Job Seeker Advice

Firstly let’s get you in the right frame of mind…

Looking for work takes a special type of person. It’s not about desperation anymore. Over 70% of all employees are looking for another job. Then there are the 10 million unemployed people looking for work too. In todays’ competitive employment market the smallest thing can put you ahead of the competition, some appear trivial but if two candidates perform equally well it could be that your shiny shoes, pressed shirt and tidy haircut pip you to the post.

Below, I would like to share with you some twenty years worth of recruitment experience, that’s an awful lot of interview debriefs I have taken and I hope you will find some tips and tricks that just maybe will make the difference when securing your next new role.

CV writing and interview preparation are big topics, so if you like what you read follow the links through to some more detailed guidance notes I have written.

The Basics

Ok, let’s start with the real basics and in my opinion the top 10 points to consider before you even start looking for a new role.

• If you don’t know where you’re going don’t be surprised if you never get there – I’m a logical chap, so start with mapping out what you like about your current job and what you would like to change and improve. A simple list will help you to quickly identify if it really is the right time to consider a move.
• Understand your motivations – If your change & improve list is getting lengthy, then the next thing to do is really pinpoint your key motivators to making a move. These should be your driving factors and often include things like – increasing your salary, reducing your commute to work, improving your work life balance, learning new skills or achieving a promotion. Having these key drivers mapped out in advance will really help you when are trying to make those tough decisions later down the road.
• Explore internal opportunities 1st – This may sound like strange advice from a recruiter, but before you pick up the phone to your chosen recruiter or spend hours rewriting your CV ask yourself a really important question – Can my current employer meet my requests? Yes, I really do think that speaking to your current boss before you start this process is so important. If you’re highly skilled, and a good employee, your current company will normally go someway to try and meet your requests and if done in the right way will have no negative effect on your long term career.
• Deal with the counter offer now, you know it’s coming – Think about and answer the counter offer question now. If you follow my earlier advice and your current boss says that he “is really sorry” but he “can’t meet your requests” then you know that a counter offer is just not an option for you at a later date. If by some miraculous U-turn when and if you do resign your current boss suddenly offers you everything he said wasn’t possible three weeks ago then alarm bells should be ringing. Let’s face it you don’t want to resign every time you would like a pay rise or promotion! For more advice read “Beware The Counter Offer” article in our recent tweet.
• Choose Wisely – Next choose your recruitment partner carefully. If you are a specialist then look to work with a specialist recruiter that understands your skills and the markets you are working in. There is nothing worse then (than not then) a generalist agent who doesn’t know even basic technical terms. Big is not always beautiful here and often the smaller boutique agencies have a real edge when it comes to technical expertise and market knowledge.
• Failing to plan is planning to fail – Make a plan to keep control of both your personal information and applications. Often working with just with one or two agents is the best way to start your job-hunt. Avoid posting your CV on public jobsites unless you want the world to know you are looking and are happy to receive calls from 10’s if not 100’s of different recruiters! Trust me this can become demanding and before you know it your job hunt is running away out of control.
• Honesty really is the best policy – Work to achieve a really honest relationship with your chosen recruiter. Let’s be honest they are here to help you, so if you don’t feel like you can trust them, and have an honest working relationship with them, it’s probably best to move on and select a different recruitment partner.
• Rome wasn’t built in a day – Look to spend time with your recruiter before hitting the big green “go” button. Talk them through your lists of “wants and desires” and make sure they understand both your motivations for making a career change and your precise requirements. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to be flexible but if we are to find you your perfect new career we need to know what that looks like 1st.
• Try not to avoid difficult questions – For example if you have fallen out with your current boss be honest with your recruiter and discuss how best to manage this information with prospective employers. No one likes nasty surprises certainly during your interview process.
• And finally enjoy yourself – Finding a new career and securing that challenge you have been longing for is an exciting moment. Let your recruiter take the stress out of your job-hunt. If you have chosen rightly he or she will be a professional and will almost certainly do a much better job of finding you a new role, at the right salary, than you would have on your own. Let’s be frank, if you wanted to design a new cloud solution or architect a bleeding edge data warehouse, you wouldn’t ask a recruiter to do it would you

“Honest, knowledgably and not afraid to give me difficult feedback, even when I didn’t necessarily agree. Stuart helped me through a very lengthy & demanding process to secure my 1st Directorship role. This was a real education for me from start to finish and I certainly would not be where I am today without the support of Stuart and his team.
Nick – Online Marketing Director – Jan 5 2010

Call us now on (+44) 207 099 1087 to discuss how our recruitment services will bring a breath of fresh air to your job hunt or contact us here