Tips for job hunting in the new year.

As I've spent the last 5 weeks frantically searching and applying for jobs, I'd like to share my insight with you. I hope you'll find it useful, or pass it on to someone who may find it so.

I'm sure we all know how tough January is even with a job. Christmas has left the bank running on low, it's dark and cold, everyone has that extra week, or two, until payday and moods are generally lower than usual. Which is weird, isn't it? We have a new year, new start and plenty of people are working on new year's resolutions.

Thankfully, I have had a positive start to the new year and I hope you have too!

So... my tips for job hunting in the new year...

Look after yourself

It is so easy to feel stressed, inadequate or many other negative feelings when you're out of work. Don't. The job market is competitive these days and many employers have unrealistic expectations. Eat your 5-a-day and don't binge on junk food. If you're out of work, you have plenty of time to cook nice meals (see this as a huge bonus for yourself, and your body.) Swim, walk, run or workout at home each morning. Even if it is just for 15 minutes! It really puts me in a better mood.

Network. 

Networking can be really tricky when you are employed as it is time consuming and often means making plans for coffee or to attend a conference, lecture or something similar. When you're looking for a job, people tend to make more time for you. They're more sympathetic. Whereas when you're in employment, your motivation for connecting may be seen as purely selfish (even though that's often what networking is, right?).

So, take the time to update your LinkedIn, Twitter and other online profiles you may have. Connect with people within your field(s) of expertise and send them a personalised message as to why you would like to connect. For example:

Hi X, thanks for connecting with me! I wanted to connect due to your experiences with X and thought you might be able to offer some advice in the future because (insert your reason here).

Hope your week is going well.

Claire

Post articles or tweets about what you’re looking for, share your own experiences or ideas or just leave comments on posts you find interesting. This will generate more ‘traffic’ to your page and get your name out there. 

Keep your search focussed

This is a tricky one because when you’re unemployed you feel as if you would literally accept any job thrown your way, and sometimes you might have to. I completely understand that. As an English as a Foreign Language teacher, November to March is a fairly quiet season in the UK and finding a job can be difficult and extremely depressing. 

My advice is to ensure your CV is up to date, with all of your relevant jobs and volunteer work, and any projects you may have worked on outside of your previous roles. If you've been working as a teacher for 5 years, it won't be relevant to include your Saturday bar job from 10 years ago, but if you have worked in a cafe on Saturdays whilst teaching during the week, this shows commitment and the ability to manage your time (hopefully).

I would also recommend making a list of the jobs you want to do, ones you would consider, and the ones you do not want to do. Widen your geographical search area slightly (you may have to commute for a while). Focus on the ‘want’ list and apply for those first, followed by the ‘considered’ jobs. Avoid the ‘do not want’ list for as long as possible, because working in one of these roles may trap you and leave you feeling even worse than you did when you were unemployed.

Research your field (the latest trends, discoveries, practices, and so on) so you widen your knowledge for cover letters, and hopefully interviews.

For example, my lists looked like this:

Want:

EFL teacher

ESL teacher

ESOL tutor

EAP tutor

English teacher

English cover teacher

Would consider:

Cover teacher

Barista

Content writer / editor

Social media assistant

Would not consider:

Bar staff

Shop assistant

Nursery / creche assistant

Call centre

And after 4 weeks of having no interviews I did start applying for bar staff and call centre roles because I knew I was running out of options, and money.

Create a document of expenses

This part isn’t great, as you’re constantly reminded that your outgoings are increasing and your incomings are almost at 0. However, it is really important that you know exactly what you have to pay for in terms of bills, food shopping and other small things. For me, I have recently moved house and we need so many little things, but we can’t yet afford, so the list keeps me on track. It also helps those around you see that you’re not being frivolous, especially if you’re going to ask for financial help from someone such as a partner or your parents.

Stay positive

This is a given for life in general, isn’t it? And it links to tip number one. But I cannot stress this point enough because the more negative you allow yourself to feel, the more this will have an impact on everything you do. It will affect your sleep and general mood, which will slow your mind down, bring dark circles around your eyes and distort your appetite, which will again show. 

If you turn up to an interview looking tired, an employer may misinterpret this for a hangover or lack of interest, whereas if you turn up bright-eyed and pleasant you will give off a far more positive impression.

The same goes for keeping your mind alert. If you’re struggling to focus on cover letters, application forms or speaking professionally over the phone it will be far more obvious than you think.

Maintaining your self-confidence this will put you in a better position to network, leave positive impressions and, hopefully, land you the job you want! 

If you are struggling to stay positive, here are some things that might be worth thinking about:

• You have ‘free’ time to read, exercise more, cook new dishes, see friends / meet new people, learn a language, work on your blog / social media presence or just chill out a bit more (No, I don’t mean be lazy. Relax, but still be productive).
• This could be time for a change in your life. Either by changing career paths, enrolling on a new course (which may be tricky if you don’t have savings) or trying something new.
• If you believe in ‘external’ forces such as God, karma or something else, you could use it as a sign that they have planned this for you. For me, I saw it as a ‘sign’ that I was in the wrong job / company and needed a change in order to further my career.
• You have time to watch the world go by. Enjoy nature, take in the sunsets or have breakfast whilst listening to the birds sing. Whatever it is that makes you happy, use this time to relish it!

I hope this article has been useful to you and if you have any comments, I’d love to hear them!

My 'rambling' blog post can be found here, where you can read about my personal highs and lows of job hunting in January.