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The key to successful job hunting |
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Since our fears turned into reality and the UK was plunged into recession, many of us have known someone of maybe have even ourselves, been made redundant. The unemployment rate is now at an all time high of 7.8% or 2.46 million people. In the last month of 2009, as we said goodbye to a turbulent decade, another 12,000 people became unemployed. Another depressing statistic for you is the number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance rose by a rather large 23,500 in January.
But strangely, the number of vacancies in the three months to January 2010 actually rose by 49,000 and job pages in papers and online looked much healthier. So what is going on?
Many recruiters and employers are now pushing part-time, shift and job-share employment. The part time employment figure in the last few months has risen by 25,000 to 7.67 million. These figures, along with an increase in the general underemployment rate mask much of the problem. So if you have lost your job, or if you are a recent graduate struggling to step onto the first rung of the career ladder thanks to the recession, then here are some things you might want to try.
Have your CV checked by a careers advisor. Just because it worked in the past, doesn’t mean your existing CV format should stay the same. A CV should highlight your achievements as well as your experience. It should not be overly wordy, but equally it should not read like a dry list of tasks.
You could also think about a career change. Where else your skills might be required? HR employees for instance, need management skills that you might have been gleaned through teaching. A great tool to help here is the Guardian’s CV Match on its jobs section. Not only can you find jobs for yourself using the website, but with CV Match, employers can find you. Take a look at the Guardian jobs section for more information.
If you are really struggling to find employment, particularly if your sector is saturated already, then you could consider retraining. There are many grants and loans on offer to learn something new and evidence of further study to acquire new skills looks a million times better than empty months without employment leaving gaps on your all important CV.
Finally, don’t give up. Keep searching, sign up to job alerts and register with recruitment agencies. Jobs don’t just fall in your lap, so be active in looking and you will find a job you actually enjoy waking up for.
12th March 2010 |
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