For most people being unemployed is probably one of the most difficult times of a person’s life for many reason such as it knocks yourself confidence, you feel like you will never work again and it can be a very negative time.
If you are in this unfortunate position then it is important to keep positive and to keep focused on getting another job and view this period as temporary.
Below are some of the things you need to focus on and do whilst in this period of unemployment.
#1 Update your CV
Dust off your CV and make sure that it is good enough to attract new employers to your skills. Does it detail what your best skills and experiences are and what you can bring to their company? Is it clearly written and laid out? Get someone to check over it for you and pay attention to how it reads, the grammar and spelling and how appealing the personal statement is. Someone else’s views are always important to get another opinion about how the view something.
#2 Visit the job centre
If you haven’t already, make sure you visit the job centre. Not only will you be able to claim job seekers allowance for the period of unemployment if you are following their criteria but you will also be able to get advice from careers professionals. They will be able to help you apply for jobs, update your CV, write a covering letter etc. They have a bank of jobs that companies register with them that may be suited to your skills and experience.
#3 Visit recruitment agencies
Take a trip round all the recruitment agencies in your local town. Go through the yellow pages online and find out what recruitment agencies there are and what skills they deal with and which ones are more suited to your skill set. Companies advertise roles through recruitment agencies so they are looking for suitable candidates all the time and can help you with all the tasks and advice you will need throughout the recruitment process.
#4 Do some voluntary work
If you can it’s a good idea to do some voluntary work to (a) keep you busy and occupied (b) keep learning new skills and working (c) it looks good to an employer. It may not be directly related to the work that you have done in the past but it could be a good move for finding something new work related whilst you are searching and you do not know what options will open up through doing some voluntary work.
#5 Do some additional training
The job centre may be able to help you with free training courses that you can do but it’s always a good idea to look at what you can improve upon skills wise and it’s always good to learn new things, it keeps the brain working and keeps a way of improving job prospects.
#6 Keep job hunting
Don’t forget to apply for all the jobs that you can. Search the newspapers, online, go to the job centre, look at local notice boards and also drop your CV and covering letter in speculatively to local companies that you are keen to work for or have advertised for similar type staff in the past or that you know recruit.
#7 Practice your interview technique
Practice ready for an interview. Interviews can be awkward times for some people and therefore it is very important to practice. Do it in front of a mirror or role play with a friend or family member. Practice questions that you may be asked and how you would answer them being careful not to rehearse answers so that when you are in an interview you make it sound realistic not rehearsed.
