5 Top Tips To Help You With Your Job Search

I am currently job-searching. It’s not that I was unhappy in my previous job – it just wasn’t for me. I think it’s important in life to identify areas which can be improved on and work hard to shape your life the way you want it.

Working 9 hours a day, 5 days a week is a significant chunk of your life, so its important to make sure that you are using that time to further your overall ambitions and goals. Unhappiness at work often permeates into other areas in our lives and its essential to identify any unhappiness, isolate the cause, and remedy it. We can’t all be singers or sports players and earn money doing what we love, but there is a happy medium out there.

So what can you do?

Get out there and see what other companies are offering. You may be ideally suited for your job but not your current work environment – so look for vacancies in similar positions. Hate your job but love the company? See if you can transfer to a different area/team/role within the organisation. You will never know until you start to look. You may even find that you already have the perfect job but needed to see what was out there in order to view it from a different perspective.

Change can be a daunting prospect, so here are my 5 top tips to help you with your search:

Use contacts. Speak to everyone and anyone. They already know you and probabLy like you – use their bias to your advantage. Chances are they will know someone who is hiring or keep their eyes and ears open for you. Personal recommendations can go a long way.

Use the internet. Every company will have their own ‘Careers’ section (there is usually a link right at the bottom of their homepage) and nearly every online newspaper has their own ‘Jobs’ section where companies and recruitment agencies advertise vacancies. Also, don’t underestimate the power of social media – if companies are looking for new people, chances are that they will use all of the tools at their disposal – Facebook, Twitter, Linked in - to tell you about vacancies, check them all.

Be Proactive. You’ve identified a specific company you want to work at but their careers section isn’t showing any vacancies. Do not give up. Write them a letter explaining how much you wish to work for them and outline all of the great qualities you possess that which you can bring to their company. Attach your CV and mail it to them. Your shot in the dark might turn out to be the nudge they needed to open a position.

Search. Apply. Repeat. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and nor will your dream job be handed to you after the first application. It could, but it’s unlikely. Apply for everything you can find that suits your requirements and keep checking back for more vacancies. Websites advertise new positions every day, so if they arent showing you what you want to see straight away, make a mental note and circle back in a few days to see if anything new has come up.

Don’t give up. Your dream job is out there, you’ve just got to stay positive and keep looking. Your future self will thank you.

"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things."

xx