Looking for that next job
 When I was made redundant I joined the hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people looking for work. It is not a pleasant experience hunting for a job in a market like this, and I had some very interesting experiences.
I also found myself coming across other people, usually at the start of their careers, looking for help, advice, support. What I ended up doing was putting together a brain dump of links, tips and other bits and bobs that have come past my desk or that I've used. I've tidied it up a little, not much, for your viewing pleasure....
First up is to get a good CV together. I invested some cash in getting a professional CV put together by JL Career Solutions. There are other companies around, but be aware of the "we'll review your CV for free" brigade. No matter how good your CV they will recommend you change it for a not-so-small fee. In my case my CV cost a third of the price being charged by "review" services.
Once you've got that you need to get it out and about. The starting point is the general job boards, some of which I've listed below. All of these sites have profiles that you can set up to make applying for jobs that much easier, so get on them, get the CV set up and start searching. You can also set up "alerts" that scan their database of vacancies and tell you when possible roles pop up.
Monster is the granddaddy of the jobsites (pretty much);
Fish 4 Jobs is a general job board. This tends to have more of the entry level type roles going;
Reed.co.uk claims to be the largest job board in the UK with a good mix of jobs in there;
Total Jobs has a reasonable mix of roles;
Jobsite is another one.
Get on them, set up a profile and start taking a look at what's going on.
It might also be worth getting on to Linkedin. This is more like Facebook for grown-ups, so keep it professional and work oriented (it is a business site). Try and find former workmates, bosses, employers, teachers and ask them to recommend you. This is like building up online references that you can point employers to.
The way to work with the job boards and LinkedIn is not only to look at the jobs that are being offered, but also to make contact with the recruitment agencies. So when you see a job come up that you like the look of but is a couple of levels up from you, or not quite what you're looking for, send a speculative eMail to the agency from their website, including a copy of your CV. It is important that you use the agency's website as if you send a speculative eMail in directly reply to an advertised opening the chances are it will be deleted.
Checking out the local agencies is also worth doing as sometimes smaller firms feel more comfortable recruiting from local businesses. You may be required to register with them by visiting their offices, and if you keep your eyes and ears open you can pick up useful tips on how to present yourself. In fact the better ones may even help you prepare for interviews.
Once you are with an agency don't think the work ends there. Keep in touch with them. Scan their advertised positions and ask if there are other roles coming up that you might be considered for (or even suggest how you could help one of their clients in a role that isn't being advertised). If something happens that you think they should know about - such as being published in someone else's blog or newsletter, or passing a course - let them know. But do stay on top of this. Just because you're registered with an agency doesn't mean they're going to be looking for a job for you. Chances are they're scanning keywords on your CV to produce matches, so you need to keep your wits about you.
There's also no harm in putting together a CV and covering letter, printing a few dozen copies and pounding the streets looking for work (seriously!) Rock up to a business, ask who looks after HR, write their name on the envelope (and after Dear) on the letter, then hand it over. You never know your luck!
Above all you need to maintain a sense of humour about this. It is very easy to become disheartened after the first couple of rejections, depressed even, but you must keep going. Treat every opportunity as a chance to shine and attack it as if you really want the job.
If you've got any ideas, links, things that you've done that worked for you or you just need a bit of help get in touch.
Previously on this blog...
the global leader in Contact Center Consolidation 2.0
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A dozen beautiful images of Saturn
Wired presents a dozen of the best images from the Cassini mission
Setting up shop in a new country: beyond the website
Building a website for multiple languages is not just about translation. It is a critical business decision that has to be taken carefully.
Why call centre staff deserve your respect
If call centre staff set the first impression for your business, why do we treat them so badly?
Becoming a Specialist? A hard decision to make ...
Specialising requires hard strategic decisions to be made about your business.
When good people move on
Losing a member of staff to another company is not necessarily a bad thing
The quest for quality in Agile Software Development
Why quality assurance remains a central part of project management, regardless of the use of Agile methods
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