Tips for finding a new job in 2012
So the Christmas holidays are over already, you’re back at your desk, you’ve started to wade through your inbox and it already feels like you’ve never been away?
Perhaps you’ve made some New Year’s resolutions and one of those might have been to find yourself a new job? You would be forgiven for thinking that due to the current economic difficulties, that this would be an impossible task, but (and here’s the shocker), companies are still recruiting and looking for great talent!
Having spent the best part of the last 3 years working in a ‘recession’ (depending upon who you speak to and which newspapers you read), we can let you know that if you are good at your job and have skills to offer, then you are a great potential catch for a new employer and shouldn’t be put off by some of the negative sound bites out there.
So what is the best way for you to go about your job search and how do you get the best results from applying for jobs online?
Our 5 Top Tips when applying for online job vacancies;
1) Always, wherever possible, add a covering note or an email to your application, specifying why you are interested in the position and why you feel you are a good applicant. This doesn’t need to be long (a few lines will do), but it should be specific to you and not a generic template that you’ve chosen from a website.
2) If you feel confident that you fulfil the criteria required in the advert, why not call the advertiser to introduce yourself? You’ve everything to gain by picking up the phone and you may be able to have a conversation with the person responsible for recruiting for the position.
3) Make sure your CV is up to date and spell-checked. Even in these days of MS Word and automatic spelling checks, we still receive plenty of CV’s that don’t read properly and are punctuated with errors. Nothing says ‘I can’t be bothered’ more than a CV full of typos and grammatical problems. If English is not your strong point, ask a friend to read it through before you send it. Remember, once you click ‘apply’, it’s too late!
4) If you do apply for a role and perhaps don’t hear anything after a few days, don’t assume you’ve not been successful. Again you could call or send a follow up email to let the company know that you’re keen. Sometimes there are natural delays in the recruitment process and most good recruiters will be happy to keep you informed.
5) If you are applying for roles through a Recruitment Agency, try to build a good rapport with your Consultant by keeping in regular contact. We love nothing more than placing people into their ideal jobs, so if you are someone that has invested some time in meeting us and working with us on applications, then everyone gets that feel-good ‘buzz’ when a job offer is forthcoming!
We hope that these tips are of help. If you would like any further advice or pointers about how to find a new job in Banbury, Bicester or Leamington Spa (or any other towns that we work in), please feel free to call your nearest branch of Plus One Personnel and ask to speak to a Consultant.