Looking for work
A good way to get started is to think about how employers actually recruit new staff.
Here are the main ways employers fill vacancies.
-
Word of mouth or personal contacts
-
Hiring people who make ‘on spec’ applications
-
Adverts in national and local newspapers
-
Adverts on the internet
-
Adverts in Jobcentres or online through Job Seeker Direct
-
Advertising through employment agencies
-
Taking a stand at Job Fairs and Career Exhibitions
Here are a few tips to get you started..
Word of mouth or personal contacts
A good first step is to make everyone you know, family, friends and other contacts, aware that you’re looking for work, and what type of work you’d be interested in. Ask them to get in touch if they hear about anything that might interest you.
Take every chance you get to build up your own network of contacts. Go along to career and job fairs, or career exhibitions. And, remember to include your contacts from any work experience placements!
A third of small businesses say that ‘word of mouth’ is the most important way they find employees. And, 75% of jobs aren’t advertised.
Hiring people who contact them directly or ‘on spec’
You already know that employers won’t be beating a path to your door. So, try beating a path to theirs!
Contact local companies on the off chance that they might have a vacancy, even if they haven’t advertised. The Yellow Pages phone book is useful as companies are listed by industry. Focus on the type of company you are really interested in.
Try using the internet to find out about local companies. See www.yell.com, the Yellow Pages online.
After sending in your ‘on spec’ application, including your CV, you may hear nothing! Lots of companies won’t even acknowledge that they received it. So, one or two weeks after you’ve posted it try phoning them to check that it has reached the right person in the company. Don’t take it too much to heart if they aren’t interested, keep on going!
Advertising in national and local newspapers
All the main national newspapers carry job adverts, usually on the same day each week. Most of these adverts are for national and international companies, but in the case of the Scottish press, most of the jobs advertised will be located in Scotland.
Many national newspapers also have related recruitment sites, for example www.s1jobs.com (Herald, Sunday Herald and Evening Times).
Local daily and weekly newspapers also carry job adverts. Smaller companies in your local area will tend to use local newspapers. There are also some free publications that concentrate only on job vacancies.
Your local library will have copies of local and national newspapers.
Specialist magazines and trade journals can be a good source of vacancies if you are looking for work in a specific industry, trade or profession.
Advertising vacancies online
About 75% of companies, mainly larger employers, now recruit through their own ‘corporate’ website. This definitely applies to Scottish local authorities, so if you are interested in working for your local council, keep a close eye on their website.
And, about one in eight employers advertises vacancies on online recruitment sites.
There are thousands of different commercial recruitment sites. Some have information on all types of vacancies. Others focus on vacancies in specific industries or for specific groups of job seekers; for example there are lots of sites for graduates.
Here are some of the most popular general recruitment websites:
www.jobinscotland.com
www.jobsite.co.uk
www.monsterscotland.co.uk
www.s1jobs.com (Herald, Sunday Herald and Evening Times)
www.scotcareers.co.uk (Daily Record)
www.scottishjobs.com
There are also specific sites for Modern Apprenticeship recruitment, like the MappIT website at www.mappit.org.uk
Things to watch out for when using the internet to look for work:
First things first
1. Get access
If you don’t have internet access at home, find out where you can get free access. Try your local library, Careers Scotland Centre, Jobcentre Plus office or local economic initiative office. Even if they can’t give you free access they should be able to tell you who can.
Avoid going to internet cafes where you have to pay as you go. You need to be able to browse for as long as you like, and perhaps apply online, without being cut off because your money has run out.
2. Plan your search before you go online
Think before you surf; it saves time and energy! Write down:
-
the names of the jobs, or type of job, you are looking for
-
the industries you want to focus on
-
the level of job you want to go into (for example, junior, trainee, apprentice, technician)
-
the names of any specific companies you’d like to work for.
And, remember to keep track of your ‘favourites’.
Advertising through Jobcentres or Job Seeker Direct
This gets a special mention because it’s the most popular choice for many employers!
The Job Seeker Direct website handles around 400,000 vacancies in the UK each week. Check out the vacancies on the Jobseekers Direct website at http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk
Alternatively, you can use their telephone job-matching service, Job Seeker Direct, to find a job in your area (Tel: 0845 6060 234). You can also visit your local Jobcentre Plus office and use the Jobpoint touch screens to look for vacancies.
Advertising through employment agencies
Many employers use employment agencies, and not just for ‘temp’ work.
Some agencies specialise in recruiting for particular industries – for example, the catering industry or temporary office work. You can get yourself placed on their list of people they contact about vacancies. There should be no charge for this.
In some cases the agency might test you, for example to establish your typing speed and accuracy, before accepting you.
Once you have registered with an agency you should keep phoning them up or visiting them so that they keep you in mind.
Taking a stand at Job Fairs and Career Exhibitions
Careers Scotland, local authorities and other organisations run job fairs so that employers have the opportunity to promote jobs in their company or organisation. Look out for posters advertising these events and make the effort to go along if you can. At the very least, you might make more useful personal contacts!
|