Category: Career Advice

Job Search: the Dos and Don’ts

In search for a new job? What you do doesn’t count much, but the way you do it…

Job searching can be a frustrating venture – whether you’re an experienced in job searching or completely new to the job world. So, what’s the key to succeed in job seeking? Knowing where, and how, to look effectively.

Below, we have compiled a list of Dos and Don’ts in your job search. Take a look:

Do

  1. Use the filters – Most job sites will offer filtering options that allow users to tailor search results to their specific requirements. Alongside searching for your preferred job title and location, you should also make use of job type, salary, and suitability tools, to provide you with the most personalized results.
  2. Set up daily alerts – Never see your job search as a one day task. Although it might seem more convenient to just dedicate a few hours to your applications – this definitely isn’t the most effective method. You’ll limit yourself to a smaller number of vacancies, and won’t be able to see new roles as they come up. So, search as frequently as possible, and use daily email alerts to ensure you don’t miss out.
  3. Think outside the box – Using the job title to search is fine as a starting point, but it never hurts to try different ways of saying the same thing – i.e. alternate phrasing/wording. Use keyword searching to pinpoint roles looking for specific skills, responsibilities or qualifications, and you’ll end up with a much more suitable set of results.
  4. Make sure your preferred sectors are accurate – Whether it’s that you’re not 100% sure on your ideal job title, or you just want to be found by recruiters from outside your favored industry, taking the time to edit your sector preferences should never be overlooked. What’s more, as many jobs span different sectors, pigeonholing yourself into one area might just be limiting your results – regardless of your overall suitability.
  5. Start being specific – If you’re getting too many irrelevant results, it could be that your search is just not specific enough. Instead of wading through a large list to find the ones you want, consider narrowing your search. Sometimes a slight adjustment to simple things like location, or adding in a few extra keywords (see: Boolean searching) can make a big difference to what’s available.

Honorable mentions: Be discreet, search by most recent, network, do your research, follow up after you apply.

Don’t

  1. Apply for every job you see – Rushed job applications are unlikely to impress any hiring manager, so sending out as many as you can (as quickly as you can) could mean that you miss out on the job you actually want. If you don’t take the time to gain a thorough idea of what each role entails, you might end up applying for unsuitable positions – which is only wasting your time, as well as the hiring manager’s.
  2. Forget to complete your profile – Having a full and comprehensive profile will avoid the danger of underselling yourself, or not providing enough information to validate a recruiter’s consideration. An unfinished profile is only likely to indicate a lack of effort to prospective employers, and just means you’ll miss out on another way to leave them with a good impression.
  3. Tell everyone about it – Although venting your job search frustrations on social media or to your colleagues can seem like a great way to let off steam, it’s unlikely to ever end well. Not only will potential employers be able to view your online profiles, your current one will too, so don’t give them a reason to doubt your professionalism. Bottom line – whether it’s good or bad news, always keep your job search on the down low.
  4. Expect an instant reply – Remember: the recruitment process takes time. If you spend a week job searching and are wondering why you haven’t heard back from anyone yet, don’t panic. Responses can take up to six weeks to come through and in some instances, even longer. Stay motivated and patient, and most importantly, don’t let a long response time leave you despondent.
  5. Have your profile hidden – Sometimes your CV or profile can be hidden on a job site without you even realising it. Unless you have a good reason for not making it visible to recruiters, it’s always best to leave this box un-ticked in your profile’s privacy settings. Then, you’ll get the most coverage possible, and won’t risk missing out on your perfect opportunity.

Honourable mentions: Have a negative approach, be afraid to ask for help, use an inappropriate email address (see: [email protected]), give up.

Taken from reed.co.uk


How to: Preparing adequately for an interview

Different jobs have varied interview processes. The interview process also varies from one employer to another. Before or after the interview, some employers will choose to screen the candidates by inviting them to take psychometric tests or prepare a case study.

Regardless of the process employed, it’s important to make effort in completing all the steps in a manner which will impress your prospective employers. If your application and test results, if any, make a good impression, you’ll definitely be invited to interview. At this stage, you need to prepare well in order to be successful.

Getting started

It’s not strange that a good number of people go through interview phobia. Here’s some information that may help you successfully overcome the hurdles of attending an interview. Some of these things may seem obvious, but these are often the things we overlook or forget.

It’s not a walk in the park to know what you need to prepare. However, preparing a checklist of the things to consider can help put your mind at res. A sample checklist:

  1. Research on the company
  2. Look up your role
  3. Find the company address
  4. Think of some potential questions your interviewer may ask
  5. Prepare some potential questions you could ask at the end of the interview

Before the interview

Preparation for an interview is key process, and it’s often the thin line between your success and failure. Good preparation not only gives you an insight into what you expect during the interview, it can also help you in developing some important confidence.

So, what specific things should you focus on as you do the preparation?

Company research:

What is it expected of you? Interviewers will expect that you are well versed with their organization’s operations, target market, competitors, etc. With such information, you’ll be better placed to conduct an impressive interview because you’ll be able to put any details you’d discovered ahead of the interview into context.

Having adequate knowledge of the also shows that you really want the role.

Role research:

Just imagine how the interview would be like if you didn’t fully understand the job description. It would also be fatal if you didn’t understand how the role fits into the overall structure of the company. In case you have queries about the role, be prepared to raise them before or during the interview.

Try to think about what key skills would be relevant to demonstrate, with the aid of examples, during the interview.

Interview research:

It’s important you get to know what format the interview will take – it could be a standard interview or psychometric tests or both.

It would also be a plus if you find out more about your interviewer(s). Know who they are, what roles they play in the organization. You can get this information on the company website, or from professional social platforms like LinkedIn.

Personality points:

The aim of interviewers is to know more about you and your personality. It’s therefore important to approach an interview with a list of important points about yourself.

For instance, you might want to list your key achievements during your previous roles. It would also be wise to list your personal experience and related knowledge in your target industry.

Each question you address will be an opportunity to provide some of this information to the interviewer.

The day before the interview

Get everything you would need for the interview ready, so that the following day you can just grab your things and go. This would include what you’ll be wearing, your CV, your relevant certificates, and a map of the location.

In case you’re not sure how to get there, try and make a pre-visit the day before (if possible). Note that being late because you lost your way doesn’t send out a good first impression. Also, it would raise your stress levels.

Always take important things, or rather information with you. For example, taking a pack containing your CV, cover letter, examples of your work and any certificates of merit or qualification levels is well worth it.

Even if some of these things will be irrelevant during your interview, you’ll not only be prepared – you’ll look prepared too. Also, they are a great point of reference when demonstrating a point (or if you get stuck).

On the day of the interview

Take special care to dress appropriately – most of the time smart business dress will be appropriate. On some rare occasions, smart casual may be appropriate but ensure you err on the more formal side.

Finally, always make sure you’re punctual – try to arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled interview time. If you’re going to be late for any reason then make sure you inform the interviewer as early as possible.

Once you’re fully prepared for the interview, it’s time to start thinking about the interview itself.

Taken from reed.co.uk