Creative jobsearch

Many jobs are never advertised. You can locate/create opportunities that are not advertised by developing an effective and creative job search strategy. This will require good research, organisational and communication skills but is not as difficult as it sounds.


Doing your homework

  • Do as much research as possible to find out:
  • About the occupation in which you’re interested
  • The career structure for that occupation
  • The relevant professional organisations
  • What qualifications / training are required
  • Who potential employers are - those that don’t advertise may well have fewer applicants
  • Who to contact at each organisation
  • Graduate employment trends in that industry


Developing a job search strategy

Once you’ve done your research, it’s time to develop a job search strategy; this involves networking and getting your foot in the door. Try to avoid sending out hundreds of speculative applications - your approach must be more focused.
The strategy you develop depends on your own circumstances and the nature of the work you want. Two weapons at your disposal are networking and informational interviews


Networking

  • Networking doesn’t mean asking for a job, it’s about:
  • Getting information / finding out what people do
  • Making contacts
  • Arranging work experience
  • Perhaps even getting a reference
  • Make lists of contacts - you can get ideas from friends, family, colleagues, alumni databases, employer directories, Careers and Recruitment Fairs, specialist exhibitions and magazines, student membership of professional societies and institutes
  • Keep a record of your contacts and any correspondence


Arranging information interviews

Information interviews are contacts with employers to:

  • Network
  • Find out more about a particular role/organisation
  • Find out how to break into a particular career

Information interviewing is a great way of getting your foot in the door. It’s up to you how you contact an employer - the size of the company and your confidence will dictate your strategy. You could:

  • Write a letter of introduction and follow it up with a phone call to ask for information
  • Phone a named contact in a company and ask if you can visit them to talk about working within their industry. (Watch the AGCAS video “Can I have a few minutes of your time?” available in Careers Information Centre)
  • Talk to employers at a Careers Fair or University employer presentation and arrange a company visit