Get Hired UK: Your guide to landing your next role

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Welcome to the first edition of Get Hired UK, a new monthly newsletter from LinkedIn News. Get Hired UK will be a source of news and advice for anyone looking to find a new job, move roles or progress in their career. We’ll be highlighting firms looking to hire, sharing tips from experts in a range of sectors and looking at the bigger picture for the UK jobs market.

In the first edition, we're also putting the spotlight on the Grad's Guide to Getting Hired, a special feature using LinkedIn data to explore the state of the labour market for those starting out in their careers. See which sectors are hiring the most entry-level positions, find out the fastest growing roles and discover which skills are most in-demand. Read the full feature here.

Career experts and recruiters have also shared their advice for those starting out in their careers – and the positive signs they’re seeing in the jobs market. From treating the job hunt like a role in itself to using every opportunity as a learning experience, leaders in the industry have shared their top tips.

The big picture

As coronavirus restrictions have gradually started to ease across the UK, there are signs of economic recovery. Job vacancies are rising at their fastest rate in decades and LinkedIn’s hiring rate data shows that by mid-to-late May, hiring was significantly up on the same period in 2019.

According to the ONS, the number of employees on payroll rose strongly in April and job vacancies are recovering, particularly in hospitality and entertainment. “All the pointers say now is a good time to be looking for work,” Carmen Watson, chair of recruitment agency Pertemps, tells LinkedIn. “In fact, getting candidates is the most difficult part for employers.”

Vacancies in some sectors, such as IT and hospitality, are so high that experts have warned of skills shortages. The hospitality sector in particular has said it faces a staffing shortfall, partly due to people leaving the UK during the pandemic and also because people found new jobs during the lockdown. To plug the gap, trade body UK Hospitality has partnered with the Department for Work and? Pensions to promote roles.

Elsewhere, logistics and e-commerce continue to thrive as shopping habits shift and technology roles are on the rise across a range of industries, including the growing field of safety tech, with more than half of roles outside London, according to government analysis.

Who’s Hiring in the UK?

Wendy’s and Domino’s are among the many employers in the food and beverage sector on a hiring spree, the former with plans to open 400 restaurants and create 12,000 jobs. Domino’s is looking to fill 5,000 roles, with over 1,000 places via the Kickstart scheme that offers young people on-the-job training.

BT Openreach plans to create up to 7,000 jobs as it rolls out fibre broadband, with many engineering roles. It is also hiring in customer service and cybersecurity across the UK and plans to take on nearly 3,000 apprentices in 2021.

Indian IT firm Infosys plans to create 1,000 new roles in the UK in the next three years, both for grads and experienced professionals in areas including cloud computing, AI, open-source tech and enterprise services.

Employers including Pinewood and Patch Plants will be recruiting at the LinkedIn Jobs Shed, taking place in London on 15 and 16 June. There will also be career advice, talks and a chance to get a professional head shot. Find out more and book here.

Tips and tricks

“Who has been your best hire and why?” Asking questions at a job interview is your chance to find out how a company really works. Hiring managers share the best questions they've heard, and how it shaped their hiring decisions.

Milestone events or life changes can often prompt a career rethink: should you take the leap and switch paths? Those who've done it say you should first assess what you're seeking – whether compensation or culture change – and remember, many skills “can always be taught.”

For many people, working remotely has helped establish a new work-life balance. So, how can you maintain flexibility with a return to the workplace on the horizon? To make a convincing case for remote work, reflect on what you want and why, start the conversation with your manager and be prepared to compromise.

Riva Gold, Emma Hudson and Andrew Seaman contributed to this article.