How to Improve Your Job Hunt
Job hunting is a frustrating and stressful time for anyone. You’re spending your life juggling various applications, phone calls and interviews, and constantly checking emails for any updates.
If you’re not having the success you’d like with your job hunt, then it’s probably time to brush up your act and try some new tactics. Find out where your job search might be going wrong and what you could be doing better.
Keep on applying
For most vacancies you’ll probably be up against a lot of other highly qualified, suitable candidates. It’s unlikely that your job hunt will be as simple as finding the dream job, sending off your CV and getting the job.
It’s important that you don’t put all your eggs in one basket and get too hung up over a single job opportunity. Keep your eyes out for all vacancies with potential, that match your skill set and apply to as many as possible. The more roles you apply to, the more likely you’ll find yourself in a great job.
Tailor your application
It’s not just about the number of applications, you also need to ensure that you are tailoring each application for the best chance of success. Your cover letter is an important asset in any job application, it’s your best opportunity to distinguish yourself. You can use your cover letter to draw the employer’s attention to the key skills and experience that would make you the perfect candidate for the job.
Online networking
Social media platforms such as LinkedIn can be an invaluable tool. Make sure you have a complete, up to date LinkedIn profile that outlines all of your experience, work history and a summary about yourself. If you’ve applied for a role, then it’s likely that most employers would check out your LinkedIn profile to learn more about you. It also allows companies and recruiters to discover and reach out to you.
It’s also important to give your other social media accounts a clean up when you’re job hunting. Make sure there’s nothing inappropriate or unprofessional visible on any of your profiles, it’s usually best to set everything to private so you’re only sharing with your friends.
Widen the net
Don’t limit your applications to job vacancies where you meet each and every single requirement. There are a lot of skills that will be transferable, or that you can pick up quite easily. For a number of roles, employers will be just as interested in someone with related skills and experience that’s not an exact match but has the enthusiasm and determination to make up for it. There are also a lot of roles that will provide full training, enabling you to branch out from your current career path or even switch careers completely.
Ready to start sending your applications? Take a look at our job listings here. You can filter your results for location, salary band, contract type and sector.
