Networking for job hunt success

Who do you know

Networking is often called the most successful technique used in job hunting, above the use of websites to find openings. Networking can mean many things though, from mentioning to a relative stranger that you are looking for a particular type of work through to becoming a well known expert in your field. If you've never use this skill in your job hunt now is the time to learn how, if you have tried it before you can brush up your knowledge a bit. If you are an excellent networker maybe you would like to leave some tips for us in the comments section below.


There is a lot of advice on the web about using social networking sites, and professional networks. If you are seeking work employers may well look for you on receipt of your application so it does well to be in control of what they will find.


One of the biggest and most popular professional networking sites is LinkedIn and, despite some recent bad press, a lot of advice sites still recommend using it to build your personal profile, assess your own expertise and to show off your knowledge and achievements. You might start your LinkedIn journey by uploading a CV. Then build your network by finding people you already know. Don't forget, other people are there to increase their networks too so don't be afraid to approach anyone. Don't discount anyone, for all you know they may have a brother in law looking for someone just like you! Here are more tips about using the site. 

Link up

The biggest social network site is Facebook, it has over 500million users. It is however, most commonly use for social things, and therefore can include photos and information about nights out that might not tally with your professional image. When you start a job search it makes good sense to go over your Facebook profile and make sure there is nothing incriminating, embarrassing or negative about you, including tags on other people's pictures and comments. Log out and search for yourself to see what comes up. There have been some high profile cases of staff being caught out making inappropriate comments about work and losing their jobs over it. In the USA some companies have demanded access to employees' Facebook accounts in order to check for unsuitable posts. I would venture that if you are asked for this you really need to consider whether the company is a good fit to your aspirations, and whether you can work under such scrutiny. On the positive side though, you can use it to show your extracurricular activities such as volunteering, creative projects and enthusiasm for your field. You could even express your excitement and positive response to job interviews (just be discreet about it - e.g. don't mention the company name, you never know who might be after the same job).


Google+, a fairly recent addition to the social network sphere, is also becoming a useful site to use in your job search. With this you create circles of friends and acquaintances, so you can keep work more separated from friends.


Twitter is also a good place to network. It is used by a lot of specialist recruiters, employment agencies and career advisers (including us - @not9to5). Companies from all areas also have presences on there so you should be able to learn a bit about their culture and news, they may even advertise jobs. Again you can use Twitter to express your creativity, ask questions, demonstrate your knowledge and skills and reach out to people you might not otherwise be able to connect with. Just be sure to know the line between demonstration and flat out self promotion. Remember the need for discretion and to build  a positive personal identity. Use hashtags to find information and to make your news findable.


Employers might not directly advertise on a social network site, but you may find connections to people who can point you towards suitable openings.It is also worth doing some web searches to find out if your field has a dedicated networking site. Another good idea is to produce a business card with your email and your Twitter, LinkedIn or other profile information so you can network in the real world as well.

Here is a free ebook that includes advice for shy people as well as some interesting statistics - for example they claim that 80% of successful job hunts result from networking. It reframes the concept of networking in a way that will help introverts to get out there and find their own networks, as well as to understand what they can offer to an existing network.


But if you're not ready to take the plunge into organised networks online, try using your email instead.

The Future

Technology moves on apace and the future could take any number of different shapes, make sure you keep your presence up to date, even if you are in full time work, it's worth it, you never know when you or your employer might decide it's time for a change.


As with so much on the web, the majority of advice is aimed at people looking for regular, commonplace jobs. For those looking for something out of the ordinary, you may have to be a bit more creative. A lot of it is also American so make sure you don't just blindly follow advice: consider its appropriateness to your own culture, whether that be the world of banking or a more bohemian, artistic realm.


N.B. As always, we offer this as advice and recommend you do your homework before you take any single piece of information as gospel and certainly before paying for any services. Don't forget, no link is an island, when you get to another site have a click about to see what else is there.

CVs and cover letters

There are literally hundreds of sites across the web offering advice on how to present your CV or cover letter.Here are some that we have found that offer some key insights.


Your cover letter should be the place you lay out your personal brand.

The basics that your CV (called a resume in the USA) should include are fairly straightforward. But there are essential items that are important to include, particularly anything the job advert or specification mentions, and there are key mistakes to avoid.

Modern CVs though, need to be creative and stand out from hundreds of others so how can you ensure the HR staff or manager chooses your CV for the INTERVIEW pile?

If you want to start afresh, think about how you can rewrite

Whether you include your online links in your resume or not, employers may look for you on various social websites so be sure your profiles won't embarrass you. If your brand has a great online presence perhaps recruiters will come to you.

Your CV has to stand out.

Does your CV and cover letter stand out? If they were separated in someone's file would they be able to find the different pages and easily identify them? It's not usually advisable to make your CV look outlandish, but consider something that will tie all the pages together. If you have a well defined online presence, is there a theme you can apply to your stationary that will help tie it all together? It could be as simply a a plain blue line along the bottom of every page, or having your Twitter handle at the top. Think of something personal to you, but you might a want to avoid rainbows and kittens unless you are planning to work in a field they relate to.

The up to date job hunt

Things change rapidly with ever growing use and simplicity of technology. It's easy to think that your job hunt can be conducted in the same way as it was when you first hit the job market. But the pace of change means employers have new ways of finding staff.


There is a lot of advice on the web to help prevent you blundering through the process or making faux pas. From the basics of job hunting through to special advice for mature job hunters, to how being a mum is a valuable set of skills and experience. Just type what you are looking for into Google or one of the other search engines out there.


One technique you might find useful is to make the job hunt your job in which you schedule tasks just as you would at work. Look into finding a mentor, someone you know and respect could be just as good as a remote but mega successful star.


Try putting your CV on Pinterest, and Tweeting about your job search.


Most companies have jobs on their website but you may have to hunt them down; look at the top or bottom of the page for "About Us", you may find a link on the "About" page. Have a look at all the big sites and get a feel of how they work and learn to identify less effective sites. Read articles and learn how to use any tools they have. Make notes!     
Keep track of all the applications you've made, whether by automatic processes on these sites or by sending a CV, and note all the phone calls you make or receive and time and date of any interviews.


Despite the great technology, perhaps one of the best thing you can do is pick up the phone (don't forget to keep it charged up). There are also offline places to go to advice, from your local library and job centre to specialist advice for people returning from a long illness.




A lot of the advice online is from the USA, but many of the basic principles will apply in the UK as well.
Don't forget that there is a lot of free advice out there, so before you commit to paying for anything make sure you have done your homework and are going to get value for money.

Job boards

There are a great variety of job boards across the web. These range from a basic listings site which simply enables you to make a search of jobs fitting your criteria to huge sites that offer advice, networking and CV hosting.




Here are some of the main job boards and an idea of what they offer.

• Monster is one of the biggest worldwide job boards. As well as a search function they offer Career Tool and Advice. You can upload your CV for employers to search or join their networking group BeKnown. There is also a facility to sign up for Job Alerts; if you fill out your criteria for a job they will email you with matching jobs as and when they come up. They also have iPhone and Android apps and Advice Forums. You can connect to them via Twitter and Facebook as well. Monster is also an international company so try their Site Selection page to choose a new location abroad for your job hunt.
• Jobsite is a British site that started simply as a Jobs By Email (Job Alerts) site. It has grown to include Searchable Jobs, Career Advice, and CV hosting. They are also on Twitter and Facebook. Jobsite advertise on UK TV, currently featuring Max Beesley.
• JobServe, also British, make sure every job and CV is checked by a person to ensure nothing on the site is out of date.
• Total Jobs is another British board offering all the usual services but in their Careers Advice they also offer advice on Life At Work.
• CV Library offer the main services but also promote CVs through a network of other sites, the list of which proves just how many job sites there are out there.

A number of news publications offer a job board with many of the same features as the above boards.

• The Guardian aims at "an audience comprising high quality jobseekers just like you, we only list the highest calibre vacancies"
• The New Statesman  "focuses on attracting the unique and diverse jobseekers reading the New Statesman." 
• Jobsearch is provided by Trinity Mirror Group who publish The Mirror a host of local newspapers around the country and also provide Fish 4 Jobs.
• Jobs 24 comes from Archant who publish a lot of local newspapers.

Then there are the recruitment agencies, many of which have High Street branches, that offer similar services again.

• Reed
• Adecco
• Office Angels
• Blue Arrow
• Hays
• Or try Agency Central to find more specialised or local agencies

Most of these boards and recruiters are generalists, aiming to reach the broadest possible audience. This of course means that the esoteric and unusual jobs you might be hunting for are not listed there, or might be hard to find if they are. It is worth searching these boards though, or setting up email alerts, as that special job might be listed and you don't want to miss it.


You could also try other listings sites that have a jobs section, like Gumtree, FreeAds or Friday Ad.

When filling in your job criteria it is important to get the right balance between specific and general. If your search is too vague then you may find yourself inundated with results that are not close enough to your requirements. If you are too specific you may not get very many jobs. You can widen or narrow your search using criteria such as salary and location very easily, choosing the words to describe the sort of job you want is a trickier proposition and you may need to trial and error some phrases; for example the search term theatre may result in jobs in a surgical theatre, while the word stage may bring up Key Stage teaching jobs,

Please note, all the advice and services here should be free. If you are asked to make a payment for anything please do check the authenticity of the service, even if they claim to guarantee you a job.

Online resumes

LifeHack is a website full of advice on everything from a tidy desk to exercise. In this article they offer tips on creating an online profile for employers to see. You have to scroll down past their advertising and as you will see, this is not the first article they have published on the subject.


This article from The Guardian offers advice how to keep Brand You tidy online so prospective employers see only what you want them to see.

Volunteering

Volunteering is a great way to build or learn skills and boost your CV, but also a good way to try out different roles and types of work.


There are plenty of places to find out about volunteer opportunities.

• Volunteer England support and enable volunteering and have a free newsletter.
• Do It collates opportunities from volunteer centres around the UK so you can search by location as well as by type of position.
• Global Volunteering helps you find places across the globe.

Have a read of the experiences of people who have volunteered for The Prince's Trust.

Job search sites

There are many sites providing searches for jobs, the majority are for the ordinary every day jobs but some have the occasional unique position on them.

NORAS monitors worldwide recruitment sites and compares the Job Boards.

EAS this page from the Government's Department for Business explains the regulations that agencies have to adhere to.

The Guardian listed the Top Ten sites in 2008

Job agency sites

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Manpower - A well established 'big name' agency. As well as a job search facility, they offer advice and training. Many of the jobs are driving or plant operating, but they also have clerical and sales jobs. The quick search allows you to inout location and keywords while the advanced search includes options such as skills and language.

Reed -  a very colourful site from a well known agency. Includes jobs in a variety of sectors. The search facility allows you to inout salray range, location and keywords.

Select - a bright site, with pictures of buttons and stars that specialises in jobs in admin, legal, medical and accountancy.

Brook Street - quite a dense site from a company that claim to find positions that will advance your career.

Adecco -  a very simple and straightforward site from another big name in recruiting

Blue Arrow - one of the Times top companies to work for with a very simple site

Work Thing - a bright site that offeres advice as well as a job search

 

 Job search sites

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JobSite Slightly cluttered site with a simple search and a range of sectors. Allows you to store a CV online. Also lists top agencies.

Monster A very large and well known site with sites in many countries. Although the front page does not offer sectors it does offer a quick search and several links to their in house advice centres. Allows you upload or create a CV for corporate visitors to access.

Jobserve

A clean, fresh looking site with a simple layout. Has a quick search and lots of jobs by sector. Also offers CV advice and international sites.

Fish4Jobs

One of the biggest sites, it is used by many local newspapers to powwer their own job searches. offers a quick search and a list of sectors and regions on its front page.

Total Jobs

A colourful site with lists of sectors on the front page. Offers career advice and a chance to upload your cv.

Target Jobs

Very colourful site aimed at graduates. with sectors on front page. Also has advice pages

CV Library

Clear and uncluttered site, includes sector search and allows you to register your CV.

JobSearch

A clean fresh looking site that allows you to set up alerts and upload your CV

careerjet

In one simple search, Careerjet claims to give the job seeker access to a massive selection of jobs that are compiled from various internet sources.

AllTheTopBananas

A site that links to employer sites for simple applications.

Portal reviews

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Jobs1 - a portal to a variety of employment sites in a wide range of sectors. Easy enough to navigate and not too cluttered or confusing. Also offers a How To Search guide.

Job Agencies - an easy to navigate portal with international jobs. Not cluttered with a wide range of sectors listed.

Agency Central - a portal that links to both agencies and search sites. Easy to navigate and uncluttered with top tens of sectors and regions where visitors have searched.

Get-UK-Jobs

This is a site designed for people moving to Britain, with poor English.

irekruit

A fairly basic portal with advice and tips

Non-UK sites

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Job Hunt -an American portal

Fab Job

An American site with guides to different professions

Quintessential Careers

Slightly cluttered American site with advice pages and offers a Top Ten of other jobs sites

jobs.com.au

one of Australia's largest Job Search Listing websites

Review sites

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Review Centre This is not a very easy site to navigate, but if you do find what you are after you will find extensive reviews by members of the public.

All Jobs UK Provides a star rating for all the job boards, publications and agencies although it is not very clear from the front page, just choose one of the tabs at the top of the home page.