Fight the job hunt blues – try these tips
There it is, the last straw – you’ve sent out a thousand CVs by post, 10,000 by email, a few tear-stained covering letters, made more visits to the Jobcentre than someone who actually works there and still, stlll, you can’t get a job.
Maybe it’s time to pack it all in. Settle down to a lifetime of afternoon television. Withstand Jeremy Kyle forever bellowing at you as you tuck into your eighth Pot Noodle of the day.
When that last straw snaps, don’t subject yourself to Jeremy Kyle – find a new angle, a new grift to tackle the job hunt from a fresh perspective. That’s why we’ve come up with a few tips for you. Have a look at our list before that last straw breaks.
Push your limits
As the job hunt wears on like a heavily administrative version of Waiting for Godot, you’ll probably have a fair bit of time on your hands. Use it wisely and well – study for something to give your CV extra pizzazz.
Unless you’re shooting for a specific field, try a catch-all course like BA Marketing for transferable skills that will work in almost any environment. And if you’re worried about the cost, have a gander at organisations offering bursaries and grants to budding applicants.
Just make sure you choose the right university for the job – try open days, graduate reviews and tours of the area before jumping straight in.
Tailor your job hunts
You know what an employer hates when they look at a CV? Loads of useless info with the personality of a flannel.
It’s tempting to fill your job application with more experience than a 100-year-old raconteur, but no employer is interested in the paper round you had when you were 14.
Instead, tailor your employment past and qualifications to suit the job you’re applying for. This’ll make you look focussed, like every move on the chessboard of career trajectories was aimed at this one specific job. A purposeful, taut CV looks all the more appealing to an employer, so make your words count.
Get yourself connected
You might have seen them at parties – the type of smooth-talking, schmoozing, whip-smart businessperson who asks for a job and somehow manages to get a management position and their own private holiday home in Aruba.
You have to become one of them. Head to networking events in your local area, don your best interview clothes and casually make connections to lead you to the ideal position.
In the good ol’ world of the net, hit up LinkedIn, the business oriented social networking site, and make your profile look like an employer’s dream. With the right connections, you’ll find the best
