Once people make career choices and candidates know what you are looking for, it is time to find an  ideal job. There are many information resources available to the job seeker, many of which contain access to job vacancies as well as other useful job search and career advice.

These include the Internet, company websites, newspapers, libraries, employment agencies
and career advisory services, etc.

The Internet - General

The Internet is probably the most widely used resource and has several advantages
over other job hunting information resources, including...

1) Job Boards - several advantages 

Easily accessible:   Accessible at home, work, cafes and other places.

Regular updates:   There are often daily / automatic updates.

More effective search criteria:   Breakdown your search by job role, salary, location, etc.

Choice of jobs:   Massive choice of jobs - often access to thousands of 'live' vacancies.

Specialist websites:   Dedicated websites catering for more specialised roles.

Apply online:  Quick and easy application submission directly to the company recruiter.

CV registration:   Employers can proactively search a CV database.

Registering for alerts:   Receiving periodic alerts by email or text message to keep you updated.

Multiple vacancies:  There can be multiple vacancies for the same employer.

Other details:   Gives details not available elsewhere like salaries, benefits, contact details, etc.

Links to other resources:  Access to supplementary advice, resources & services.

2) Jobs & Careers Websites 

Jobs & careers websites:   Access to general jobs and careers resources.

Latest articles:   Access to a whole variety of CV, job interview, jobs and career articles.

Dedicated websites:   In particular, dedicated websites targeted towards school leavers and
graduates who need additional information when considering career options.

Wider resources:   Gives access to wider resources like salary benchmarking, dealing with
redundancy, unemployment, accessibility issues, further study, training, etc.

Government resources:   There access to government backed resources i.e. Learn Direct.

                                                                                                                                 

Company websites - a useful resource

It is important to review the websites of those companies with of particular interest.
Learn more about the company, its activities and culture.

Larger companies often have dedicated jobs and careers websites.  Register for online email alerts where possible. Smaller companies will nearly always include an email contact in addition to useful company information. 

1) National Press

In the UK, there are a number of quality newspapers or 'daily broadsheets' with vacancies
covering specific industry sectors being advertised at the same time each week.

Such newspapers will also have supporting dedicated websites.
Subscribe to email alerts from such websites.

Remember these vacancies are advertised nationally so there maybe intense competition for
the more appealling job roles.  The main newspapers and job supplements can be found in:

The Times
Tuesday - Law
Wednesday - Secretarial
Thursday - General vacancies
www.timesonline.co.uk

Daily Telegraph
Thursday - General vacancies
Sunday - Repeat advertisements in Sunday Telegraph
www.telegraph.co.uk

The Independent
Wednesday - Accountancy, Finance and Legal
Thursday - Graduate recruitment and general vacancies
Sunday - Business recruitment
www.independent.co.uk

The Guardian
Monday - Creative, media, marketing & PR, sales & secretarial
Tuesday - Education and schools
Wednesday - Public sector jobs, housing, health and social care, environment, etc.
Thursday - IT, computing and science
Saturday - Graduates and general vacancies (repeats from previous days).
www.guardian.co.uk

2) Regional Press

Regional newspapers give access to job vacancies and career advice across a particular region. Some papers breakdown vacancies by county, state or canton or by urban area (i.e. large town or city), etc. Such papers will be released weekly.  Be careful as some vacancies can be slightly out of date.

3) Local Press

These job pages are only printed once a week. It is worthwhile pointing out that most local newspapers
are affiliated with larger internet job search engines, so many vacancies can also be found online.

Local vacancies can be found online, so there is no need to wait for the paper to come out each week. Some local papers will include useful career articles, company profiles, details of local recruitment consultants as well as recruitment campaigns for local companies.

                                                                                                                                 

A useful local & free resource

Libraries often have access to important contact information through employer directories, chamber of commerce and company annual reports, etc. There are often access telephone directories, Yellow Pages and other information sources. Some libraries even have free access to the Internet.

Let someone else help!

Listing job vacancies in the local area.  Recruitment consultants and employment
agencies are competing for credible candidates so it is worthwhile maintaining regular
contact and build a relationship.

Keeping regular contact is required otherwise to show commitment and interest in finding work.  Regular contact will ensures people remain at the forefront of their minds and so be considered for more vacancies.

Recruitment consultants can also offer help with developing contacts & local networking. They will often notify candidates of possible job roles, put CVs forward for pre-selection and are a good source of temporary work.  Some are better than others - be selective!

                                                                                                                                 

Something to consider?

There are a number of CV distribution companies designed to faciliate a candidate match with recruitment consultants, employers & available job vacancies.

The idea is for candidates to register CVs online to match them with current vacancies.
It is normally free for candidates to register their CVs online.

CV distribution companies are a useful intermediary giving access to a pool of CVs of prospective candidates for recruitment consultants and employers to review and target.

Recruitment consultants and employers will pay subscriptions to access such services.

                                                                                                                                 

Dedicated and free career advice

These are designed to give young people help with career research, exploring career options and developing skills, etc. There is help with making job applications and preparation for interviews as well as advice about job vacancies. Many career advisory services offer online help and support through a dedicated website.

Many careers advisory services are affiliated with universities or colleges and provide guidance for those who have recently graduated or about to graduate. There are often dedicated publications, job bulletins and magazines offering career advice and access to job vacancies. Some universities build good working relationships with local employers so it is worthwhile investigating these contacts as a possible resource.

Careers services are available for school leavers. These are normally run by local authorities or 
local government bodies.  They offer useful advice for work, study and additional training.

                                                                                                                                 

A good starting point for many

In the UK, it is a good source of local jobs vacancies and advice.  Job Centres are there to offer additional job hunting support, provide access to job vacancies, help identifying individual
recruitment needs and making a claims for unemployment benefit.

An under-used job hunting technique

Networking with business contacts, friends & family can prove beneficial.  This is often under-used. There is a traditional saying - it's all about 'who you know' (or 'what you know about who you know').

A credible contact can introduce people to useful contacts and possible opportunities can result. This happens more and more.  It is a very good way of seeking out opportunities.

There are many recruitment fairs / evenings - a good way of introducing yourself!

These are main events where a number of employers, recruitment consultants and careers services meet looking to attract a pool of worthwhile candidates.  Candidates attending such fairs are normally very motivated to get jobs.  It can be an effective way of informally introducing people to a company.

These events are often staffed by human resources representatives of recruiting companies so it is important to dress smartly and come well prepared.  Take numerous copies of CVs and act professionally when being introduced to people.  It is important to make a positive impression.

                                                                                                                                 

Taking a look around place - get a feel for a company.

Some companies will allow visitors to attend company recruitment days.  This is particularly relevant when there is a recruitment push for a large company or when there are seasonal requirements for additional employees (i.e. summer holidays, Christmas, etc.).

These events are run by human resources representatives of the recruiting companies so it is
important to dress smartly and come well prepared.  Take copies of your CV and act professionally
when introducing yourself to people.  It is important to make a positive impression. Open days
can give you a useful insight into a company, its working environment and how people feel
about working for the company.

                                               


                     


Job hunting resources - useful advice on seeking out job vacancies!