Career Search Tips

Is your job hunting strategy missing the mark? Below are Six Simple Steps to help you find the right job.

Step 1 – Looking for the right job
The first step is to be clear about what type of job you are looking for. There are three main types of work to consider: temporary, contract or interim work – and whether you want a full-time or part-time role.

Temporary work offers benefits in terms of . . .
• Flexibility – choosing when, where and for whom you work
• Experience – enabling you to learn about different organisational cultures and market sectors without making a commitment
• Learning – providing opportunities to develop new skills
• Positioning – being well placed to get a foot in the door if a permanent position arises
• Compatibility – a way for all parties to assess each other´s suitability for a permanent role
• Work life balance – can fit work in and around social / family life
• Disadvantage: Can be short-term and spasmodic

Contract / Interim work offers benefits in terms of . . .
• Flexibility – the opportunity to choose the type of role, and when, where and for whom you work
• Pay – often interim and contract work commands higher pay
• Regular payments – generally payment is made weekly as opposed to monthly
• Disadvantage: Can be spasmodic with unpaid breaks between assignments

Step 2 – Identify your marketable strengths
When you’re doing something you like and are good at, work is far more interesting. Take time to think about your key skills and attributes and how you could use them at work.

We can offer you one-to-one Careers Guidance specifically to help you identify the roles and organisations best suited to you, and plan your career. You might like to work for a small, local business or a multinational corporate organisation. Which sector would suit you best, private, public or not-for-profit? Each has benefits and your consultant will help you to consider all the factors to enable you to make an informed career choice.

With expert advice and a clearer picture of what you’re looking for, it’s time to ensure that your CV’s a good match to your target job.

Step 3 – Write the perfect CV
To guarantee best results, your CV should reflect the full scope of your
strengths, competencies, personality traits and key results. The CV has to be explicitly informative, interesting and relevant to the job profile.
Your CV Resume must…
• get to the point of why you are the best candidate
• highlight qualifications, skills, experience and personal style
• demonstrate the benefits the employer will gain by hiring you
• position you at the right level in the market, and set the right tone
• gain credibility by substantiating exactly how you achieved results
• Present a confident, polished and professional image.
If you need help to write your CV, click here.

Step 4 – Write the perfect cover letter
The cover letter is a crucial part of the application process, often giving the first impression of an applicant and used by recruiters to quickly pre-screen and select the best candidates.

Your covering letter is the opportunity for you to summarise that you have the required skills and experience. Therefore, your letter must promote the skill-sets that are most appropriate to the role. The letter should include a brief summary of your skills and most recent experience, and how these will enable you to contribute to the company.

Covering letters provide a great opportunity to show that you have thought properly about the job and have done some research. So, when explaining why you’re interested in the job role, try to show some knowledge of the company.
Remember, more than 90% of job application letters fail to make their mark! This is primarily due to poor page design, and ability on the part of the writer to engage with and inform the reader.
If you need assistance in writing a cover letter, click here.

Step 5 – The perfect interview
Here is some advice that might make the difference between interview success and failure for applicants. Preparation is key as it builds confidence and self assuredness.

Good preparation includes researching the company to gain a good grasp of what the company does, what challenges it faces and what opportunities might be present. This information will enable you to enter into a meaningful conversation about the company and help you to determine if it is the right one for you.

Research the role. Often the company website advertises vacancies or gives case studies on employees in key positions. Get to know the key skills required and be prepared to give examples of occasions when you have demonstrated those skills.

Find out what format the interview will take so that you can be prepared for the various combinations in terms of panels, presentations, tests (such as role plays or psychometric questionnaires).

Review sample interview questions and answers and carry out a mock interview by formulating and perfecting your own answers to potential questions.

Although interviewing is something of an art form, it is definitely one that can be learned or improved quite quickly. Your consultant is highly trained to stimulate your awareness of the skills and capabilities required, advise you how to think strategically and improve your all round presentation.

Step 6 – Negotiate the perfect offer
Congratulations! You’ve reached the salary discussion stage. The next step in salary negotiation is to research the remuneration package you expect, as well as the current market rates for the type of role.

The expected salary is likely to fall between your minimum and ideal salary. How do you ascertain what this is? Review similar job specs to benchmark what companies are currently offering and take the average.

An average of the salary for these jobs is probably a fair assessment of current market rates. However, if you’re especially qualified in your field and have a wealth of experience, you may well command higher than average market rates.

Whilst take-home salary is very important, other factors are worthy of consideration. For instance, working hours, holidays, health care, pension, stock options, gym membership, training, or flexible working options etc. Consider how much flexibility you’re willing to offer for any benefits, taking into account their monetary value.

You’re now at the stage where you know what you should be earning, and what room you have for negotiation. Your prospective employer is likely to have a figure in mind for your salary, but don’t accept or reject the first offer. Enquire whether there is flexibility on the salary dependent on the experience and skills of the applicant. Also, ask how often this salary is likely to be reviewed as taking a lower salary will be more acceptable if there will be regular reviews.

With the salary band stated by the employer, now is the time to start comparing it to your initial salary expectations. If the salary is below your expectation, you need to explain why this is – perhaps because you are already earning more than they are offering. If the package is around your expected salary, you may still want to negotiate. Explain that you may be worth more than market rates, due to your experience, knowledge or qualifications. In the event of receiving a better offer, you might like to discuss room for future growth in earnings and career development.

If the salary is not what you expected, and is not compensated by additional benefits, it is best to make this clear. If the employer cannot match your requirements, you’ll probably need to accept that the job wasn’t right for you. If you’ve done your homework, you should know what you’re worth and make sure you earn that in your next career move.

Follow up tips
Effective follow-up includes:
• calling employers and asking for an interview
• returning phone calls (at the right time)
• sending out cover letters and resumes when asked to do so
• writing thank you letters to anyone that has helped you in your search or who you have met
• writing acceptance or declining letters to job offers.