Job hunting checklist: simple steps to success
Make life easy for yourself. There’s a whole industry built around careers advice but follow the five basic points below and you’ll be well on your way to landing a job.
1. Choose a career area
You’ll do much better if you decide roughly what area you’re interested in before you start looking for jobs. It’s a false economy to try to save time by skipping this stage: to get selected you need to show recruiters that you have a genuine interest in their area of business. Fewer, more focused applications will bring you much more success.
2. Get experience
All recruiters prefer candidates with relevant experience – some insist on it. If you’re applying to a competitive area it’s essential to have activities/achievements on your CV that are related to the area of work. Relevant work experience placements are highly regarded but related universities activities, positions of responsibility, hobbies or voluntary work are also looked on favourably. Not everything on your CV has to tie in with your chosen career, though. All experience makes you more appealing to recruiters, whether it’s helping organise rag week, taking a part time job, directing a musical or being captain of a sports team.
3. Find out about the sector
To get shortlisted, you need to show you know the basics about the industry or profession you want to enter. How is it structured, what different sorts of organisations exist, who are the big players, how is it regulated, what are the current trends and what big projects/deals have happened recently?
• Read up on your sector.
4. Research the employer
You can set yourself apart from the competition by demonstrating that you’ve not only taken the time to find out about the organisation but that its business ties in with your interests and ambitions. Conversely, showing that you don’t really know what the employer does or if it’s right for you is a great way to get rejected.
5. Perfect your application and interview technique
If you’ve managed steps one to four you’ll be in a strong position when it comes to applications and interviews. However, it’s important not to ruin all your hard work so read up on what recruiters look for and the best ways to prepare.
This article has been viewed 228 times.
Rating: 0 / 5 (0 votes cast for this article)
Rate this article:
Related articles