Searching for a new job: where to begin

Job Searching

Whatever the reason you’re thinking about a new job, there are certain things every jobseeker should be doing. Whether you're currently unemployed and very proactive with your job search or simply want to see what job opportunities are out there, follow our definitive guide to job searching and you’ll be well on your way to a great new career.

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Recruitment Agencies

Use the internet to find either local or national recruitment agencies which specialise or deal with the kinds of jobs you’re looking for. Registration is usually a very simple process which consists of sending a copy of your CV by email. Some agencies may telephone you for further information or ask you to visit their offices so they can meet you in person. They will then contact you as soon as a job matching your skills and experience becomes available.

Online job boards

Type your desired job title, industry or discipline into an internet search engine and you will usually be presented with a seemingly endless list of job boards offering the kind of jobs you’re looking for. Some of these will be ‘generalist’ boards which display jobs from all sectors & employers. You will probably also come across ‘niche’ job boards which will only deal with vacancies in a particular sector e.g. Property or discipline e.g. Marketing. It’s worth looking at both to make sure you don’t miss a great opportunity.

You can browse jobs on these websites & apply directly by uploading your CV and contact details. It’s also worth registering with job boards where you’ve found good job leads. Once registered, most websites will allow you to save your job searches and set up jobs by email, whereby you will receive an email containing relevant jobs directly to your inbox, as often as you like. In this way you can be among the first to apply for new vacancies posted on these websites.

Newspapers & Trade Press

If you're looking for work in the area you currently live in, the local press is a great place to start. Find out which day jobs are published in your local newspaper and make sure you pick up a copy every week. National newspapers are also good sources of job leads – again find out on which days the big publications advertise jobs and remember to buy them on the specified days.

It’s worth finding out if there are any trade publications or journals which cater for your sector or industry. Such publications invariably have a Careers section where a range of jobs will be listed from both recruitment agencies and direct employers. It’s good practice to subscribe to at least one relevant trade publication if you’re serious about your job search, as these can provide valuable industry knowledge and potential talking points when you get to interview stage.

Networking Events

Conferences and networking events are a great way of meeting like minded individuals within your industry and picking up on job leads through word of mouth. If you’ve recently been made redundant or are unemployed, such events are also a good way of boosting your confidence, maintaining links with the industry and making new contacts. These days there are networking events for almost every industry and these are generally held several times a year.

Social Networking

Many employers and recruiters now use social media as a means of reaching out to jobseekers. For the purposes of job searching, LinkedIn is the most valuable social network. It’s quick and easy to set up a profile on LinkedIn - you don’t need to be a computer whizz! Having a complete LinkedIn profile with keywords relevant to your job discipline and industry increases your chances of being headhunted by recruiters. LinkedIn provides a number of features aimed at making your job search easier, for example you can add a ‘Jobseeker badge’ to your profile so you stand out from the crowd.

Twitter and Facebook can also be used for picking up job leads. Identify companies you would like to work for and ‘Like’ or ‘Follow’ their company pages on these networks as most companies will post new job vacancies in their news feed. However, caution must be exercised in relation to Facebook and Twitter. If you have a profile on either of these sites, recruiters can find out a lot about you online before they have even spoken to you and you don’t want their first impression of you to be negative. Ensure that you apply top level privacy settings to your profile so that only those people you’re connected to can see your posts and information.