Kick-start your 2018 job search with these tips

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Searching for a job is no longer simply scanning the back pages of the local newspaper. The vast majority of our employment hunt is conducted online, so kick-start your 2018 job search with these tips.

1. Understand the latest widgets, gadgets and tools that will enable your job search

Firstly, you need to work out what tools you’re going to use to conduct your job search. 

Start by signing up to a recruitment agency. The experts there have exceptional market knowledge, and you can rely on them to source job opportunities that match your skills and aims. 

It’s also worth using a job board. These sites typically contain job listings posted directly from employers and recruitment agencies. Thus, the legwork for job searching has already been done for you; you simply need to filter the results to match your requirements. 

Also, consider adding a job search Facebook application to your profile that will show you up to the minute job advertisements. 

You might even like to insert your LinkedIn profile to your email signature block to ensure that every recipient knows that you’re actively job seeking and what you’re looking for.

2. Get organised

If you haven’t already, create a professional sounding email address. Think firstname.lastname@gmail.com, or something similar, and keep it solely for job applications. No one will take bunnygirl365@hotmail.com seriously, so keep that for personal use only. 

Add your new email address to your phone’s mail application to ensure you never miss a reply from a potential employer and so you can respond in a timely manner. In our era of instant communications, leaving it more than 24 hours could be seriously detrimental to your job search.

3. Update your CV

Before you start submitting job enquiries or filling out application forms, make sure your CV is up to date and formatted correctly. It’s OK to send out a generic CV if you’re prospectively enquiring, but if you’re responding to a job advert, tailoring your CV is a must. 

Keep an up to date and ready to edit version of your CV to hand, allowing you to edit and submit it should you find spare time throughout your day to job hunt. There’s no time like the present to submit an application; you don’t want turn up late to the party and miss it.

4. Clean up online

If you want to be taken seriously in your job search, you need to take it seriously. Don’t think for one minute that a potential employer won’t type your name into a search engine and spend five minutes clicking on the results. Your online presence will reveal more truthful information about you than your sensible CV, so make sure it says what you want it to say.  

Set all of your social media accounts to private so that recruiters can only see the most basic of information about you. Delete any potentially offensive posts, no matter how funny you think they are. If they can be misconstrued in any way, you can rest assured they will be. 

Don’t give employers a reason not to hire you.

5. Get your story straight.

Finally, whatever the legitimate reason for your job search, there may be some elements that should not be revealed to potential employers. So, establish your reasons for your job search and memorise them. 

Work out what aspects of your job history you want to use in your future employment and use them to guide your background story. How does it all fit into what you are trying to achieve professionally? Why does it make you the ideal candidate for the role? Answer these questions, and you’ll have a January job in no time. 

CV-Library is the UK’s leading independent job board. For more expert advice on job searches, careers and the workplace, visit their Career Advice pages.