5 “old school” tips for the under 25’s job hunt

Recent figures have shown that youth unemployment is at an all time high within the UK. Several matters often stand in the way of a young persons’ job hunt. A lot of people nowadays focus their efforts entirely on the internet rather than embracing other methods alongside the world wide web. We’ve put together some old fashioned hints and tips to help encourage your job search…

1. Dedicate more time – Allowing a couple of hours a day looking through job boards whilst checking your Facebook and Twitter at the same time will not suffice. They say the process of finding a job should be the equivalent of having a full time job – so make sure it is!

2. Apply speculatively to companies – Research has found that 80% of vacancies aren’t even advertised. Advertising vacancies can be an expensive process for companies, so if they can avoid it, most will. Send your CV and a tailored covering letter addressed to the person responsible for recruitment. If you can’t find this out from their corporate website, then call the company and ask.

3. Look elsewhere other than the internet – newspapers, industry publications. If you’re a graduate, attend job fairs and network – especially if your job role is quite specialist.

4. Be open minded – Don’t restrict yourself to one industry. Think about transferrable skills. You may not want to work in that specific industry for the rest of your life, but it might well prove to be a stepping stone in your career to the job you’ve always wanted.

5. Offer your skills for free – if you’re not working, then why not volunteer in a local charitable organisation, or within a company that you’ve always wanted to work for? It will provide you with the opportunity to increase your skills offering, and you never know, it could lead to a permanent job offer!

Sometimes, all it takes is a small adjustment to change the whole dimensions – be open to making changes within your job search strategy. Before you know it, you may be the one offering the advice and in the process, you may learn some valuable lessons through doing this.

How to get a call back...

So, we’ve all been there, you’ve managed to secure an interview for a job and you think it’s gone really well, but you’ve not heard anything when they said they would ‘get back to you within the next few days’. As each day passes you begin doubting how well the interview really went.

Don’t panic! This situation happens to everyone, so just relax and make sure you follow these steps to try avoid these situations as much as possible…

·         Remember that interviewers have very busy schedule – especially when they’re recruiting. If you haven’t heard, chances are there’s not a decision yet.

·         To avoid this, ask at the end of the interview when you’re likely to hear. If they say ‘within the next few days’ then ask when it will be acceptable for you to follow up if you don’t hear by then.

·         Never assume that they’re going to call you back.

·         If you don’t manage to arrange a certain time then follow them up. Be pro-active, and push for a response – but gently.

·         Unfortunately, waiting is part of the job seeking process. It can be frustrating, but being patient is important – just not too patient!