Whether you’re looking for better career prospects, a bigger financial package or flexible working hours, knowing how to job-hunt is key.
The job search is serious business. Yet every day, educated people with great skills and impressive career histories are losing out because they have mistakes on their CVs, arrive late for interviews and don’t do sufficient research.
WHERE TO LOOK
A 2008 Work In Life survey revealed that print and online media are the top two sources for job hunting. “If you’re serious about a career change, you’ll use every method of getting your CV out there,” says Brenda Bensted-Smith, CEO of recruitment company, Ad Talent. Surf the Internet, scope out newspaper recruitment pages, try recruitment agencies, tap family and friends and network within your industry. “Online is big,” says Bensted-Smith, and the online recruitment website CareerJunction has over one million registered job seekers, and over 45000 jobs advertised monthly.
GET CV SAVVY
Your CV is not meant to be a detailed biography. “Research shows that employers take 30 seconds to scan a job application. Ensure your experience and skills are communicated with a concise, relevant CV,” advises Andrea Jones, recruitment advisor at Source Recruitment.
Poor spelling and grammar on CVs and covering letters don’t make a good impression, no matter how brilliant your professional record. “Your present job should be in the present tense and your past jobs should be in the past tense,” says Ad Talent MD, Larissa Sparg. People check dates on CVs and even a small lie will leave you rejected. “Recruitment companies let other recruiters know if a candidate fails a background check”, warns Jones.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Background research on the company is essential. Read the information on their website and search online for recent articles about the company. This will allow you to tailor your interview answers accordingly, and will put you in a stronger position to ask relevant questions. “You have to answer the critical question of why you’d like to work for that organisation,” says Elsabf Manning, executive coach and author of Up the Corporate Ladder (Umuzi). A potential employer could also do an internet search, so keep a clean profile on social networking sites such as Facebook, says CareerJunction CEO Kris Jarzebowski.
SALARY SPEAK
To negotiate your salary, you need to know what your skills and experience are worth in the market. Different criteria can influence the salary range of a position, including the level of responsibility, target industry, geographic location, and current availability or desirability of your specific expertise. Most of CareerJunction’s advertised jobs state the salary package offered, which is useful in evaluating your own market value. Target your research at similar companies, suggests Jones, then articulate this in terms of past achievements and expertise when negotiating your salary package with a prospective employer.
THE TOP FIVE MOST POPULAR JOB SEARCH SITES
1. Sunday Times / The Times Careers www.thetimes.co.za
2. Career Junction www.careerjunction.co.za
3. Careers24 www.careers24.com
4. Job Mail www.jobmail.co.za
5. Jobs4U www.jobs4u.co.za
Source: The 2008 Work in Life Survey conducted by Avusa
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