Carole Ray Coaching

I’ve recently started a new job, working for a homeless charity… Although I loved being freelance after my redundancy, work was becoming more scarce, and the stress of wondering how to pay the rent every month meant being freelance simply stopped being fun. Hence time to find a permanent job again…

But what a time to be looking for a job! With unemployment at 8.3%, job hunting was pretty depressing – in total I was only looking for about four months, but my god it felt longer! It’s tough getting up every morning knowing all that awaits you is yet more trawling through the papers and job websites and endlessly chasing agencies. And when you do get an interview, you’re lucky if they even bother to tell you they’ve given the job to someone else – courtesy seems to be a thing of the past in today’s job market!

There are a few things you can do to keep yourself motivated and focused when looking for a job though – my top five tips for job hunting are:

1. Be happy! Keep your spirits up by getting out of the house, seeing friends and doing the things you love… Yes, you might not want to spend any money, so go for a walk along the canals or go to a free museum or exhibition – anything to remind yourself there is more to life than job hunting and what can feel like endless rejection! A happy, confident candidate will always be more attractive to an employer than a depressed, desperate one!




2. Build relationships with agencies. Employment agencies are deluged with job seekers, so the only way you’re going to stand out is to be a human being – and one they really want to help! Take the time to go in and meet with the agent, and build a relationship with them through regular contact – ask them how they would prefer to be contacted, update them on your availability, and be honest about the kind of work you want so you’re not wasting their time or yours.




3. Stick it out. There’s no point applying for any job you see, especially if you aren’t qualified to do it or won’t enjoy it – it’s really depressing applying for jobs you’re unlikely to get and you’ll just be looking to move on in a few months even if you did. If you really need to get some money coming in, find a part-time job to tide you over while you find what you’re really after.




4. Make the best impression you can. When you get an interview, prepare for it by researching the company thoroughly – it looks really good when you know about projects or products that may be mentioned in the interview. Have an interview outfit that you feel really good in, and make sure it’s clean and ironed for every interview you go to. And why not leave the interview panel with some written references and some work samples (depending on what you do, of course!) – it will help them to see just how good you are at your job, and will make you stand out from the other candidates.




5. See each interview as a stepping stone. Every interview you go to is practise for the one that will get you your dream job – don’t feel down if you don’t get a job, instead think about what went well in the interview and what didn’t, and how you can improve it next time. Ask the company for feedback (although don’t be disappointed if you don’t hear anything, many employers don’t seem to even tell you you haven’t got the job, let alone give interview feedback!) And use each interview to further focus yourself on what it is you really want – which job were you most excited about? Which job were you most disappointed not to get? Those are the jobs you should be applying for more of…

If you’d like some help finding a new job, including a free, no-obligation 15-minute chat to understand how coaching can help you, then email me now at carole@caroleraycoaching.com