands of jobs out there and finding the right one for you can be overwhelming. In this edition of our Career Advice Series, we’ve put together some top tips to make sure your job hunt is as effective as possible.
6 Steps to Finding the Perfect Job
Search on the right job boards
There are literally thousands of job boards to choose from when searching for a job. It’s impossible to search on each job board on a regular basis, so your best option is to create an account on a few leading job boards, in addition to a selection of specialist and regional job boards relevant to your industry and your location. You never know where employers might be advertising online, so you need to try and cover as many bases as possible.
In addition to Jobs in North Wales there are many job boards where some of the best employers across the UK are advertising their jobs. Jobsite, CV-Library, and TotalJobs are some of the UK’s leading job boards where you can create a profile, upload your CV, and start searching for jobs.
To ensure that you have the most effective CV possible, make sure to read the second instalment of our series.
Set up email job alerts
Signing up to email job alerts through job boards is a great way to make sure you’re up to speed with all of the vacancies. The jobs market moves fast, so by setting up job alerts you can be notified of relevant vacancies as and when they arise. All you need to do is set up the criteria for your job search in your profile with each job board, selecting relevant sectors and your preferred locations.
Make sure you have an up to date version of your CV saved to your mobile, tablet or laptop, that way if an alert comes through that takes your interest, you can apply instantly – making sure you are wasting no time.
Click here to sign up for email job alerts with Jobs in North Wales.
Shout about your job search (if you can!)
Letting people know you’re on the hunt for a new job can be a great way to attract attention – some people have even written blogs about their job search. Of course, if you’re already in employment this may not be the best idea, but if you’re unemployed this can go a long way to letting employers know you’re enthusiastic and passionate about carving a career for yourself.
Sending out messages or status updates on social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter can be a great way to get the word out. Something might come up from a friend or family member that you may never have heard of, and LinkedIn is a great place to network with prospective employers and build an online presence that can get you noticed.
Read our tips on ensuring you have a great digital footprint and using LinkedIn when looking for work.
Explore all avenues
It’s not just job sites where employers are advertising their vacancies, some employers will promote jobs on their own website and on social media. If you know of any businesses you’d like to work for, make sure you explore their website and social media pages. There are also plenty of jobs related Facebook groups which you can follow where some employers may post their vacancies.
Click here to follow our Facebook page to keep up with job vacancies across North Wales.
Although most businesses are utilising the online world to advertise their jobs, some employers like to keep it “old school” and will advertise in the newspapers and local notice boards. Check national and local newspapers for opportunities and take trips down to the local careers centre or libraries where you could find vacancies that may have not been advertised online.
Apply as soon as you can
There’s nothing worse than spotting the perfect job, then when you come around to applying later on, finding out it’s not available anymore. When you find a job you like don’t take any chances, apply as soon as you can, you never know when an employer will make a job offer to someone.
BUT, keep in mind that you still want to take the time to tailor your CV and covering letter to make sure you catch the eye of the employer and improve your chances of getting to the next stage of the application process.
Finally, keep up the hard work!
Searching for jobs can feel like a job in itself at times. We’ve all been there, spending hours searching for jobs and tailoring your applications - only to be rejected. It can get demoralising but remember not to take it personally, and ask for feedback wherever possible (you may not always get feedback, but it’s worth asking) so that you can improve your future applications. The right job will come along in due course – but only if you work hard at tailoring your applications and stay driven and proactive in your job hunt.
To ensure you’re as prepared as possible for that job application, check out the previous instalments of our series, where we’ve covered how to: manage your digital footprint, write the most effective CV and ensure your LinkedIn profile attracts employers instead of turning them off.
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