New Career! So that is where I have been… Not on social media that’s for sure. If you have been wondering where I have been in the last month but actually feels like 4, then stay tuned. I have been sorting my own life out rather than scrolling endlessly, over the many images that is on Instagram. I have been trying and have succeeded in acing myself that new career, I’ve so desperately been trying to get. So how did I finally do it?
LOOK IN THE RIGHT PLACE
It can be really frustrating when you have been searching for your perfect or near perfect career but nothing seems to be in the right location or pays enough. The hours and days or nights aren’t enough or ideal. Looking for work in the right place means a lot. You will save yourself time by cutting out the stress of looking in the wrong place. Use the right tools, look for job sites with a good reputation . If you are willing to travel, set the search site to local and surrounding areas of so many miles. You never know what might pop up. I used INDEED they are a very popular job/career search site. Be sure to use a job search site with great reputation in your country. I have used Indeed in the past and have been successful in acing that job!
IS YOUR CV RELEVANT?
Well is it? To often many people will send off an old version of their CV. Be sure to update it with your last or current place of work. My last role whilst studying was cleaning for a primary school. I know almost most people will be embarrassed at sharing that fact. Because it is not seen to be ambitious, intellectual or a career. By all means we all know why we end up doing certain jobs in life. But what is important, is making that job relevant to the job or career you are applying to. How do your skills, qualifications and responsibilities match up? Dress it up a little, make yourself stand out.
SHOULD YOU USE RECRUITMENT AGENCIES?
This is a very sore spot for me and will continue to be so. I have never found a job through a recruitment company nor have I ever found them to be helpful. I have only ever received negative feed back, in the sense that they call you up after finding your CV online (if you have left the option open for recruiters to find your CV and maybe approach you) And they will approach you, to put you on their books or offer you other work you are not interested in. Again this is totally 100 percent my experience. Without trying to sound too much like an advert, “Your experience may be different”. Too many times I have spent ages on the phone with a recruiter. Building my anticipation of being put forward for a job. To then being invited for a meeting with the recruiter to log my details for future roles. It turns out they didn’t have anything at the time and wanted to have put me down for their temporary roles… Even though we just had an hour long meeting about me being interested in full time work. So applying for your jobs through a recruiter is entirely up to you. Just be sure to do your research before reaching out to them. If they have called you, as excited as you may be, be sure to ASK them if they actually have anything and if they match what YOUR looking for. Because after all this job hunting goes both ways!
SHOULD YOU ATTACH THAT BLOODY COVER LETTER?
Yes and no. Confused. Don’t be. No, If they did not ask for one, because as well as looking for a job. Researching about the company before creating a covering letter, takes a lot of time and effort. If a company has not requested a cover letter. It is probably most likely they just want CVs or they don’t have time to read every cover letter. If you do send one then it is an extra bonus, which still isn’t a bad thing. If they do ask for one then hell YES send that cover letter first class or set importance as high if you can, you want your email to be seen above the competition!
Here is a fun fact from my new employer. Over 400 hundred candidates applied for my role and less than 100 sent covering letters, which was requested in the job advertised. But even less in that 100 mentioned why they were interested in the role and what they currently knew about the company they were applying for. Insane and lucky me. I always said to my mum, I thought it was my cover letter that was the icing or cherry on the cake.
DRESS TO IMPRESS
Or the very least for the job in which you applied e.g. if it is corporate, don’t go casual smart. Alternatively don’t over dress e.g. looking too Boss. It could do the complete opposite of you acing the job. They may think your are to upkeep or ambitions and maybe won’t fit in with the others personality wise.
Be clean, no creases. Smell fresh and don’t over do it with the perfume or Aftershave. If you think it will rain take an umbrella. Don’t turn up looking like a drenched, smelling damp Rat.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Sometimes acing that jobs really is down to “It’s not what you know but who you know”! I did not really understand what that meant after I finished school. But it really is the truth, it is about networking as well as educating yourself. Educating yourself makes you more marketable and boost yourself esteem and confidence. Remember knowledge is power!
If you are self employed congratulations, you are your own Boss. If you are currently looking for work, GOOD LUCK! You’re still a Boss!
Have you read my last post?
