How To Find The Right Job
You should firstly think about why you are looking to move and understand what your career aspirations are. Once you have established your wants and needs you should then begin to think laterally about how and where you will search as this will help to increase your chances of successfully finding a rewarding and fulfilling job.
Depending upon the current stage of your career, you should do the following:
1. Register with recruitment agencies
When deciding which recruitment agencies to register with, there are a number of things that you should take into consideration:
- Always look for an agency that is well established and has a good reputation in the marketplace. The quality of the jobs on offer and candidate references are always a good indication of their pedigree.
- 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
- First impressions are also very important, it is essential that when selecting an agency that they give you a feel good factor and have a professional approach with integrity and honesty so as to always provide the best service they can to you.
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?
- Does your consultant give you regular feedback on opportunities you have been submitted for and constructive feedback on interviews?
2. 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, Plant or Operational Manager's will use the Telegraph and jobs are advertised on Thursdays. Visit the corresponding online websites to further search for jobs and to research company information.
Local newspaper will also have a 'jobs day' (generally middle of the week), this should be read weekly as to keep your options open and to ensure you do not miss a potential opportunity. 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.
3. Read trade magazines / professional journals
If you are a member of a professional body you should regularly read any relevant magazine, 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.
4. Surf the Internet
As industry changes and technical advancements have become more prevalent, the internet has become one of the most utilised ways to search for a jobs. 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 will allow you to register for free and 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.
5. Visit job centres
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.
6. 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. If you are considering this, visit www.hero.ac.uk - which lists all universities and colleges of higher and further education in the UK. It provides useful links into websites and is a short cut to any local education information you need
