Your Search
« back to Career Surgery index
SMP Solutions Guide to Getting Ahead of the Job Pack
Finding a job, especially the ‘right’ job for you, can be almost a full time occupation, particularly in a difficult employment market. So how to you get yourself ahead of the pack to stand a greater chance of success?
The following tips should put you in good stead:
1/ Treat your job search as a campaign – Be clear about your purpose and focused
2/ Develop a targeted plan as you would with any project and build in review dates
3/ Utilise all 4 key job search methods:
Applying to advertised vacancies - Online, via trade journals, newspapers (national, regional, local)
Utilising Recruitment Agencies - Either specialist agencies for your chosen sector or national or local agencies in your high street
Direct Speculative Applications – Targeted applications to companies or organisations who are not currently advertising vacancies (or vacancies that are not of interest to you) that particularly appeal to you based on what they do, their ethos or location.
To stand any chance of success your applications should always be personalised to the Manager in charge of the department or function that is of interest to you. Dear Sir/Madam or speculative applications to unnamed people in HR are highly likely to end up in the bin!
In a downturn, good personalised, targeted applications have a much greater chance of success of getting you to an interview, as employers will be looking to save money on recruitment costs and especially recruitment agency fees.
Personal Networking - This is often the most successful route to market, especially in a downturn, when employers are reluctant to pay agency fees and may even have ‘bounties’ in place to entice staff to introduce friends and known contacts, which could still save them significant money against hefty employment agency fees . See our SMP Solutions Guide to Career / Job Search Networking for more information on this key aspect of the job hunt http://www.londoncareers.net/features/smp/smp30112007.htm
4/ Awareness of you as a product – what you have to offer a potential employer, your value added, USP’s (unique selling points), skills, attributes, attitude, knowledge, experience
5/ Awareness of what you want from a job/employer - your career values and needs
6/ Develop a winning CV and job application approach
7/ Look for the right job that matches your values and skills
8/ Show initiative, research, personalise your applications
9/ Persistence pays - don’t give up
10/ Review your strategy as you would with any project plan as no point in firing blanks!
Many of the points listed are covered by a more specific SMP Solutions Guide, so check the Career Surgery listing for more information.
Copyright SMP Solutions (2008) Career & Personal Development Consultancy
'helping you unlock your potential'
www.smp-solutions.co.uk
