We lead such busy lives, and searching for a new job can take up so much time that we feel we can’t fit it in. We work 9 – 5 already, and I have to have a social life. So how can I find a new job while I am still in this one? Well you can, it just takes a bit of organising and discipline that’s all. Let Recruitment Avenue talk you through some steps you can take to get your job search started.
Only got 5-10 minutes free?
5 – 10 minutes is the most common amount of time we waste. If we have a spare 5 minutes we tend to waste them. It’s not long enough to start a new task or do anything productive so we tend to waste these moments waiting for our next thing. It does take a little commitment, but if you start to use these moments wisely it isn’t long until our wasteful 10 minutes become productive and it is second nature to get things done.
How long does it take to do a quick search of the jobs boards? Well if you use one of the many apps available for phones it don’t take too long at all. So go to one of your favourite job board sites and see if they have an app (which most do) and download it to your phone. Get the app set up with your details and your search terms. Now when you have just 5 minutes or so you can open the app and see if anything new has been posted, instead of playing Candy Crush or a time consuming farm game!
Top Tip: If you are using an app to search job boards, on most you can sort the job listing by posting date/time. By doing this, when you have a quick check of the new jobs, they are in order of posting and showing the newest jobs first. This cuts down looking over old jobs you have seen already. It’s a great way to keep on top of new postings.
Just an hour to spare?
We all have the odd hour spare after work and before dinner. Or that last hour before you go to bed. We easily fill these time slots with useless activities such as checking our social media or reading emails. Most of us use this time to catch up on crap TV that we have missed. But if you are searching for a new job, our priorities have to change and we need use these blocks of time to help that search.
Ok, so we can’t re write our CV or compose a great cover letter. However an hour is plenty of time to get online and read news that’s related to the industry you are in. Or to jump on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter and network. Companies use referrals all the time to fill positions, so it’s wise to network when you can with people who work in companies you are interested in. It’s important to share info and comment on discussions others are having about work related issues. You may come across recruiters or hiring managers who you can make an impression on. Who knows who you will come in to contact with?
Top Tip: Staying up to date on industry news is a very important part of staying current in your industry. It can prove to be useful when you go for interviews also. So stay on top and read well – it only takes an hour now and then.
Lazy and rainy Sundays are great for job searches
Living in England we are no strangers to rainy days that going out the house don’t bare thinking about. So we all have these days we do nothing, and yeah it’s great to waste a day doing nothing, but if you are serious about getting a new job then you need to take days like these and make them a productive day and invest some time on the more time consuming aspects of the job search. So get your CV out and update it, improve it and work to make it the best it can be.
Write great cover letters, have a few drafts written up that you can use depending on the job you are going for and they type of impression you want to make. We all know how important a cover letter can be, so make the most of yours and make it something that someone wants to read. Go online and find tips and examples of great cover letters.
You can find such information at RecruitmentAvenue.com – Cover letter tips Click Here and CV writing Click Here.
Applications can take some time to get perfect. You want to answer all questions as well as possible and so you need to take some time to think about your answers and impress the hiring manager. So this is a great time to get thinking about your answers, and get them ready to send. Believe it or not, but studies have shown that Monday is the best day of the week to submit applications, so by getting yours done on a Sunday you are ready to be one of the Monday morning applicants.
We all have a lunch break
Lunch breaks are great for getting small jobs done, such as posting to any professional social channels you use. Read up on industry news, or have a browse of the job boards.
It’s tempting to arrange phone interviews or face to face meetings if you are close enough, but this can be risky. How often is your lunch break delayed, or a meeting over runs. The last thing you want is to be a no show to a prospective employer. Or have your phone vibrating during a meeting with a recruiter waiting to speak to you.
It is always a better idea to take a day off or finish work early than to use lunch breaks. If you have the day off you know you have plenty of prep time for an interview and you don’t run the risk of seeming tardy or rushed. The interviewer knows you are in employment and will understand you have commitments.
Job searching can be a very time consuming activity, but broken down into smaller chunks of tasks, you can fit it in around your daily routine. Time management is a great skill to have, and this a great way to put it to practise. Work out what tasks you have to accomplish, and fit them into the right time. Don’t try and take a task that takes an hour and squash it into a 20 minute break.