Things to do when you can’t find a job

9 things to do when you can’t find a job!

1- Keep applying for jobs

Never give up applying for jobs as they won’t come to you by magic, you will have to go to job hunting. Try lots of different recruitment ideas, don’t stick with just using the internet. You will get a much more positive response if you go out and talk to employers face to face. Many employers never advertise their jobs online as they want to employ people locally and people who they know personally. Don’t be shy to ask about current job openings, in the worst case they will say they don’t have any vacancies currently.

2- Improve your CV

Increase the skills on your CV by joining courses. There are a variety of courses available from local authorities free of charge. Even the online courses will demonstrate your willingness to learn and improve, and will help you produce a better, stronger CV. Learning another language, even if its not fluently, will still help.

3- Consider apprenticeships

With the Government initiatives, many companies are interested in taking apprenticeships to train new people for their businesses. The best way to find apprenticeship opportunities is searching online.

4- Volunteering?

Its by far the the best way to gain experience and get your foot through the door in a career. Never underestimate the power of volunteer work on your CV. Experience is experience whether its coming from paid employment or voluntary.

It’s easy to find a volunteer job. Just go online, check out boards locally, or pop into a local employer in the field that you wish to work in, and see if they will take you on free of charge for a short period.

5- How about your CV

Don’t forget that your potential employer will spend only about 7 seconds reviewing your CV, but your CV will probably be checked by a machine. Ensure that you include the key words listed on the job description, and avoid spelling and grammatical errors so that it passes the first ‘robot CV test’ and then your CV has a better chance of being seen by human eyes.

6- Accept lower pays

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Working for less money than you would usually earn can be a necessity sometimes, especially when you don’t have anything in hand.

Don’t forget that getting a job while you are already employed is a lot easier then searching for jobs when you are unemployed.

7- Your own business?

Its not all about working for someone else in this life. How about starting your own business? You don’t even have to rent a place, you can do trade on Ebay or Amazon etc. Buying cheap stuff from AliExpress and selling them online plus profit would do nicely. It’s a difficult market to get into though, so make sure you have a unique selling point, perhaps making items individual in some way or packaging in a more appealing way.

8- Interview preparation

If you have followed the CV tips above you should expect to have lots of job interviews following your applications. Securing an interview is not very difficult however surviving in one of them is the hard job.

Appearance is one of the key aspects. Look neat and professional however you don’t have to spend lots of money to buy them for the interview. You can find bargain suits and outfits in second-hand and charity shops (perhaps while you’re improving your CV volunteering!) or dress up your casual stuff for a business look.

9- Social media

Employers won’t ask you many questions these days because all the answers they are looking for are on your Facebook, Twitter or any other social networking sites that you are actively using.

Just check out your profile and see if you could employ yourself or not! Make sure you’re not sharing very personal information or photos that you would rather an employer not see.

photo by: arman dz