TIPS AND HELPFUL ADVICE
Top tips on managing the job seeking process after redundancy
1. REMEMBER - Your job has been made redundant - not you. Try not to take it personally!
2. FEELINGS - You are likely to go through a range of emotions after redundancy (especially if you are now at home looking for work). These can range from anger, shock, distress, upset, to the feeling of 'what now'? Getting over these feelings can take time, and they may spring up at any time. These feelings can be likened to going through bereavement, especially if you have been employed with the company for a long time. Do be aware of how you are feeling and remember they are a natural outpouring of emotion.
3. WHAT NEXT? Believe it or not redundancy could be a positive outcome for you although you may not feel like it now. This could be the ideal time to re-think your career path. Is there something you have always wanted to do, but have been unable to due to time or cash restrictions? Maybe re-training for a new career, starting your own business? Or going back to college. There are many organisations that can help you, such as your local library, Business Link, or your local college.
4. PLAN YOUR TIME EFFECTIVELY – If you do decide to look for a new job, make looking for a job your new full time job. It is tempting to sit in the garden and ponder about your job search – however, there are still jobs out there and you should plan your time during your day to look for one!
5. CV - Spend quality time on your CV. This is the only marketing tool you have and make sure it represents you to the best of your ability. Never lie on a CV as you will always get caught out, but do make sure you tailor your CV to each role you apply for!
6. FLEXIBILITY- Re-assess your priorities. There are roles out there but you may need to travel further afield or could be slightly less in salary. Don’t turn down an ideal role for the sake of a few thousand pounds or half and hours extra traveling.
7. NETWORKING – Don’t feel embarrassed that your job has been made redundant! In fact, shout it from the rooftops! One of the easiest ways to find work is by telling other people. Tell your hairdresser, local shop keepers, friends, neighbors and in-fact anyone you have a conversation with. Everyone has a network of friends and colleagues and you may be pleasantly surprised who they may know! Make use of social networking sites, such as Linked in and Face book. It is a cheaper option for a company to take a candidate through a referral rather than an agency; you could save the company thousands of pounds by being referred or applying directly.
8. AGENCIES – Do your research on the type of agency you register with. If you are a specialist in your field, register with specialist agencies. It is likely that you will find an agency to match your type of work if you search online. High street agencies are great for general roles, but beware, not every agency will register at present as they are at capacity with candidates. Try not to let this get you down!
9. JOB BOARDS – Gone are the days when you opened up the local paper to find pages of vacancies! Most agencies and employers post their jobs on the on-line job boards. You can set job alerts up with most Job Boards to send vacancies into your inbox. This is highly recommended – and you will have immediate access to new vacancies as they are posted. See below for a list of popular Job Boards.
10. DIY – (No not that sort!!). Get in the car or go on line to find out which companies are in your chosen geographical work area. You may want to approach councils also and chambers of commerce that have business directories available for anyone. Then apply directly to the companies. You never know what roles they are planning to release and your CV may just be the one they are looking for! Be brave about this, most companies would be happy to receive a CV if it stops them paying huge agency fees!
If you feel you need expert advice on any of the above tips - please contact us on 0845 459 8007 or email
enquiries@careerconfidence.co.uk
Job Boards
www.CVlibrary .co.uk
Remember there are many, many more job boards to search on, these are a few of the general and popular sites.
There is no such thing as a perfect CV!
This is true, the only perfect CV is one that will get you in front of an employer.
If you were sat in a room of 10 HR or Recruitment specialists they will all give you different views on CV’s. The advice given is our personal recommendation and the CV’s we create on your behalf, do what they should do….Get interviews.
A CV is often the first impression a prospective employer or Agency will receive; therefore it is of utmost importance that is it professional and well laid out.
CV Layout. What to put in and keep out?
- A CV should ideally be two pages but if it goes onto three don’t worry. You do not have to write Curriculum Vitae at the top – this is stating the obvious (and saves space).
- Your name should be in the header and address and contact details in the footer (again saving space).
- Never attach a photo unless asked to, you may think you could be a model, but it is immaterial and serves no purpose.
- Remember your CV should stand out from the crowd and if it is in a pile of CV’s waiting to be looked at, it should be concise and easy to read. Don’t try to make your CV look different or funky to stand out! This will put off prospective employers. White paper is best without any borders. Use a simple typeface and easy font. Try to keep the size between 10 and 12 points.
- Always start with a strong profile about yourself and your key attributes and skills, follow this with a short paragraph of your key achievements.
- Your CV should then jump straight to the employment history (unless you are a recent graduate – in which case your education should jump out on the front page).
- Give the company name and location – no address needed, and then a short summary of what the company does. Don’t assume everyone will know what the business does. Then put your dates and Job title (explaining a little about your role if necessary). If your job has been made redundant then mention this in the dates line.
- Briefly describe your main responsibilities, giving examples of what you achieved and how you performed, remember it is your success and achievements that will interest the company you are applying for. Aim to do this in bullet points as it is easier to read.
- Your CV should start with most recent job first and then work backwards.
On the second page you should put your Qualifications and training received. Your qualifications should always just be the highest you received. If you are a graduate and managed a GCSE in needlework then leave this off –no one will be interested! - Never mention your ethnic origin, date of birth, or marital status. It is irrelevant information and could be used for discrimination.
- Do make sure you put in about your hobbies and achievements. This could be a great conversation starter, but make sure you are entirely truthful. Make sure you can back up any statements for example if you put golf down as a hobby, be prepared to discuss your handicap and where you play. If reading is a hobby, be prepared to answer which are your favourite authors etc.
- You don’t need to list reference details, if the company is interested they will ask for them.
Do not create a one size fits all CV. - A CV is always a work in progress and it is good to amend your CV (whilst still remaining completely honest) for each role you apply. For example if you are an HR and Training specialist, and you are applying for a training role, then the training experience should be at the beginning of your CV in the profile and at the top of your job description, with the HR experience in the lower part of your job description.
If you are looking for professional CV advice – why not call or email us our CV Service