How To Get A New Job
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If you would like to get a new job this article will show you how to stand out and find new opportunities. The first step is to review your current situation – if you are already employed ask yourself if there could be new opportunities at your current organization?
Your current employment
If there could be new opportunities in your current employment, the previous article may help you to make the most of potential new opportunities. By becoming a more valuable employee you could position yourself for more responsibility and possible promotion opportunities. So before looking for a new position, it’s worth thinking about your current position and future opportunities. It’s also worth noting that some of the best opportunities are never advertised, and may be filled internally based on performance.
New employment
If you would like to work elsewhere, or get a new job this article will help you do just that. The first step is to look for all the key job sites, and to set up alerts so that you don’t miss any ideal vacancies. You can set up daily alerts for new positions to be sent to your email or mobile device, so that you can check this frequently. Be sure to set up filters and alerts for positions that fit your ideal criteria, along with broadening your search to include any work from home or remote positions if these would be of interest to you.
It’s also worth being flexible, depending on your goals a short term or temporary position may be worth considering if no long term positions are currently available.
Finding opportunities
Make a list of the top job sites and register accounts and alerts with all of them so that you can receive automatic email alerts and summaries of new positions. Prepare your personal résumé and cover letter so that you have these ready to send. Pay attention to detail and always tailor your cover letter to a specific position. When applying for roles, be sure to only apply once for each position, for example some employers or recruiters will list a vacancy on multiple job sites, so you only want to be applying for a position once, and not multiple applications for the same position.
Your professional network
You should also prime your LinkedIn profile, ensuring you have a strong profile covering all of your skills, employment history and educational background. Connect with people in your network via LinkedIn so that you have a strong and visible network. You can also search on LinkedIn and set up alerts for new positions, and you can update your profile to say you are seeking new opportunities.
Recruitment agencies
You can also register with recruitment agencies and set up alerts on their sites. For any particular agencies who are likely to list your ideal type of position, it’s worth making contact with them so that the consultants are aware of your status and background. If a position you are interested in is advertised with a particular closing date, you should still apply as early as possible and not just before the closing date. Often positions are advertised by different recruitment agencies and may be taken down early if there is a high level of interest or applications. You should always apply as early as possible to avoid missing out on any opportunities of interest.
Direct employer vacancy listings
If there are any employers you are particularly interested in, you can also check their websites for vacancies, as some employers handle all of their recruitment in house and do not use recruitment agencies. You can also look at public sector or government agencies who frequently have new openings.
Research the key players
Once you have set up all your searches, email notifications, updated your resume and cover letter, and also your LinkedIn profile, you can do some additional research. For example who are the key employers, who are the key movers and shakers, or entrepreneurs in your field or location? Opportunities are always attached to people. So by getting to know the right people you may be able to find out about opportunities earlier. It’s said that some of the best positions are filled by word of mouth and never advertised. How can you be in the loop? How can you build and leverage your network?
Check your social media profiles
Before you start applying for positions, it’s also important to check and update your social media profiles. Whilst social media profiles are considered personal and not related to work, with the exception of LinkedIn, recruitment consultants and employers frequently check the social media profiles of candidates. For this reason it’s vital that you ensure your profiles are clean, not embarrassing, and can also be set as private so that your full profile is only visible to friends. You should also make sure that your email address sounds professional for example using your name rather than an informal nick name etc.
Showcase your work
What other assets could you create to showcase your work? For example you could create a portfolio or presentation which showcases examples of your work. This idea will be more suitable for some professions than others, but presenting strong examples of your work or work style could be valuable.
High value skills
What skills do you have and what other new skills could you add? If you have time it’s worth learning new high value skills such as digital marketing. Having the skills to generate leads and attract new customers is always in demand and will serve you well. An employee who has the skills to generate new customers will always be very attractive to employers and can lead to increased job satisfaction and security.
Who are the big spenders?
You can also look at which companies are spending a lot of advertising – either online, print media or television. The companies with the largest advertising budgets want to attract new customers and may have new opportunities.
Building greater security and peace of mind
It’s also important to note that people change jobs far more than they used to, many people have portfolio style careers and a job for life is no longer the norm. If you are applying for jobs – the information in this article will help you, and the information on how to become a more valuable employee will help you to attract your ideal job and have the peace of mind that you can always find new work if you want or need to.
Be sure to look at the article on How to Get A Promotion Or Pay Raise, as this will help you to recognise the value you could bring to a position, and to communicate this to a potential employer.
Getting ready for an interview
When you are invited for an interview, you should thoroughly research the organization, understand the job requirements and responsibilities in depth. Think carefully about how you can add value to the organization and how you can do the job to the best of your ability.
Look at the application process, for example are there any tests or assessments, how many interviews are there and is there an assessment center? Do your research and preparation and make sure you communicate effectively. Think about how your skills, abilities and experience match up with the job responsibilities and what you could bring to the role. You should also never ask about holidays in an interview, as this comes across as being only interested in entitlements and time off. Appreciate that the holiday allowance will be in line with industry standards or higher, and may also be listed in the job description. Details will be available so it’s best not to ask questions like this as this is seen as only being interested in benefits.
References
You should also have – usually two – referees who would be able to provide a reference for you. These should be employment references, and possibly educational references. Your personal résumé can say “References available on request” so that referees are only contacted when an offer is made.
Creating your own income streams
It’s also worth being open to creating your own income stream – read the next article for how you can do this anytime and anywhere. Regardless of what the economy is doing, or if anyone is hiring – you can create your own income stream. By doing this you are also generating your own clients and could potentially earn a full time income working only part time hours. You can also have the freedom to work from home and build your ideal lifestyle and work-life balance.
See also: Money Pathways