Job Search and Skills

Job boards and online job sites are your gateway to countless job opportunities! They list job vacancies across various industries, and some focus on specific sectors. You can submit your digital CV and cover letter directly on these sites, and many let you sign up for email alerts tailored to your preferences:

• Full-time, part-time, or temporary work
• Jobs in specific locations
• Roles matching your knowledge, skills and experience

There are a range of popular job sites. Click on their names to explore further:
Indeed (https://www.indeed.com)
Monster Jobs (https://www.monster.co.uk)
Reed (https://www.reed.co.uk)
Total Jobs (https://www.totaljobs.com)

Once you access each site, you can search for your ideal job and set up a profile/upload your CV, following the clear instructions.

Some sites also have ‘how to’ guides to provide further guidance on a range of job-related activities.  Check out Indeed’s video on how best to search for your ideal job.

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com is also a powerful tool for job searches. If you don’t have a profile yet, check out our guide on setting up LinkedIn.

Recruitment agencies connect employers with suitable candidates. They often have access to jobs not advertised online. Many agencies specialise in specific industries eg healthcare or engineering, so its always worth searching around, including by sector.

Tips

• Explore agency websites to see what jobs they offer.
• Register with multiple agencies to increase your chances of finding a job.

When working with an agency

• Ensure they offer the type of work you’re seeking
• Treat the agency interview like a job interview
• Communicate your availability and stay in touch
• Seek feedback if you don’t get a job
• Consider temporary work as it can lead to permanent employment
• Highlight special and transferable skills including speed typing, languages, or coding to widen opportunities.

Below are links to popular agencies but there will also be local agencies with vacancies.  Using a search engine, eg Google.com can provide further information:

• Hays – https://www.hays.co.uk
• Adecco – https://www.adecco.co.uk
• Reed – https://www.reedglobal.com

Job fairs, both in-person and virtual, are excellent opportunities to meet employers and learn about available roles. Virtual job fairs offer digital booths and often include workshops on CV writing and interview preparation.

Research the participating employers beforehand to prioritise your interactions.

Some employers may conduct video interviews during the fair, so dress smartly and make a strong impression.

Search www.google.com for job fairs in the location you wish to work.

UK Careers Fairs https://www.ukcareersfair.com/jobs has a range of employers currently recruiting and details of job fairs in your area.

This section covers how to identify strengths and areas for development, create realistic and challenging goals, undertake 360 feedback activity and create effective reflections.

Strengths and Areas for Development

Understanding your strengths and areas for development is the first step towards personal and professional growth. Here’s how you can identify and leverage them:

Identifying Strengths:

• Self-assessment Tools: Use tools available on the National Careers Service Skills Assessment to help identify your strengths and understand how they can relate to different careers, providing personalised skills map and suggesting job roles to match your skills.
• Feedback from Others: Ask colleagues, mentors, or supervisors for feedback on what they see as your strengths.  See 360 Feedback below.
• Reflect on Past Successes: Consider projects or tasks where you excelled and analyse what strengths you utilised.
• Skills Health Check: The Skills Health Check is part of the National Careers Service and includes a series of quizzes and activities designed to help you explore your interests, motivations, and skills. It generates a report with suggestions for career development.  Click LINK to access.

Identifying Areas for Development:

• Performance Reviews: Review feedback from past performance reviews/appraisals to identify recurring themes or areas for improvement.
• Skill Gap Analysis: Compare your current skills with the skills needed for your desired job or role.
• Seek Constructive Criticism: Encourage open and honest feedback from trusted peers or mentors.

Writing Goals

Setting goals that are both achievable and challenging can drive your personal and professional growth.

When setting goals consider:

• Short-Term Goals: Immediate objectives achievable within a few months to a year, such as completing a certification, improving specific skills, or gaining experience in a new role.
• Medium-Term Goals: that take 1 to 3 years to accomplish, like earning a promotion, moving to a different department, or undertaking more advanced training.
• Long-Term Goals: Ambitious objectives requiring 3 or more years to achieve, such as reaching a more senior position or starting a business.
  

  Use the SMART Framework:

• Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve. Avoid vague statements. Example: Instead of “Improve communication skills,” say “Improve public speaking skills by attending a workshop and delivering two presentations.”
• Measurable: Determine how you will measure success. Example: Complete a certification course with at least a 90% pass rate.
• Achievable: Ensure your goal is realistic given your current situation and resources. Example: If you work full-time, consider part-time studies instead of full-time courses.
• Relevant: Align your goals with your career aspirations and personal values. Example: If you aim to move into management, set a goal to develop leadership skills.
• Time-bound: Set a deadline for achieving your goal. Example: Complete the project management certification by December 2024.

  Making Goals Challenging:

• Stretch Beyond Comfort Zones: Choose goals that push you to grow and develop new skills.
• Incremental Challenges: Break down larger goals into smaller, manageable milestones that challenge you progressively.
• Seek Feedback and Adjust: Regularly review progress and adjust your goals to maintain an appropriate level of challenge.

360 Feedback

360 feedback is a comprehensive feedback system that involves collecting feedback from various sources, including line managers/superiors, colleagues/peers, friends, and those who work for you (sub-ordinates).

Benefits of 360 Feedback:

• Holistic View: Gain insights from a range of sources, providing a well-rounded perspective.
• Increased Self-awareness: Understand how others perceive your strengths and areas for development.
• Improved Performance: Identify specific areas to focus on for professional growth.
• Enhanced Team Dynamics: Foster open communication and trust within teams.

How to Undertake 360 Feedback:

Define Objectives: Clearly outline the purpose of the feedback process. What are you hoping to achieve?

Select Participants: Choose a diverse group of colleagues who interact with you regularly.

Design the Feedback Process:

• Design: Use open-ended questions (quantitative) and a sliding number scale eg 1-5 (quantatitive) to gather your feedback.
• Ensure anonymity to encourage honest and candid responses.
• Communicate the Process: Explain the purpose and process to all participants. Emphasise confidentiality and constructive feedback.
• Collect and Review Feedback: Gather feedback and identify common themes and areas for development.
• Create an Action Plan: Use the responses to set specific, actionable goals for improvement (see goals section above).
• Follow Up: Regularly review progress and adjust your action plan as required.

Reflection

Reflective activity helps you learn about yourself and equip you with tools to advance practices by identifying strengths and areas for development. Regular reflection helps you learn from experiences and make informed decisions and grow, both personally and professionally. It is important to consider reflection as an ongoing process to aid continual development.

Reflection Techniques:

• Journaling: Regularly write about your experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Focus on what you learned and how you can improve.
• Structured Reflection: Use models like Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle or Kolb’s Learning Cycle to guide your reflection process.

Reflection Process:

• Describe the Experience: What happened? Be objective and detailed.
• Analyse Feelings and Thoughts: How did you feel/what were your initial thoughts?
• Evaluate the Experience: What went well? What didn’t? Why?
• Conclusion: What have you learned? How will this influence your future actions?
• Action Plan: Identify specific steps you can take to improve or continue successful behaviours.

Benefits of Reflection:

• Increased Self-awareness: Understand your reactions, strengths, and areas for growth.
• Improved Decision Making: Learn from past experiences to make better choices.
• Enhanced Problem Solving: Reflect on challenges to develop creative solutions.