Four Steps to a New Job
1 Update and Organize your CV
What have you done? Look at how your job or responsibilities have changed over the last year. This includes those all-important (but easy to overlook) transferrable skills. All the skills and experiences you acquired may be useful in your new CV. Did you take a sabbatical, did you run a charity campaign, did you learn a language, and were you given new responsibilities at work? Analyse all of these things and highlight them in your new CV – especially if they show career development and ambition.
REMOVING/KEEPING CONTENT
You CV should be concise and compelling. It is there to make employers want to meet you; to get another look at you. We all know how recruiters and employers only spend a few seconds scanning a pile of CVs so the first thing that has to go is waffle. Get rid of anything that doesn't have a direct bearing on the jobs you are seeking or which doesn't tell the reader something about you and your qualities. Equally importantly. Don't be sentimental about keeping the old material.
Sometimes you have to let something go which you think is good. The guide here is to ask yourself “is this good ‘thing' really relevant to the job or career I am going for?” In other words try to keep your CV relevant at all times.
You only have so much room on a CV – usually it's one or two very well-written, compelling pages. Everything on there needs to be tightly edited and earn its place on your CV. Obviously, if you only have a few skills and experiences you have to ‘point them up' but avoid repetition as this looks clumsy and desperate.
LAYOUT
You've got the content and you've edited your words carefully to make them interesting and powerful. So what about layout? A poorly laid out CV, with information is a visual turn-off. Not only that but having a poor layout means that your reader has to go looking for information about you. So no matter how good your story, your CV is hard to read and takes time to digest - time which, unfortunately, most employers won't take.
If you are unsure how to layout a CV, take a look at some of Monster's CV templates which can really help you get your information in order. Remember, Monster also has cover letter templates which show you in a few clear words how to write the perfect cover letter to accompany your CV.
TIME FOR A TEST DRIVE
Send your CV to some friends, colleagues or even old college tutors
for some brutally honest feedback. Try and segment it into
categories and see what worked and what didn’t.
• Did it grab you?
• Was it interesting?
• Did it take too long to get to the point?
• Was the information easy to read?
• Was the information relevant?
• Did your CV reflect your best points?
• What was the tone of the CV - confident/over confident/arrogant?
2. Plan your Job Search
PLAN LIKE A PROJECT
If you want your job search to be successful you should treat it as
a project. The key elements of successful projects are:
Setting goals - Detail the job, the company, the location, the
salary, the working hours or anything else that might be important
to you.
Setting schedules - It's impossible to know exactly how long your
job search is going to take, but you certainly don't want it to last
forever. Set a few milestones, such as having your CV completed
within one week, having contacted ten recruitment agents within
two weeks and having been to five job interviews within a month.
Gathering resources - You're not going to need many resources
to conduct a job search, but you will need some. Regular access
to the Internet to check responses to applications is one.
Acting quickly - if you see a vacancy you want, don't sit twiddling
your thumbs, get your application over to them Obviously don't skip
the important step of tailoring and your CV.
Adjusting often - if your job search isn't going to plan, don't just
keep knocking on the same old doors. Be prepared to switch
strategies and try different avenues towards employment.
MAKE A CHECK-LIST HELPFUL LINKS
• Why do I want a job?
• What type of company do I want to work for?
• Where will the jobs I want be advertised?
• Do I have the skills I need to do the job I want?
EXPLORE ADDITIONAL AVENUES
As well as uploading your CV and conducting and online job search,
be prepared to cast your net further to attract the widest audience
possible.
Attending career fairs is an efficient investment of time and effort
during your job search because you can directly approach a great
number of employers in one day, handing out your CV to company
representatives .
If the companies you're targeting aren't at the fairs, don't worry, get
in touch with them directly to make a prospective application. Find
out the name of the hiring manager and get in touch with them
directly, explaining why you think you're worth a chance at their
company.
PATIENCE WITH A DOSE OF PERSISTENCE
It's easy to get discouraged if you don't get interviews right away
but it's important to remain positive.
Keep track of all your applications, all your contacts and all your
communications so you know at the drop of a hat exactly where
you are with each. If you don’t hear back after a week, ask them
how the process is coming along and if you can provide any more
information that would help them make a decision.
Often in life, opportunities, like buses, all come along at the same
time. You may find that two or even three openings will come your
way after a period of getting no responses at all.
3. Interview Prep
ONLINE SEARCH
The company’s website is the best place to start. It shows the
company as it would like to be seen and the products and services
they offer. You’ll get a feel for the corporate style, culture and tone
of voice. Check out the annual report and look for a press or
company news page.
As you filter all this information, consider how the role you’re
applying for relates to the company’s mission. You may also be able
to use the site’s search facility to discover more about the person or
people who will be interviewing you.
INDUSTRY SOURCES
It’s not just information about the company you need – you should
also have a good background knowledge of the industry so you can
impress at the interview. Browse through business publications and
websites to see what they are writing about your potential employer
and their industry. Go through top stories by market trends on sites
like BBC and the Guardian. Google News is also excellent at
aggregating multiple sources to bring you relevant stories.
If you’re already in the same industry as your potential employer, it
may be possible to discreetly ask colleagues or your suppliers if they
know anything about the company you’re interested in.
PREP TIME HELPFUL LINKS
This is the bit most people forget to give enough time to, so don’t
get caught out. Just like when you’re going into an exam, feel
confident that you can field any question they throw at you, and
try to feel as good about yourself as you can. It shines through.
Here are a few top tips:
• Have a mock interview with a friend
• Be sure you know the time, date, location and interviewer names
• Decide how you will get there and anticipate delays
• Prepare wardrobe the night before
• Take only the essentials with you
• Ready all CVs, certificates and references the night before
GRAB A HIGHLIGHTER
Sit down with your CV and make notes, just as if you were
preparing for an exam. Study your work record and what you have
achieved. How do you see yourself? What have you done? What
ambitions do you have? Make notes and prepare and rehearse
sound bites about yourself. Do this out loud, even if it makes you
feel weird.
Try to relate specific areas of your CV back to the job description. It
will make it clear to the interviewer why they should hire you.
Remember, one of the most common interview questions is “Tell
me about yourself.” Prepare a balanced and succinct answer to this
question, not a life history. Keep it business like and don’t stray into
personal feelings or family relationships. Avoid anything to do with
politics or religion like the plague.
4. In the Workplace
INTEGRATE INTO A NEW TEAM
After you've survived day one in a new job, you're next task is to
make sure you become a valuable member of the team.
Get off on the right foot and it's going to be peaches and cream -
foul it up and you could find yourself back on the job market sooner
than you thought. No newcomer is bigger than a happy and efficient
team, even if you came in with top billing and a salary to match. It's
your job to get on with them and fit into their way of working, not
the other way round.
GET TO KNOW THEM
It may be useful to try and get some information about your new
colleagues during the process of accepting a job offer. As ever,
information is power.
Try and find out how long each team member has been at the
company, what positions they've held, where they've worked in the
past and what are some of their interests. You never know, even
your higher ups could share your love for music and movies -
making that “click” instantaenous.
You may also want to know if there are any romantic links between
any members of the team so you don't put your foot in it.
Socialise and build your reputation without over-doing it. You’re still
the new guy and it will take some time for everyone to warm up to
you.
KNOW YOUR LIMITS HELPFUL LINKS
No one goes into a new job aiming to fail, but it's easy to make life
difficult for yourself if you don't keep an eye out for a few common
errors.
Top of the list is going in with too many expectations. Be realistic in
what you aim to achieve, especially in the early months, and don't
set yourself up for a fall. By the same token, if your new boss
expects unrealistic results from you, address the issue quickly
before it becomes a problem.
Don't be tempted to think you have all the answers. You may be
coming in to sort out a problem, but take your time to get to know
the operation properly first before making a snap judgement. You
also don’t want to come across as an arrogant “know-it-all”.
