Finding a Job

Most people, who change their job, do so to improve their salaries or to seek a promotion. The first and most important step to finding a new job is the CV. It is not unusual for companies to receive hundreds of applications for each post so it is vital that any job seeker creates a CV that will stand out from the crowd. Research has shown that 50% of companies say that they are impressed by a good layout. Applicants are generally rejected because they lack the relevant experience or their CV has a poor layout. Poor spelling, bad grammar and excessively long CV's are other mistakes that lead to them ending up in the bin rather than on the recruiter's desk. To create a good CV remember the following points.

• Keep it short and simple. Recruiters may have to look at hundreds of CVs so they prefer ones that are no more than two pages long and in which the information is well laid out.
• Tailor the CV to the job. Do not include information that is not relevant to the employer.
• Write about your achievements and be honest. You will be asked about your achievements in greater detail at the interview.
• Always remember to check spelling and grammar before submitting your CV.

Some employment websites offer free CV reviews and templates and also allow users to upload their CV to the site so that employers can read them.

There are many resources that you can use to find work, job centres, local newspapers, national newspapers, trade or scientific journals, careers fairs and websites. There are many websites that list job vacancies and most are free, although a number do charge to register. They may specialise in one area of work or post jobs from many different sectors. One of the largest online employment sites is the Reed website. Hundreds of jobs from a wide variety of sectors, such as leisure and tourism, banking, legal and manufacturing are posted on this site. Jobs are usually posted from around the country and most sites display both permanent and temporary positions. You should get recommendations from family, friends or people working in your sector as to which job sites are the best and check them regularly. Networking is also useful when you are searching for a job, as not all vacancies are advertised.

There are over 135,000 recruitment consultants in the UK and they provide a popular way of finding work. The Gordon Yates/Guardian survey has shown that 87% of companies and 89% of candidates use an agency. Some agencies are specific to particular fields of work, such as IT or accountancy. The advantage of an agency is that they will filter out the jobs that are suitable for you. Recruitment agencies also act on behalf of the employers and do not charge a fee to applicants. The advantage to the employer is that they do not have to devote staff and resources to recruitment and avoid being inundated with applications.