Resources to find those matching jobs

So you have decided what type of company you want to work for, what type of role and where. Now its time to find those jobs which match. You can use one of the sources below or a combination at the same time to assist your search.

Recruitment agencies

Registering with recruitment agencies will help you in two ways. Consultants not only match your skills to their existing vacancies, but also canvass registered candidates out to prospective employers. You can register with an agency at any time even if you don’t see a particular job which they are advertising, or send them your CV to apply for particular roles they have. Recruitment agencies are free to jobseekers and provide advice and guidance throughout the recruitment process, on writing your CV, interviews and offer negotiation. When deciding which recruitment agency to use, you should:

• check whether the agency is established and has a good reputation
• look at the quality and type of jobs on offer, do they match your needs
• consider if you need a specialist recruitment team which focus on your sector, this
may mean better links with businesses and understanding your needs
• ask how much effort your consultant will make to finding you a job, so you avoid agencies which will simply register and forget about you. Detailed job information, interview support and regular contact should be expected.

Press – newspapers and magazines

The press includes various options, from local dailies and weekly newspapers with job sections, to specialist journals and magazines which you can purchase or subscribe to, e.g. Marketing Week, The Grocer or Business Week. Many industry publications are subscription-based though employees or students/graduates can often take advantage of free or reduced rates.

Make sure you know when the local weekly paper and the specialist publication comes out each week. Remember most of these also have online listings which may make it easier for you to search, see below for online searching.

Online jobsites

Online job searching is fast becoming the most common way to locate what jobs are out there. Online job boards range from very general mass-market boards such as Monster.com, Jobsite and Fish4 jobs which cover a variety of sectors across the whole of the UK, to the more specific local boards, e.g. MyManchesterJobs, or trade and industry specialist boards, e.g. Simply Marketing Jobs, or The Caterer.

These sites have multiple facilities to ease your job search: the most commonly used are:

• advanced and tailored job search engine where you would type in keywords, salary, location and indusrty to locate relevant jobs
• job email alerts where you save your searched and the engines regularly send relevant jobs to your inbox
• CV upload , where you post your CV online for employers to see and they can contact you with their relevant jobs

New jobs come on daily, so it is worth regularly checking these once every few days when searching to find the latest jobs.

Company websites

The internet also gives a valuable insight into whether your top companies might be recruiting. Most companies have websites and many have careers sections within. If you visit the sites of your top 20 companies you might find that some of them have relevant roles which you can find out about, and sometimes can apply online. You can also learn the contact details of their careers team to approach to see if any jobs are upcoming, see below.

Remember when applying online to approach this as carefully as sending your CV, as once sent your information cannot be amended. Check the instructions on the website carefully. Make sure that if you are applying online you have sufficient time, as some forms may time out or cannot be saved halfway through.

Speculative applications to target companies

Speculative applications (direct introductory applications to non-recruiting companies) can uncover jobs which have not yet been advertised. Top tips for speculative applications;

• Send them directly to the correct right recruitment contact, not general admin/ careers inbox
• Take time to word the letter, stating clearly why you want to work for them and what skills are relevant to them
• One quick call to check receipt and follow up is good, any more is overkill and pestering
• Don’t be surprised if you get a no and be prepared not to receive a reply at all
• Ensure your covering letter clearly states the type of job you want to make it easy for the contact to see if something might be upcoming

Referrals

Check with your circle of contacts to see if anyone knows of firms which are recruiting, be it their own or something they have heard on the grapevine. Ask friends, colleagues, family and your wider network if their employers are recruiting. It might even be worth their while as many companies run referral schemes which financially reward employees who introduce successful candidates to their business.

Job centres

Similar to recruitment agencies these have many vacancies and careers advisers. There are far fewer senior or professional level opportunities advertised via this source as most companies use agencies or online first. If you are at the more junior stages of your career, these centres can be helpful and they a free resource available for use at any time.