NEW YEAR, NEW YOU, NEW JOB?
Following on from the first installment of New year, new you, new job?, here’s some more advice to help your search for a new job or career that little bit easier…..
PART TWO. ENHANCING YOUR CHANCES
Talk to people. Have you heard about the six degrees of separation? Remember that old habit that we used to have of actually chatting to one another? Combine the two and potentially top into a network that exists right in front of you. Tell family, friends and colleagues about career aspirations. It’s possible they know someone - who knows someone - who in turn can point you in the right direction, or may be aware of a potential opportunity.
Register with agencies - lots of them. I always, always advise my clients to cast the net far and wide. Call agencies directly to establish if they can help with your job search - even if you assume they may not be able to represent you. My own experience has taught me that even agencies I believed weren’t relevant had some incredibly valuable opportunities for me.
Credible agencies should invite you in to meet them before representing you. Such a face to face meeting won’t be like a real job interview, but will be formal in its nature, and questions about your work history experience, skills and abilities offers an important opportunity to practice your communication and interviewing skills.
Volunteer work. Volunteer work has been proven, time and time again, to be beneficial for all parties. Learning new skills and getting exposure to valuable workplace experience are just two of the big wins for you personally. And being able to incorporate these skills and experience on your CV can help ensure you are on the radar when submitting your CV to potential employers.
Strike up a conversation. If you have submitted an application, it’s ok to call the Recruitment or HR manager to check that it’s been received, and find out more about the recruitment process. Avoid calling the hiring manager directly (unless there is no HR or Recruitment team), and in the instances where you are being represented by an agency, communicate only with your assigned consultant. To do otherwise would be circumnavigating the official channels. When striking up a conversation directly is appropriate, you benefit from becoming more memorable (as opposed to being simply a name on a CV), and you can also leverage this opportunity to convey your enthusiasm for the vacancy for which you have applied.
Expand your geography or consider a re-location. Could you travel a little further for the right opportunity? In some cases a re-location can open up a world of opportunities. While these options may not be appropriate for you long term, a short term relocate or longer communicate could be an investment in your career.
Consider more junior posts for long-term gains. You might think that an opportunity is a little too junior for your experience and skills set, or that the salary is lower than you would like, but it could it offer you a platform into bigger and better things. Particularly useful in large organisations with lots of employees, where opportunities for promotion, and exposure to and involvement within exiting projects can be gained. (Such experience may be difficult to gain within SMEs).
Consider temp or contract work. Short-term assignments of weeks or months can act as platform into greater things. There’s also a chance that temp or contract roles may go permanent. Particularly useful if you are looking to get some experience of a new job/career/industry on your CV.
Add your CV to a career website like Monster. I once hired a colleague through this route. She was immediately available and ended up working in the role less than 10 days after posting her CV! Just ensure that you are familiar with how often you need to refresh/re-post your CV, in order to keep your details at the top of the pile.
Consider returning to academia. This is particularly beneficial for those wishing to change careers, but also for those looking to communicate they are serious about the career in which they currently work – everyone loves a continuous learner! Even if you have enrolled in a course, but are yet to start, you can still reference it on your CV. This can help show you are serious about a career or industry that you may not yet have worked in.