Contents
Job Search Starts Here
How to use the Passport
My Job Searching Contract .
My Job Goals
Planning and Preparation
My Targets
My Job Search Targets
Job Searching Tools
Job Goals
What do I need to do?
Action Plan
Activity Log
Application Tracker
Useful Job Sites
Important Contact Details
Time Management
Managing Your Job Search Time
Positive Self Talk
Time Bandits
Prioritising
My Routine
Local Labour Market
Hidden Job Market
Making Contacts
My Contacts
Job Fairs
Useful Web Sites
Reflective Practice
Celebrate and Learn
Recruitment Agencies
Problem solving and decision making
Training Record
CV Basics
CV Checklist
10 Tips for a Successful CV
Application Forms
Letter Writing
Surviving Interview
Telephone Skills
Non Verbal Communication
Body language
Interview questions
Questions for you to ask
Sign Off!!
Whether you have been out of work for sometime or are re-entering the job market, securing a job can be a full time job in itself; it takes planning, organisation and determination!
Critical to your success, is planned job search. We can offer the assistance, guidance and help in developing your skills, but the hard work needs to come from you.
However, it can be difficult to know where to start and how best to spend your time. We have produced this booklet to assist you in these areas. The booklet contains helpful hints and tips and some activities for you to undertake. It also contains tools to help to organise your time.
It is important that you keep clear evidence of your job searching activity and that this is taken along to every appointment at A4e, as this will be discussed and checked by your advisor. If you fail to do this, then your benefits will be sanctioned!
Good luck!
The Work First Passport contains a number of activities to support you into employment.
Some of these activities are mandatory, in other words, they must be completed by all of the customers on the Work Programme with A4e.
There are also a number of optional activities. At each review discuss which areas you need to work upon and agree with your advisor which activities would benefit you most.
At each appointment you will agree some clear targets with your advisor, including which activities you will complete from your Work First Passport. These activities should be completed by your next appointment and evidence of all the completed activities needs to be provided to your advisor.
Once your advisor is satisfied that you have completed the activities to the agreed standard, and has seen evidence of this, then they will sign off these activities at the back of your Passport. If further work is required, then additional targets/support will be agreed.
Activities such as action planning, activity logs and application trackers need to be completed every day, and evidence taken to every appointment. Your advisor will ask to see evidence of your completed applications, letters sent and received, preparation for interview and copies of vacancies etc. If you do bring these to your appointments then you will be sanctioned.
Some activities such as ‘reflective practice’, ‘celebrate your success’ etc can be completed more than once throughout your time on programme. They can be completed wherever they would benefit you! There is an additional page to log any activities that have been completed more than once!
Whilst working with A4e to find a job, I agree to:
- Set myself clear job search targets and check my progress against them every day
- Make job searching my primary role
- Undertake high quality job searching activity every day
- Apply for all realistic job vacancies available to me
- Be open minded and consider the advice given to me by others
- Be punctual and participate fully in all directed tasks
- Keep clear records of all of my job searching activity
- Widen my job goals, if I cannot find employment in my chosen field of work
- Take my Job Search Booklet to every appointment at A4e
- Unless unavoidable, attend all appointments and interviews
- Accept all any training opportunities or support that would enhance my employability and increase my chances of securing a job
- Have a CAN DO attitude and give all tasks my full attention
Customer Signature: ______
Date: ______
People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan!
Are you prepared for your job search? Tick off the list below . . .
Do you have:
Access to a telephone line to contact employers
Access to internet and email
A valid email account and phone number on which prospective employers can contact you
A current, up to date CV
A portfolio of your certificates, evidence of professional qualifications or training
Smart clothes appropriate for interview, in case you are called at short notice
A file in which you can store all of your job searching evidence
A quiet area in which you can work to complete application forms etc
A diary/calendar to keep track of all appointments
A note book/address book to record company contacts
If you have problems with any of the above, please speak to your advisor at your next appointment!
Now that you have all of your resources in place, what is the next step??
It is important to decide what you need to focus on during your job search time. How you spend your time will depend on your previous experience of job search and also how confident you feel in tackling some of the activities that you will need to do in order to find work.
TASK:
Take a few minutes to answer the following questions, in order to see which areas you need to focus on. . . .
Do you have a clear action plan to support you in finding a job?
Are you clear about the type of work you are looking for?
Do you know how to manage your job search time effectively?
Do you know what jobs are available in your local area?
Do you know how to access the jobs within your local area?
Do you know how to complete an application form?
Do you know how to edit your CV for different jobs?
Do you know how to produce an effective job search letter (covering, speculative or enquiry?)
Do you know how to deal with a recruitment agency?
Are you confident at interview stage? Do you know how to plan?
Do you know how to solve problems?
There are sections to support each of the above areas.
It can sometimes be difficult to know what targets to set yourself. Look at some of the targets listed below. These are all the types of activities that you should be challenging yourself to so each week.
Each week you should agree which targets you will meet and how many times you will complete each activity. For example, if you wanted to check the hot jobs board every day, then you place a number 5 in the box next to it.
This target will be reviewed at the next appointment to confirm whether you have achieved it or not. It would be helpful for you to review your own progress regularly, and particularly before any appointments with your advisor.
TASK:
Use the target sheet to set yourself some realistic targets to undertake between now and your next appointment!
Target / Planned / ActualCheck the hot jobs boards in centre
Update my job search records
Check the local jobs papers
Register with a recruitment agency
Check the Job Centre Plus web site for vacancies
Check my useful web sites for appropriate vacancies
Attend appointment at A4e to discuss my progress and set some new actions
Undertake networking activities; speaking to key contacts; visits to employers, cold calling
Update my CV
Complete application form
Undertake a mock interview
Visit some local employers to see if they have any vacancies
Send mailers to relevant companies selling my skills
Submit CV’s to potential employers
Make speculative phonecalls
Attend jobs fair
Make phone call to request an application form
Call contacts at recruitment agency to see if vacancies have arisen
Upload CV onto job searching site
Attend interview
Contact employer for feedback following an interview
Visits to local area to look for vacancies in shop windows
It is a wasteful exercise to spend lots of your precious time on searching and applying for jobs, if your job goals are not realistic.
Are you clear about the type of work you are looking for?
Is this a realistic goal? For example, are there likely to be vacancies in this area? Is the salary sufficient for your needs? Do you have the qualifications, skills or experience required to secure this job in the coming weeks?
Record your job goals below. Discuss them with your advisor at your next appointment. If you are unsure about your job goals, then make this clear to your advisor, they can help you to identify some realistic options!
Job Goal / Salary / Distance to travel / Experience/quals/skills needed for the job / Is this a realistic goal for me? / Have I done the job before?It is vital to decide what you need to focus on during your job search sessions. This will make sure you are focusing your time and efforts on the right activities. By answering the questions below, it will help you decide which tasks need to take priority; build these into your action plan!
Activity / Do you need to work on this? / Action required? YES /NOIdentifying abilities, qualities, strengths and weaknesses / Are you clear about the type of work you are able to undertake?
Are you clear about the work you would like to undertake?
Are your goals realistic?
Are you aiming high enough?
Time management / Do you have a clear routine?
Are you making job search a full time role?
CV / Do you have a current up to date CV?
Have you adapted your CV for different job roles?
Do you know how to edit and update your own CV?
Application forms / Are you confident that you can complete an application form effectively?
Have you asked an advisor to give you feedback on a completed application form?
Letter writing / Do you know how to write an effective letter?
Do you know the difference between a speculative and a covering letter?
Have you asked your advisor to check the quality of your letters?
Searching for jobs / Do you know the best places to look for the jobs that you want?
Are you confident in using the internet to search for jobs?
Do you know how to find ‘hidden’ jobs vacancies?
Researching Opportunities / Do you know how to find out about a company that you are interested in working for?
Local Labour Market / Do you know what is happening in your local area as far as employment opportunities are concerned?
Interview Skills / Do you feel confident in attending interviews?
Do you know what is likely to happen and how to prepare yourself?
Have you had a recent interview/ mock interview?
Have you been given feedback on your performance in an interview situation?
Telephone Techniques / Are you comfortable using the telephone to find out about and apply for jobs?
Have you been given any feedback on your telephone techniques?
Coping with setbacks / Job search can be disheartening – do you feel able to cope with them?
You will agree an action plan with your advisor, which you will update at each appointment. The action plan found in this section is a personal action plan to be used by you to organise your job searching activity.
Ideally, action plans should not be ‘one giant leap’ to your goal, but a series of small, measurable steps. These will be less overwhelming and you will get a sense of satisfaction once you have achieved them.
Use the following pages to start planning the actions you will take to secure a job. Remember, you don’t need to do it all at once! Set yourself small goals to begin with. You can add to or amend your action plan at any time, although, it is particularly important to do this following a review with your advisor.
Remember to take along your entire job searching activity to each appointment!
What do I need to do? / What are the steps I need to take? / What/who will assist me? / Start date / End dateWhat do I need to do? / What are the steps I need to take? / What/who will assist me? / Start date / End date
What do I need to do? / What are the steps I need to take? / What/who will assist me? / Start date / End date
What do I need to do? / What are the steps I need to take? / What/who will assist me? / Start date / End date
Use this section to schedule/plan things that you need to do. This can include a reminder yourself of something to follow up or a list of what you would like to achieve each day.
Use the other box to review what you actually managed to achieve. Don’t worry if you did not manage to achieve everything you set out to do, as long as you gave 100% effort to the tasks in hand.
Look for possible reasons for non achievement; were my goals too ambitious? Was I interrupted? Did I need support with these tasks? Did I waste time or spend too much time on other tasks?
Date: / Jobs to undertake today. / Jobs I managed to complete today . . . / Tasks to be carried forward . . . / Reasons for not finishing tasks . . .Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Fri
Date: / Jobs to undertake today. / Jobs I managed to complete today . . . / Tasks to be carried forward . . . / Reasons for not finishing tasks . . .
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Fri
Date: / Jobs to undertake today. / Jobs I managed to complete today . . . / Tasks to be carried forward . . . / Reasons for not finishing tasks . . .
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Fri
Date: / Jobs to undertake today. / Jobs I managed to complete today . . . / Tasks to be carried forward . . . / Reasons for not finishing tasks . . .
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Fri
It is important to keep track of all the applications you have made. Use the following pages to log all of your applications, telephone calls, letters sent and interviews gained.
Also, remember to keep a copy of the advert and a copies of any documents sent to an employer; this will help you if you are successful in gaining an interview.
Date / Company Name / Address and Contact No. / Job applied for / What action have you taken? / OutcomeTel Call / App. form / Spec letter / CV sent / Interview
Date / Company Name / Address and Contact No. / Job applied for / What action have you taken? / Outcome
Tel Call / App. form / Spec letter / CV sent / Interview
Date / Company Name / Address and Contact No. / Job applied for / What action have you taken? / Outcome
Tel Call / App. form / Spec letter / CV sent / Interview
Date / Company Name / Address and Contact No. / Job applied for / What action have you taken? / Outcome
Tel Call / App. form / Spec letter / CV sent / Interview
Don’t waste time getting lost on the web, try some of these useful web sites. Highlight those that you have tried and found to be useful, this will help you to be more efficient in your job search activity!
Search Engines /Information and resources /
Tools /
Jobs
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(NB this website can be used for any area; just change the name to the right city)
Catering / Construction
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Engineering / Executive
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Financial services / Human Resources
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IT, Telecoms, Engineering / Medical / NHS
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Public Sector / Retail
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Sales
Name / company / Job title / Address / Telephone / Email address
Looking for work can be a difficult process, which is often magnified by low self confidence, financial pressure and feelings of anxiety, fear, anger and even depression!
The first step to overcoming these feelings is to take control! One practical step that we can all take is to manage our time effectively . . .
Developing good time management methods can be a big challenge for job seekers. When you become unemployed, you suddenly lose a lot of the structure that was once a part of your day. It will be up to you to create that structure to ensure that you will reach your job search goals.
Here are some hints and tips to help you to effectively manage your job search . . .
1. Come as close as you can to making your job search a full-time job. . . .
2. Establish a morning routine that simulates a work day. . .
Get up early, perhaps exercise, then shower, and get dressed. You certainly don't need to be in full business attire, but dress nicely enough to make you feel professional and productive. You'll be a lot more effective than you would be your tatty old bath robe!!
3. Take time at the beginning of your job-hunting day to focus yourself on the tasks in front of you and put yourself in a positive and productive mindset.
Think about what you would like to achieve by the end of the day and how good you will feel, if you succeed!