How To Get A Job

Looking for a job can often feel like a full time job in itself. Submitting application after application, tailoring your CV to each position, researching thoroughly, interviewing constantly and keeping track of responses is hard work but each of these steps are essential for successfully bagging yourself a job and developing your career.

Lots of youngsters will be anticipating their exam results this week and the prospect of job hunting will be all too familiar. The calibre of talent available in the market today is one of the main reasons it’s so hard to find, and get a job – the competition is vast and everyone is eager to impress and stand out from the crowd.

I know it can be disheartening being rejected at any stage of the application process and this fear of rejection is one of the most difficult things to overcome, however it’s important not to let this interrupt your drive and ambitions to succeed.

If you’re a job-seeker on the verge of giving up hope, stop and take a minute to reassess the situation. Give yourself the best possible chance and follow these steps;

Stand out from the crowd

This starts with your CV. A potential employer will see hundreds of CV’s for the same role and by the time he’s reached no.30 , it’s probably becoming a bit of a blur. To avoid getting this reaction, you need to do something different. This could be presented in a variety of different ways – if you’re applying for a creative role then perhaps you can illustrate this within your CV by making it interactive or even submitting a video application, or perhaps it’s in the delivery; hand delivered CV’s have always impressed me. Maybe it’s all in your cover letter; make the employer feel like they’re really getting to know you by adding personality and passion. Whatever you choose, make it different. Jazz it up and I guarantee you’ll grab their attention.

Tailor your application

This is a classic mistake I’ve witnessed time and time again. When you’re applying for several roles it’s easy to get lazy and send the same note to everyone – but this will be noticed straight away. Don’t just draft a generic note, tell them why you want this role, how you can add value and why you think you’d fit in with the team. As for your CV, make sure you maximise on your strengths and tailor these to the job role. I suggest printing out the job brief, highlighting the key aspects of the role and directly applying a skill to each. If you can show you have what it takes to do the job, do it well and add some personality in there, how can they say no?

Be persistent and don’t give up hope

A lot of people think once they’ve submitted the application, that’s it. They just wait until they get a yes or no. If this sounds like you then maybe this is where you’ve been going wrong.

Always, always, always follow up on an application. The day after you’ve submitted it, call them up and check they’ve received it, ask if they need anything else and when you should expect a response. This may sound pushy but it shows you really want it. It also shows character – you know what you want and you’re taking control of the situation.

Persistent candidates will always shine – even if that is due to your constant irritating emails!  

The important thing to remember is never give up hope. You can always tell when a candidate feels lost, as if they have nothing left to give. This is never a good thing and could be the reason you’re not successful.

Put all your energies into finding something you’re really passionate about and you really want to do and I promise you, you will get there. Some things just take time.

For more tips and advice to boost your career, check out my book Get The Job You Really Want.