Finding a new job to apply for has never been easier. But that doesn’t mean finding a new job is easy.
Our resident head hunter explains how you can manage your own job search in an efficient manner and get the results you want.
Everyone makes a few common mistakes when searching for a new job and hopefully this article can help you skip some of these. Mindlessly trawling through Google, LinkedIn, Indeed or the other job boards can become extremely demoralising.
Applications to numerous roles without response, or failing to find that “perfect” next role can make you feel like maybe its not the right time to be looking.
Speaking with recruiters can also leave you with that helpless feeling like your future now rests in the hands of strangers. So lets set out the most efficient process for finding that next role before we start hitting the great unknown.
First things first — You need to have a sit down and really think about what it is you want to do next. This sounds so obvious, yet you would be surprised at the number of people that hope the next role just “finds” them, or have given very little consideration to what the next step looks like.
Dig deep and examine what areas of your current role, or previous roles, that you’ve truly enjoyed and excelled in. Use this to map out your next steps. Some key questions to ask yourself:
- Have you developed all the skills you need to take you to the next level in your chosen profession?
- Have you truly mastered this stage of your career, are there areas that still need improving?
- Do you really want, or deserve, your boss’ job?
- Are you happy working in the same company or even industry? Have you explored all the internal promotions or transfers available to you at your current company?
- Do you need a complete change? Have you considered working in a different location? Do you need a total career change?
- Have you upskilled yourself enough to warrant the next step, or are you hoping the next step will provide this for you?
Second on the list, is to make sure your CV is absolutely up to scratch. Even then, its worthwhile having 3 or 4 CV’s — you don’t need to turn into Charles Dickens overnight, and the easiest way to do this is to have a foundation CV that maybe includes all relevant career history, and edit it down to apply for specific roles you’re interested in.
At this point of CV development, its worth noting down what job titles would be that next step — now’s the time to look at a few adverts and see what kind of skills and experience they are looking for. Surprisingly, you may have most or all of them, but perhaps not included the majority of them in your CV preparation. Mirroring job descriptions, as long as truthful, is an exceptional way to stand out and reflect the skillsets you have that are needed for that career progression.
Get your CV reviewed, and now is a good time to speak to recruiters to get some free CV input from “an expert.” I’ve included expert in inverted commas because you need to make sure the feedback is constructive, and a certain phrase of opinions and everyone having one springs to mind. You almost definitely are going to receive mixed messages — and as unhelpful as this might be, its your responsibility to choose which advice you take. Whatever the feedback, make sure you are happy with your own CV, after all it should be a personal reflection of your own career and professional ability at the end of the day.
Third and final point now we have been through a process of self examination and got the window dressing sorted is to determine the best course of action on where to send this fine specimen of a CV.
The approach of aimlessly applying to roles is, 99 times out of a 100, a fruitless approach. Sit down and make a list of 20 companies you would truly be excited to work for. Check the glass door reviews as sometimes all that shines is not gold. Try and get a feel for what the culture is like in the business your interested in applying to. Find out as much as you can about the business, and yes, here at Careersaas we have made this final step as easy as possible… so log in today… once you’re ready… as we have already made it as easy as possible to apply directly to the businesses you truly want to work for direct. And if the company you want to apply for isn’t hiring, check out our AI driven search which recommends both roles and companies that might be a good fit for you.