JOB HUNTING ADVICE: FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT

With in excess of 2.4 million people claiming unemployment benefit, it is vital to make a good impression and stand out from the crowd... We profile some useful tactics and advice.

Job Hunting Skills: Making First Impressions Count

With so many people applying for every job at the moment - around 2.45 million people are claiming unemployment benefit - making yourself stand out from the crowd couldn't be more important, but how to do it?

First impressions count, and for many jobs the first thing that an employer will see will be a stack of CVs and cover letters. It's important that your CV is well-written, clearly identifying the skills that you want to highlight for that specific role, and that the format is easy to read. There's no point trying to be too clever and use eye catching colours, because generally speaking, employers will print things out in black and white.

Another thing with a CV is that whilst the fundamental aspects of it should stay the same (the structure, and your basic interests and details) the contents can change from application to application. Each employer will be looking for a slightly different skill set, for people with slightly different experiences. Don't be concerned about sending out CVs that are broadly different providing you can back up what you're saying.

When it comes to writing cover letters, as with CVs, there is no perfect formula. If there's no application, the cover letter is vital and it should cover exactly why you want the job and each of the details of the job specification. Remember to use a method called STARR which stands for 'Situation, Task, Action, Result, Reflection, so for example: Situation (you were organising an event) task (you were operating a budget with a turnover of £20,000), action (you kept a detailed spreadsheet monitoring all payments in and out), result (the event was a success and came in under budget), reflection (you learnt to do exactly that specific thing that the employer has said they are looking for).

Always remember to proof everything that you send out, even something as potentially insignificant as a spelling mistake can be the difference between being called for interview and not, so get someone else to read through anything you send out to make sure that it's all perfect.

Although it's difficult, don't be disheartened if you send out lots of CVs and write lots of cover letters, you have to keep trying and make sure you learn from the experience. If you're sending out blind CVs that aren't specifically in relation to an advertised post, be forward and hassle the company until they give you an answer - at least you're showing initiative.

Finally, make sure you look far and wide for jobs, if you're looking for jobs in an area, like jobs in London for example, look at local websites. More generally keep an eye on sites like Reed.co.uk, newspapers, and specific company websites. The more jobs you apply for, the more chance you have of finding a job.