Job Hunting Tips

Despite the chancellor investing £30 billion to kickstart the post-covid economic recovery, there are widespread concerns that unemployment could rocket over the next few months. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warned that a second wave of coronavirus could lead the unemployment rate to increase to 15%. These figures will be particularly intimidating for young people who are hoping to start their careers in this economic climate. Many companies are currently freezing their hiring process as they evaluate their next steps. Although there are fewer job opportunities at the moment, this is the perfect time to prepare for the world of work.

Read Entry Level Boss by Alexa Shoen

If you are currently unemployed and actively looking for work, the best place to look for information is this excellent guide to job hunting. Shoen’s guide to securing an entry level job provides advice for each stage of the job hunt from writing content for LinkedIn to preparing for an interview.  The writing is witty and engaging; it gives the reader practical steps that are more effective than aimlessly sending out hundreds of CVs out in what Shoen calls a ‘job-search junk-food diet’.

Book a careers guidance session with Cardiff & Vale Tutors

Experienced career advisers at Cardiff & Vale Tutors have been trained to offer advice to job seekers. The sessions cover a range of topics including CV writing, advice about education, writing cover letters and the appropriate next steps. Receiving positive, personalised guidance is invaluable, especially in the current competitive job market. If you are interested in booking a career guidance session, please get in touch today.

Focus on developing skills

The only advantage of unemployment is the amount of time you suddenly have on your hands. If you want to get back into work quickly, it can be tempting to send off hundreds of resumes in the hope that one of them will land you an interview. However, in some cases it might be best to spend a couple of weeks developing some skills which will make you attractive to a potential employer. Some YouTube channels are a gold mine for free educational content; I have used Affinity Revolution, Shiny Films and Excel is Fun to develop my photo editing, video production and spreadsheet skills. Take a look at job adverts for the sorts of role that you are interested in to figure out what skills you need to focus on.

Perfect your CV

Maybe your dream employer is not hiring at the moment, but you will want to be ready with an excellent application the moment the hiring process opens up again. Take this opportunity to re-evaluate your CV; think carefully about the skills and experience you mention. Employers can spot an old CV a mile away; employers will probably be more interested in your recent experience compared to something you achieved a decade ago. An out of date application shows the employer that you do not care about the job and doesn’t present yourself in the best light.

Keywords – Careers, guidance, employability, skills, CV

This blog was written by Sam, our Cardiff & Vale English Tutor. Sam tutors our GCSE and A level English students. Sam is a graduate of Durham University and is a qualified teacher with a P.G.C.E in English from the University of Manchester.