What I learned : Hints and Tips

The job of finding employment is an arduous one and certainly far from easy while we continue to be suffering in a recession. Over the course of the last 6 or so months I have got some things right, made many mistakes, but ultimately followed a path which has gained me work in my chosen sector. I like to think then that these hints and tips may be able to do the same for others in my situation. Without further ado:

3 Important Tips

1. Set a maximum of 2 Criteria- At the start of searching you will be probably have fairly narrow criteria. You will have a job you wish to do, an industry you wish to work in, location, pay, benefits, prospects. Soon it becomes clear this is unrealistic. Rank the criteria in order of importance and work out what is the most important thing to you. Some things may be forced up on you. I.E - location, if your tied to a rental contract, but by picking a wide, but targeted approach you have a better chance of finding the right job.
2. Experience is Key - A sad truth but in all but the graduate programs(and even some of them) experience is the key to success, not academic qualification. If you have experience then you stand a much better chance. If you don't do whatever it takes to get it. Temping is the best option, but also will not hire non experienced workers, work trials, working for free is always an option but the best I believe is to volunteer.
3. Volunteer - Probably the most important factor that has helped me find work has been my volunteering with the Solent Credit Union. I had not even thought of volunteering till a friend suggested it, don't assume that the right role is not there for you. Again, repeat step 1 and search for the best place for you. I looked for marketing and ended up with the S.C.U. I knew nothing about them at the time, but now am passionate about their success. It does not necessarily matter if you know the charity, there are hundreds of worthy courses out there in need of skilled workers, and unlike paid work, they are often not as picky. If this is something which interests you check out the do-it website.

And some hints

1. Identify your key sites - Most of job searching is conducted online now and there are literally thousands of sites to choose from. Do not expect to find the ideal sites for you straight away but rule out ones that do not hit the right buttons and keep searching. If you are not finding the jobs you need, try new sites and eventually build up a portfolio. For any budding marketers out there I advise the following:

Graduate Jobs South
Only Marketing Jobs
Daily Echo (Fish4jobs)
Jobsite
totaljobs
CV-Library - A brilliant discovery in the last few months
Gumtree
Marketing Job Boards
Reed.co.uk

2. Identify who will receive your application - Covering letters can make a real difference but they are time consuming and it is a good idea to keep templates for various jobs which can be adjusted. With many jobs though, the recipient is an agent representing the company. In my experience they do not read covering letters and I had a higher success rate when I stopped sending them with the C.V. Instead applying was a simple three click process in many cases and made applying for all sorts of jobs much easier.
3. Proof read any communications - Whether true or not it has been suggested that C.V's and applications are often thrown in the bin for grammar or spelling mistakes. This would seem a bit extreme but careless errors will not make you a stand out candidate for the job.
4. Be Confident and relaxed - An interview tip here. My best interviews were relaxed affairs, including the one where I got the job. Try and be relaxed and confident and honest. If you cannot answer a question state so, don't get hung up on the fact. The few rigid interviews I had were much harder and ultimately left me disliking the company anyway. Adhere to the criteria set for you but don't panic or worry. There are plenty more jobs in the...job sea? For more on interview techniques see this older post
5. Consider which benefits you are eligible for - The benefits process can be downright depressing and frustrating but don't rule it out because of pride. In particular look at Council tax and Housing benefit. Put up with the Job Centre for as long as you can. In the 6 months I was there they only did one thing to help me, and that was because I had reached the 6 month mark.
7. Consider anything which will enhance your employability - Keep an open mind and take any opportunity you can get your hands on. Think outside the box as well, if you have the money to do so learning to drive is one of the things which makes you more employable and gives you a greater reach for jobs.
8. Post your C.V on every job site you come across - Okay you do not have to religiously use the job site but if your C.V is there employers/agents can find you. I had a little success down this avenue but as always anything which makes the job easier has to be worthwhile.
9. Be cordial with agents but don't expect a lasting relationship - If your C.V begins to look impressive you will begin to receive calls from job agencies. Be polite and willing to discuss any role although also be ready to turn down opportunities. Agents will often come with jobs they are desperate to fill even if they are clearly not what you are interested in.
10. Beware the scams - Beware Scams and jobs which mislead as to what they actually involve. If possible try to avoid even applying for them. Asking for you to be self employed should flash a warning light as should salary being based entirely on OTE. (On Target Earnings) For more on marketing specific ones see here or here

Well there we go. A gigantic post which has shown some of the main things I have learned and wish to pass on. Happy hunting!

A little lost

Another day drifts slowly past which has been utterly uneventful on the job side of things. It has now been a week since my last succesful communication with a company. I have applied for many jobs, some of which are quite realistic but have heard nothing.

It has me confused. My C.V now includes experience, my covering letter draws upon it, but my success rate has dropped. Perhaps I am now going for more jobs believing I have skills and experience but in reality this is not how the companies see it. Or maybe some big internet wormhole has been eating my emails.

I am used to rejections, the odd agency phone call and interviewing only ultimately to be disappointed. Nothing is unusual. It makes little sense, and I am not sure what can be done to rectify it. Maybe companies are becoming increasingly tired of writing rejections so now just ignore unsuccesful applications, or maybe I have been wrong about the jobs I thought looked realistic. Its hard to know for sure, but at least in my approach I will keep plugging away and spend a little more time on my jobs.

Rinse and Repeat

Tomorrow signals another interview. A surprise interview at that for a position where I was lacking several skills and of course experience. Given the ability recently of organisations to find me and not wanting to make a bad impression I won't write their name, instead just saying they are a major U.K I.T distributor. The biggest company I have interviewed for yet. They even have had in the past a graduate program. This, I admit has me a little worried. I have been turned down by tiny companies for a lack of experience, it seems unlikely that a major one would want to take a risk. I also suspect the competition will be high. All in all tomorrow is likely to be a wasted trip. Its the opposite effect of having your hopes high, when they are low you go in knowing you have nothing to lose. It is harder however, to motivate yourself to prepare properly as in your mind you have already failed to get the job. I just hope to be given a fair chance. I once went to a company in Basingstoke for all of a 20 minute interview. It was clear the guy was not impressed and I was in and out after just a few mundane questions. This admittedly was when I was a little bit less experienced with interviews, but still the thought hangs, I don't want to have spent £15+ just to make up numbers for a firm who have no intention of employing me.

As for the preperation process it is a case of rinse and repeat. Printing off maps, planning the journey, researching the company. It's a tedious necessity which is also time consuming.

Time to think

Today is not a good day to blog and I think I need to take a step back and reassess pretty much everything. Got the expected rejection from JPA, again stating a candidate had significantly more experience and that had I had similar experience it may have been a different story.

I feel like I am stuck in a rut and that finding a way out, something I expected to be difficult is proving nigh impossible.

I will post a more significant, longer entry when I have thought over what I am going to do, but for the moment I need to reflect and figure that out.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this blog and those who read it. I hope I have been helpful and interesting and I will be back soon.