want you to follow a structured and organised approach to your job search, to make best use of your time and keep you focused. You need to treat your job search like you would a marketing campaign where the product is you and everything you do gets you closer to your desired result, a job.
Each day you will undertake certain activities – it’s important that you do these, and review your progress at the end of each day. It may take some time before you get a job offer, but as you complete each action you can celebrate a mini success; completing the tasks means you haven’t just sat back and given up.
Daily tasks include a review. The review stage is important. If, when you talk with people, they aren’t clear on what sort of job you are looking for, revise what you say. If you are not getting shortlisted, review your CV and the way you complete application forms. As part of your review you should ask yourself:
•Am I actually doing the steps I should do each day and not just reading what to do?
•Do I need to discuss my approach with a job search buddy or a job search coach?
It’s not enough to just read this book, you need to do the activities and keep doing them. Even in a booming economy some people give up on looking for a new job because it’s hard work. But if you are committed and follow the steps you will get there.
To be successful in job search you need to have a plan and to follow it. This book provides the plan; it teaches you what you need to do, but will you do what you know?
Kim, Lindsay, Steve, Richard and many more got job offers, but others take much longer. When I review what’s going wrong I usually find a number of reasons – their CV needs a rewrite, they don’t have a structure to the cover letter, they are sending out generic letters to jobs they are clearly unlikely to get, and take far too long to do anything. Many times they just give up; Julie sent out personalised letters to 7 vacancies but without a positive response she has let her job search lapse.
Just last week, Paul asked me to review his cover letter for a job. I gave comprehensive feedback, all explained in Chapter 11, Find and Reply To Job Ads, but his second attempt, which came a few days later, still didn’t address the points in that chapter. Follow the steps and put your effort into the jobs you are a good match for rather than into a general application for many jobs.
You can sign up for 21 days of emails to keep you on track. My clients like these and tell me they are helpful, informative and fun. Some days you may not have the time to compete a task, so either catch up on the next day or slow down your approach. Other days you may find it easy to move ahead. Work at a ‘stretch’ pace; you can’t afford to take too leisurely a journey if you want to find a job in a recession.
Expect there to be some setbacks, but if you continue to nudge ahead, you will get there.
It’s going to take time
Please be realistic about how long your job search will take. It generally takes three months in a good economy from first looking to starting work in a new job. In a recession it could easily take twice this. It depends on the type of job you are seeking; the higher your salary requirement, the longer it is likely to take you. It’s obviously easier (quicker) to get a lower-paid job as there are so many more of them. I’ve allocated you the first couple of weeks for preparation. It could take less if you are already ‘job–search’ ready and/or you are working full time on job search. That’s why it’s important to have an up-to-date CV should you need to get a job fast. Too many people think of job search as something that can be done in 2-3 hours a week, but if your time is as restricted as this you will have barely begun even after several months.
Keeping a daily log and monitoring your progress will help in your job search. Noting down what you have done each day, what you have learnt from it and what you are going to do next day will keep you on track.
Have you been unemployed for a long time?
Time to review your approach. If your house wasn’t selling, you would probably take it off the market, and put it back on sale a few weeks later as a new property, with maybe some rooms repainted, decluttered and more ‘kerb appeal’. Better to remove your CV from the different job boards, go through the activities in this book and start afresh in a few weeks. Think about what else you can add to your CV; volunteer to do the work you seek for a voluntary organisation. Look to what short courses could enhance your skills etc.
Day 1: How are you feeling?
It can be quite scary looking for a new job, particularly if it’s a long time since you last looked for one or you have yet to get a first job.
Action: Take 5 minutes to make a note of how you are feeling right now.
You may have used words describing your concern over the future, and how you feel right now – angry, resentful, bitter etc. but also, whilst perhaps a bit concerned and unsure, you may be excited; this might be the prod you need to start working for yourself or to do something new.
Many of us are in jobs that we don’t really like – we find them boring, we have a boss who creates too many problems, we don’t feel we are paid enough for what we do. So, particularly if you have got a reasonable redundancy payout, this may give you the impetus to do something you actually want to do.
We can’t ignore our feelings and of course it’s ok to feel disappointed, concerned, etc. But to be successful in job search, we also need to set these feelings to one side, or they will keep popping up as we apply for jobs and at interview. Continuing to feel bitter about what’s happened won’t help us perform well, and an interviewer will pick up on negative feelings.
So aim to concentrate on the positive.
Action: List three things you are grateful for. You can then refer back to this when things appear difficult.
You may have included your family, your health, friendships and your ability to learn new things. These positive things will help you as you progress in your job search.
Practical steps
You also need to take practical actions. If you are not in work, you need to get on with relevant activities each day. This includes spending a minimum of 4 hours a day (on average) with effective job search activity. Other things you could do during the remainder of the day include voluntary work, exercise (could be a brisk walk each day) and developing your skills, such as learning to use Excel.
You may need a reason to get out of bed each day, and if you are feeling a bit low and despondent, having a preset schedule will be helpful.
Offering your skills to a voluntary organisation for one day a week can allow you to have meaning and structure to a day, work in a team environment, use and develop skills, and will be useful to include on your CV and to discuss at interview. You won’t have just sat back and waited for a job. You might make some useful contacts as well!
Richard told me about the transferable skills he gained from voluntary work with the Citizens Advice Bureau which he hadn’t anticipated, such as how to understand a situation and clarify problems in a quick and timely manner, control and direct meetings yet be courteous and emphatic, and how to deliver unpopular news.
If you are unemployed, register at the job centre – you can do this online or by phoning 0800 055 66 88. When you call you will need to have your National Insurance number, and details of your rent/mortgage
