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.

Making application forms a breeze!

The vast majority of public sector companies ask candidates to complete an application form, rather than submitting a CV. This is primarily for equality and diversity reasons.

The essence of completing any application form is to express that you have the right skills and qualities for the position. They usually feature a range of different questions; from general questions about your personality and hobbies, to ones that focus on your education and past work experience. There will also be competency based questions. To help you tackle these forms in the best way possible, we’ve put together some advice…

1. When answering the more general questions, such as – “What do you do in your spare time?” – think about what the employer is looking for and how what you write may be perceived. For example, “In my spare time, I enjoy playing team sports and regularly play for a five aside football team” would demonstrate to the employer that not only do you work well in teams – but also that you pay attention to your fitness. Healthy staff = higher attendance rates.

Try to avoid phrases such as - “I enjoy socialising with my friends”. Most people do enjoy socialising with their friends, but chances are a recruiter would read through the lines and perceive you as unreliable.

2. Use questions based on education and past experience as an opportunity to highlight skills that you’ve developed as a result of these. For example, communication, time management, and leadership skills. If you lack similar experience, then be sure to indicate these skills as transferable.

3. Competency based questions – a lot of people struggle with competency based questions. People often over analyse the questions and think there is a right or wrong answer. The recruiter wants to see your ability to problem solve and use your initiative. Use this opportunity to show how you have resolved problems and what the experience has taught you. You should structure your answers using the CAR approach – context, action, result. Describe the context of the situation but try not to go into too much unnecessary detail. Focus on the action - what you did and what skills you used. Then explain the outcome, and what you learnt from the experience.

Here are some examples of competency based questions:

• "Please give an example of how you work in a team/how you have dealt with a difficult problem".
• "If your co-worker has missed a deadline, what would you do?".
• “Please describe a situation when you have used your interpersonal skills to help build relationships with others, shared knowledge and information to achieve the business goals.” 

Make sure you use examples, and focus on your own actions rather than that of a team. Use a variety of situations rather than focusing on one area – for example your studies or your previous job positions. Avoid any negativity and use power words such as "succeed", "committed", and "confident". Finally, remember to stay truthful throughout the whole application process.

Good luck!

Housing Jobs provides organisations with the tools to create a discrimination free recruitment process, including the ability to create on-line application forms and restrict viewing. For more information, or if you're a job seeker seeking a role with an organisation that promotes equality and diversity, please visit www.housingjobs.org.uk

It takes two to tango!

It's very well preparing answers for intervew questions, but a job interview is a two-way process. Preparing questions to ask at the interview will not only potray initiative, but also give you a more thorough vision of what the company are like to work for.

We've put together some examples that might come in useful...

• How would you describe the responsibilities of this position?
• How would you describe a typical working week in this role?
• How many people are in the team that I'll be working with?
• How would you describe the company culture?
• What are the prospects for growth and advancement with the company?
• Are there regular performance reviews?
• What do you enjoy the most about working here?
• Are there any other questions I can answer for you?
• When can I expect to hear from you?
 

Don't ask them all, and be careful not to ask anything that has already been covered in the interview - otherwise they'll think you've not been listening!

Good luck!