Top 10 Tips for Getting a Job
A few simple hints and tips designed to help you get the job you want.
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Apply, Apply, Apply
It’s simple. If you don’t ask you don’t get. In other words… How are prospective employers supposed to know you’re out there if you don’t tell them? What have you got to lose? If you don’t apply you definitely won’t get the job. But at least if you do apply your chances of getting it instantly increase.
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Contact
Make sure your contact details are correct. Everything else on your C.V can be perfect, but it will be useless if an employer can’t contact you. Make sure your contact details are correct, easily locatable an easy to read. You might even want to set up an email account specifically for prospective employers to contact you on. However, if you do this make sure the email address you use is nice and simple eg. ann.other@mail and not something complicated or silly as this will only lead to confusion and make you look unprofessional. This works both ways. Always use F.T.A.O (for the attention of…) on any correspondence with a prospective employer just to make sure your C.V goes to the right person.
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Follow It Up!
If it’s been 2 weeks since you applied for a job and you still haven’t heard anything then give the company a call. If nothing else you might get some feedback on your C.V. Don’t do this if the company have asked you not to though as it will make you look like you can’t follow simple instruction and might mean you don’t get considered for future posts within the company.
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Telecoms
It’s always good to give a mobile phone number when applying for a job. make sure that if you cannot answer the phone for any reason, say you are at work, that you have a simple answer message for prospective employers to leave a message. When answering the phone always make sure you are in a quiet place where you won’t loose your signal. If necessary, apologize and ask if it would be possible to call back later as you are in a busy area. If using a land line for contact tell all members of the household to answer the phone politely and make sure they take the name and number of anybody who calls just in case.
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Make A Note
When telephoning prospective employers make sure you take a note of the name, contact details and perhaps the job title of the person you are speaking to. Ask them to spell their email address just to make sure it’s correct. Before you phone them make a brief note of anything you want to say during the phone call so you don’t forget or worse still have to call back later.
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Keep It Clean
The generally accepted format for a C.V/job application is a typed document that has been printed or emailed. However it is not uncommon for prospective employers to ask you to hand write part or even all of your application. If you do have to do this, make sure you choose a good black pen with plenty of ink and Practice a few times before you write your final letter. The golden rule is no matter what keep everything clean. Neat handwriting on clean, crisp paper. This goes for typed C.Vs too.
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Keep It Professional
Keep any communications between yourself and a prospective employer brief and to the point rambling on about what you are doing or name dropping only makes you look unprofessional.
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Beware Of Online Profiles
When applying for jobs make sure that if you part of a social networking site, particularly a site where your profile is accessible to all that your profile is inoffensive to a prospective employer. After accepting my current position, I myself learnt that I had been ‘Facebooked’ by my employer pre interview. Luckily, I had a nice, friendly profile picture with my name and a bit of blurb about books and music without any links to embarrassing photos or comments.
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Think Outside The Box
When you’ve applied for every job under the sun using your professional articulate C.V and still haven’t been successful stop and think! What else could I do to land my dream job? In certain industries speculative C.Vs, links to online portfolios/galleries and offering to work say, a month ‘in hand’ are often acceptable was to invite the interest of prospective employers. If you have spotted a job that is not quite right for you but has potential ask about the flexibility of the position or even be prepared to take on a part-time post instead of a full time one for the experience.
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Be Ready
Always have an up to date C.V/portfolio to hand and Keep yourself looking clean and tidy in case of last minute appointments. Make sure you always have a basic general C.V but always be ready to tailor it to the specifics of a new position.
