With a new year now upon us, you may be starting to consider a fresh start in terms of your career path.
Searching for a new job can feel like a long road and it may be especially daunting if the Covid-19 pandemic has influenced your employment status.
If you are thinking of making it a year of change, or if you have found yourself out of employment, we have compiled our 8 best creative job hunting tips below for you.
1. Know your career goals
Before you even begin to look for a new job or career, it is a sensible idea to set yourself some goals. Identifying the type of career you would like to pursue will give you a clear aim and narrow down your search for a new job.
Not having a career goal may also appear indecisive to employers and lead to you being placed in a role that is not the best fit for you so it is worth having some sort of plan of action in place.
There are a number of different goals you could set yourself. These may vary from the salary you would like to earn, job satisfaction, job title or the responsibilities you would like to fall within your role. Generally these three things are linked, but knowing which is most important to you can help when looking for a new job.
For example, if job satisfaction is the biggest motivating factor for you and you work in the Housing sector, a Homelessness Officer role might be perfect for you. This job would give you the responsibility of making a huge difference to the lives of homeless people and it is likely to give you great job satisfaction.
2. Change how you search for jobs
Whilst using job boards can be helpful, not all companies advertise vacancies on such platforms. Before beginning your search for a particular role, compile a list of companies that you would like to work for and check out their career pages. This is a great way to see all available vacancies that a company currently has.
Contacting agencies is also a sensible use of time, they may have jobs to check out that aren’t yet advertised on the usual job boards. Here at Spencer Clarke Group, we cover fourteen disciplines including Accountancy & Finance, Education & SEND and Health, Social Care & Housing.
Ask yourself if there are any professionals from a particular industry that you admire and reach out to them via LinkedIn. This platform is a great tool for connecting with industry professionals and sees 303 million active users monthly so you are bound to find people who could be helpful within your career.
3. Use social media to your advantage
You may think social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, are best kept for personal use; however, they also act as great search tools for job hunting. A simple search for a keyword such as ‘job’ or ‘career’ can lead to finding an employer looking to hire for their team.
Many companies also use social media to set up business pages and to post about job vacancies. If you have a particular company in mind that you would like to work for, giving their Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts a follow will allow you to keep an eye out for job listings.
4. Create a professional network
There are many ways to network when looking for a new job. LinkedIn is one of the most popular platforms for doing this but there is also no harm in thinking outside the box when it comes to making connections.
As reported by Techjury in November 2021, 80% of professionals believe that career success can be elevated through professional networking; speaking to people you already know, whether it be your next door neighbour or your nearest and dearest could also present you with opportunities. It only takes one person to know an employer who is recruiting for you to have a potential foot in the door.
Developing connections both interactively and in person is important and will broaden your professional network. Don’t be afraid to tell people you are looking for employment; even if they don’t have a direct connection, they may be able to offer some useful advice!
Now that industry events are back up and running, there are also plenty of opportunities to get yourself in front of hiring companies. If you’re not sure which way your career is heading, attending a careers fair might help to point you in the right direction.
Attending industry events is also a great way to speak to a particular company which you might be interested in joining – even if you aren’t able to meet with the hiring manager, speaking to other members within the company might give you further insight into the recruitment process at their company.
5. Present your CV in a creative way
If a hiring manager receives multiple applications for a single role, the hiring manager will potentially be looking for someone who stands out from the crowd.
The more impactful you make your CV, the more likely you are to secure an interview. However, whilst creativity can impress on some occasions, remember to keep your CV professional. Anything too gimmicky will set the wrong tone.
To increase your chances of progressing with an application, we would recommend you to tailor your CV to each company you apply to. When listing your strengths and skills, remember to elaborate on how these strengths and skills will benefit that particular employer.
Including a link on your CV to your LinkedIn profile and a portfolio of any relevant work will also help employers to find out more about your experience.
6. Time your job search strategically
Timing your job search strategically is also something to consider when looking for new employment.
Many people will begin the search for new employment in January; however, with more competition, it could be more difficult to secure an interview or employment.
Consider beating the January rush by searching for a job during quieter periods such as in December!
7. Sign up to a recruitment agency
If you have found yourself out of employment, signing up to a recruitment agency is one of the most productive things you could do.
It will take some of the pressure of searching for a new job off your hands as experienced recruiters will be able to best match you to positions which suit your skills and experience. Recruiters will be able to negotiate the terms and salary on your behalf to ensure that you have job satisfaction.
For recruitment agencies, new job opportunities can crop up by the hour so there is no need to disregard it as an avenue to explore if the perfect role isn’t available immediately.
Signing up to a recruitment agency also means that you are able to discover opportunities which aren’t advertised online. Recruiters have access to positions which don’t appear online or on job boards which means you could be one step ahead of the competition!
Using a recruitment agency is also a great way to gain insight into how the recruitment process works too. Recruiters are able to coach you on interview techniques and then provide valuable feedback after an interview has taken place.
8. Hone in on your transferable and soft skills
Whilst you may be qualified in one particular field, there are many soft skills that can be transferred across industries. By honing in on these and ensuring they are reflected on your CV, you could expand your job search into other industries.
If you have strong leadership skills, excel in problem-solving or you are a great communicator, be sure to make this clear on your CV.
Other soft skills include organisational skills, being a good listener and having good time management. These are the attributes that many employers look for, no matter what industry they specialise in.