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[/one_third][two_third_last]Job Searching ? Ideas to keep you motivated
With today’s technology, it’s tempting to believe job searching requires nothing more than updating your CV and visiting a job vacancy website. This is like embarking on a treasure hunt and only looking in one place. You may be successful with your first search, but it’s likely the hunt will require a lot more resilience and strategy than that. If you are struggling to find work, it can help to put yourself in the employer’s shoes. Where do people look for employees and more importantly, where do they start first? It’s often not a vacancy website (the employer has to pay to advertise and then likely has lots of applicants to sift through). Over the next month, we’ll look at four job search strategies that will increase your chances of finding work.
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Informational interviews
If you are looking to change jobs or industries, informational interviews are a great way to make new contacts (who could be potential employers) , while simultaneously growing your industry knowledge. Think of it like this. The last time you chose a new restaurant for dinner or changed hairdressers, you probably asked some friends for their recommendations. The same is useful when job searching. It can help to get some advice and ideas from those ‘in the know’.
So how does an informational interview work ? Follow these tips below.
- Send a e-mail or ask for a short coffee meeting with someone who has an established career in the field you are interested in.
- Don’t ask for a job, but ask for feedback on your CV and for contacts of theirs who may be looking for new staff.
- Ask them specific questions, such as how they got into the role, the skills they most often utilise and what trends/ changes are affecting their industry.
These meetings are good practice for a real interview and will boost your job search confidence. Let us know your thoughts! Have you done informational interviews? Of what benefit were they to you?
