Job hunting tips

Job hunting can be a job in itself and it’s not made any easier by the vague job adverts that recruiters tend to use. Though there are good reasons for this, it can make it difficult for you when applying for positions. Here are a few job hunting tips that may help you along the way.

Where to look

Although some major newspapers still have fairly active careers sections, it’s a dying market and most employers will go straight to a recruitment agency such as ourselves or they will advertise on-line or in trade magazines (on-line and/or traditional print). The Job Centre is another resource, but typically, in our experience it’s not one that yields much in the way of results for professional, business-to-business, sales roles.

Another resource available is to register your CV with the various on-line job boards. The idea being that recruiters and companies will come to you after seeing your CV. Unfortunately we have yet to find a job board that does a good job of properly categorising professional sales roles or caters to positions that have flexible geographic locations, but it’s still a useful resource that’s available to you.

If you have defined background in one particular vertical market, many recruiters, including ourselves would be interested in registering you “on-spec” so that we have your details ready to consider when a suitable position comes up.

Adopt a targeted approach

Before you start applying for jobs you need to decide what you want to do and what you can offer. Many people adopt a “apply anyway” approach. This where they don’t have the skills or experience asked for in the advertisement but just apply anyway, on the off chance. To be honest it has a more damaging effect than if you adopted a more targeted approach to job hunting.

If recruiter see the same CV application coming in time and time again for completely unrelated jobs, they are likely to delete your application before even opening it. It’s a waste of your time and theirs. So, before applying for a position consider whether you actually have the skills and experience required.

Consider why you are applying

Many people apply for positions because of their personal circumstances at that particular time. For example someone who has been made redundant may decide to apply for positions that they are overqualified for, simply because they need a job. Needing a job isn’t a good reason for someone to consider employing you. If you take this approach you should be prepared to face a lot of rejection before successfully landing a role. Take a targeted approach and apply for the right jobs at the right level. If the vacancies aren’t there then pro-actively reach out to contacts within your industry where you can genuinely add value to their business.

Application do’s and don'ts

DON’T include a massive cover letter. A couple of paragraphs detailing why you should be considered for this particular job is fine but the person reading your application doesn’t have the time or inclination to read through a mountain of text before even getting to your CV

DO make sure that your CV is up to date and is in a document format that anyone can open. i.e. .rtf, doc, .docx, .txt or .pdf (though this isn’t recommended as its not editable).

DON’T pester the company with phone calls immediately after sending your application. Give them a chance to read it before following up.

DO follow up. If you don't, you could be forgotten about, or worse, you may not seem as serious about your willingness to move than someone else who took the trouble to follow up...

DO consider why you are right for the job and what you can bring to the table. If you can’t explain why you should be hired in the context of how it will benefit the employer, you won’t be hired!

DON’T apply for positions that you have no chance or getting. If you don’t have the skills, qualifications or experience that the employer is asking for, you won’t get an interview and it will damage your credibility.