You could be looking here for a customer service based role or perhaps you’re searching for job vacancies on Google, but make sure you’re able to answer these six questions before you start scheduling interviews…
1. What industry are you aiming for?
A new job role requires finding your feet within a new industry, but do you know which one you wish to work within? Have you always wanted to dip your toe into the world of publishing? Or try your hand at catering? What about education? Whatever industry you choose will impact upon the jobs you can apply for, and this usually means starting somewhere at the ‘bottom’ and working your way up.
2. Do you need any further qualifications?
For many career paths, further qualifications and certifications are required to prove you are competent and have the important knowledge required to hold the position. A chef, for example, requires a professional diploma while a dog walker will even do better if they have a CIDBT (Certificate in Pet Home Sitting and Dog Walking Skills) under their belt from the Pet Education Training & Behaviour Council of Great Britain. Look into what will improve your chance of securing a new role.
3. Will you need to move?
Sometimes a dream job may require moving away from your local area. Are you prepared for such a decision and will you take the risk should you need to?
4. What sort of hours and commute are you happy with?
For many of us, we have a set idea of how long we want to spend commuting either end of the day, as well as the hours we want to work. While we can’t necessarily dictate these, we can look for roles that fit our needs best. More and more offices are catching on to the concept of flexible working, allowing employees to work from home if necessary or being lenient when it comes to start and finish times so it is possible to find somewhere that achieves that perfect work/life balance.
5. Are you confident about your CV?
Has it been read by other people and checked for basic grammar and spelling errors? Do you feel like it features everything it needs to and are you able to amend it to suit each role you are applying for? Your CV should be strong, and you should have no doubts when handing it over. Here’s a guide of what not to include on yours, but there are so many other articles out there that can help, so do your research first.
6. Is there a better way of job searching?
Instead of sending your CV en masse by email, are there industry events you can attend or do you have contacts that can put you in touch with people hiring in roles you want? Look closer to home before printing off hundreds of CVs and consider networking instead or alongside your paper applications.
