Top tips for your job search
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – Barack Obama
Are you ready to make that change?
How do you plan to start your search?
We all know that the way we go about getting a new job has changed dramatically over the last decade. Technology, networking and access to additional intel on prospective employees and employers has revolutionized the way people find the right candidate or the right job.
Your job search is now highly competitive and more complex than ever before.
So just how do you go about securing that dream job?
Read our top tips below to help you on your job hunt and ensure you snag that ideal role:
1. Start with a self-assessment
Before you begin, have a think about your strengths and the type of work you like doing – the more you think about this, the more likely you are to get a role that gives you job satisfaction.
2. Get yourself organised
Put a system in place that works for you and helps you to organise your search. It could be a spreadsheet or a simple chart that enables you to track your search as you go. Additionally, make sure you’re ready to send emails and receive calls by ensuring your email address is professional sounding and your voicemail is on and doesn’t have an inappropriate message recording.
3. Build your network and online presence
The search for the ideal candidate generally starts online, so if you don’t have an online presence you could be missing out. Always ensure you promote yourself positively on the various social networks and continually seek out new people to add to your network that could be helpful with your job search and help you to uncover potential leads.
4. Google yourself
Run a Google search of your name and see what comes up, and don’t forget the image search. Hopefully you’ll like what you see but if you do come across anything you’d rather keep hidden, make sure it is! Social media profiles are likely to appear in the listings, so this is your chance to adjust your privacy settings to make sure that anything that could discredit you, disappears.
5. Set yourself goals
It takes time and effort to find a new job so set yourself achievable goals to make certain you stay on track. These could be daily, weekly or even monthly goals which will help you to build a foundation for your search and keep your motivated throughout.
6. Tailor your CV
We often tailor the cover letter, but have you considered tailoring your CV? Your relevance to the role you’re applying for is crucial to your success, no two roles are exactly the same after all.
When you find a role you like the look of, take a moment to consider whether your CV ticks the boxes. If it doesn’t then have a look for any potential improvements you could make to ensure that the critical must-haves of the advert are prominent on your CV. Make yourself the obvious fit!
Read our 10 Tips for CV Success for more help with constructing the perfect CV.
7. Listen to others
Try not to get defensive during your job search and do take advice from others, they are trying to help you after all! Remain positive and listen to what they have to say, it could be a key component to your job search that you’ve overlooked.
8. Follow up
Always follow up on a job application. Your CV could’ve been missed, the email might not have got to them, or they may not have got to it yet. Even if you’ve been unsuccessful in securing an interview, the recruiter or employer could provide you with some useful feedback to ensure that your next application is more successful.
9. Make a plan to up-skill yourself
If you’re out of work or have extra time, why not make a plan to up-skill yourself? What could you do to improve yourself or upgrade your skills? There are plenty of online or evening courses available and it could be the key to making yourself stand out from the competition by demonstrating to a potential employer or recruiter that you have the willingness and commitment to continually develop.
10. Stay positive
It could be a quick process or it could take months; but the best strategy is to prepare yourself to be in it for the long haul. That way you’ll get a pleasant surprise if it is a shorter than expected job hunt. Try not to get disheartened either way, especially if you get a few knock-backs – remaining positive and continuing with your plan is the most important thing.
If you’ve currently got a job, then it’s also important to remember 
these key points to make sure you keep hold of it and don’t raise suspicions whilst you’re searching for your next role:
Don’t job search on company time
Don’t make the mistake of searching for your next role during a spare 10 minutes at work. If you get caught on a job site, it doesn’t look great! If you get contacted by a recruiter during the working day, take the call away from colleagues, or even better, in your lunch break or after work. Never use your company email address to apply for a role, it’s very risky!
Don’t slack in your current job
Try not to get complacent even if a new job is within reach, it will only raise suspicions. At the end of the day, if it all falls through then you’ll need your current job to fall back on. Make sure your performance is consistent in your existing position.
Arrange interviews outside of working hours or during annual leave
When possible, arrange any interviews outside of the working day or during a period of annual leave. That way, you don’t have to be dishonest with your current employer and add to the stress of job hunting!
Be careful who you tell
Only tell people that you trust, and try to avoid telling colleagues at all. You never know what they might let slip accidentally. Similarly, don’t put anything to do with your job hunt on social media if it could be visible to your current employer, subtly is key.
Now you’re ready to make that change happen!
FryerMiles is an Accountancy and Finance recruitment specialist formed by a team of recruiters with 30+ years’ combined experience within the industry.
We pride ourselves on being a team that works hard to get to know and understand our clients and candidates. Investing our time to make sure we have the best candidates means that we get the right people in the right roles. To contact us please click here
