Once you've worked out what you want to do, you need to arm yourself with as much information and as many tools as possible to help you in your jobs search.

Get ahead of the game

The recruitment market is always changing, so getting jobs by email is a great way to keep track of all the latest jobs. All you need to do is register on fish4jobs and set up a saved search. You'll then be emailed details of vacancies matching the location, salary and type of job you're looking for.

Look carefully

Looking through job search results can take time, so here are some tips to help you find what you're looking for:

• if you know exactly what job you want, use the advanced search
• add details about your preferred working hours, contract, minimum salary and industry sector - the more information you provide, the more relevant the jobs you are sent will be
• look out for 'Be first to apply' jobs - they appear when you do a search and, as the name suggests, no-one else will have put themselves forward for them yet

If there aren't many jobs matching your search, try and ask yourself why. Are your salary expectations unrealistic? Will you need to commute, rather than work locally?

You might know the company you'd like to work for, rather than which job you'd like to do. If that's the case, you can look at the company profiles on fish4jobs and see who is recruiting at the moment.

Be patient and positive

It can take a while to find the right job. Try not to be disappointed if you don't see something straight away. There's nothing wrong with having a dream job but try and keep an open mind and be flexible.

Stay positive too. Make a list of all your good points and achievements - it will remind you how great you are if things get a bit tough.