Land your dream job with these top tips

Everyone’s had to search for a job at some point in their lives. We’ve all done it, and so by that logic we all know how to do it, but how straightforward is it really?

We recently surveyed candidates regarding the recruitment process, and 35% of those surveyed highlighted job searching as the most challenging part of the journey. Following this, we’ve provided some guidance on how to enhance your job search.

How to enhance your job search

It’s easy to just go on Google and search for what you’re looking for. In fact it’s so easy that millions of people do it every day and subsequently apply for those roles they’ve found.

So how do you cut through all that noise to make yourself the best candidate? The easy answer is – you don’t! You can’t always stand out from the crowd. Sometimes you just have to be smarter than others with your job search approach.

This means searching where others aren’t and using various methods.

Use different channels to aid your search

Rather than just jumping on Google, or online jobs boards, look elsewhere. Social media is a great place to find vacancies – yes, you’re still looking for jobs online, but you’re looking in different places.

Lots of brands announce job vacancies on their social channels before anywhere else, so search your favourite brands on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram to see if you can get ahead of the crowd. If you’re interested in a specific company or brand, it’s a good idea to directly check their website to see if the vacancy is listed there, that way you can apply directly.

Another good place to look is in print, just because we’re living in a digital world, doesn’t mean companies don’t advertise roles in papers etc. Check your local newspaper, or even national ones. As well as keeping on top of available jobs, reading the paper and news regularly will also help you understand which industries and businesses are growing in your area. This will hugely help inform your career and job decisions when choosing which businesses are best to work for.

Use your network

Think of all the people you know and have met through work, professional events and previous job opportunities. Most people will be happy to support your career goals, especially if they’ve worked with you previously and value you. Use this as an opportunity to gain valuable insight into the job market, as well as increase your knowledge of your specialism. Speaking and learning from contacts is key. Someone may know of an open role you’d be perfect for, or may even have one in the company they work in.

Get someone else to do the hard work for you

Why even look for a new job when you can get someone to do it on your behalf?

Using an agency such as Search for your job search can take all the hard work out of your hands. All you need to do is let our expert consultants know what you’re interested in and what your needs are. You’ll need to be clear on; specialism, role type and level, location, expected salary and previous experience and they will do the searching for you.

Our consultants have relationships with businesses, and so often find out about vacancies before they’re made public. So not only do they do the hard work for you, they can look in places you can’t or don’t know about.

Don’t search for a job at all

The quickest way to look for a job? Don’t!

Sometimes the pro-active approach is the best one and can lead to results that wouldn’t have been possible using traditional methods. Rather than looking for jobs, email the company you want to work for and ask for a job.

Companies are always looking for the best people, whether they have adverts or not. As part of our research for our 2023 Salary Guide, we found that more and more companies are hiring based on skills and enthusiasm, rather than past experience.

What could better demonstrate your enthusiasm than contacting a company directly to ask for a job?

More hints and tips for your job search

Our 2023 Career goals toolkit has even more hints and tips to enhance your job search to give you the best chance of landing your dream role.