How to find a job This leaflet aims to help you to identify the main sources of graduate-level vacancies. It also offers information on the socalled hidden job market that could help you to discover alternative ways of getting a job. Companies and other organisations have different ways of filling their vacancies. You will need to use a variety of sources to find the most relevant vacancies for you. You also need to be prepared to be creative and proactive with your vacancy searching. If you are looking for a job locally you might also be interested in the Working in Sussex and the South East leaflet and webpage www.brighton.ac.uk/careers/looking-for-work/workingin-sussex-and-the-south-east.html You may also want to visit our Researching Careers web pages, many of which give information on where you can find vacancies in specific employment sectors. Finding Vacancies The University of Brighton advertises graduate vacancies, internships and other opportunities through its online Vacancy and Events Service. Current students and graduates are invited to register to use the service at: www.brighton.ac.uk/careers/jobs-volunteering/ Artyfacts is a monthly news and vacancies bulletin produced by the Careers Centre for artists and designers. It is available by subscription for £10.00 for ten issues to UK addresses or £14.00 to addresses in the EU. Mailing prices for other destinations are available on request. Please contact the careers centre at Grand Parade to subscribe. Contact details can be found at the end of this leaflet. For current students and staff, Artyfacts can be accessed through studentcentral, you will need your login details to gain access. You can access a wide range of local vacancies via our Brighton-area Twitter page. We'll be updating and expanding this page on a regular basis so make sure you follow us and keep in the loop. http://twitter.com/uniofbrightonjw/brighton-area The Careers Centres also receive a number of publications throughout the year that also contain vacancies: Prospects Finalist Target Jobs magazine Real World magazine Arts Professional (Grand Parade only) Artists Newsletter (AN) (Grand Parade only) Newspapers Jobs advertised in the press usually have a closing date within a few weeks and the opportunity is usually available immediately. Therefore these jobs are more suitable for those about to graduate or who have already graduated. The university libraries have a collection of newspapers available for reference. Details of these jobs can also be located through newspaper websites. See below for details for the days certain jobs are advertised. Regional Press If you know which part of the country you want to live/work in, you should consult the local press in that area. A full list of UK newspapers is available at: www.mediauk.com/newspapers or www.wrx.zen.co.uk In addition to this, Fish4Jobs www.fish4.co.uk/ and Jobs Today www.jobstoday.co.uk/ contain vacancies from a range of regional newspapers, including The Argus for Brighton and Hove, Eastbourne Herald and Hastings Observer. National Most national newspapers carry advertisements for graduate vacancies. Different sector opportunities are advertised on certain days of the week (see below). You should also look at newspapers’ websites and sign up for alerts when relevant vacancies come in. Creative & Media Guardian/Observer - Mon Independent - Tues Times – Thurs Education & Research Guardian/Observer - Tues Independent - Thurs Times – Tues/Thurs Marketing & Sales Daily Telegraph - Thurs Guardian/Observer - Mon Independent - Tues Times - Thurs Business & Finance Daily Telegraph - Thurs Guardian/Observer - Sun Independent - Wed Times - Thurs Public Sector Daily Telegraph – Thurs/Sun Guardian/Observer - Wed Times - Tues IT Guardian/Observer – Thurs/Sun Independent - Mon Times - Thurs Jobs Supplement Daily Telegraph - Thurs Guardian/Observer – Sat/Sun Times - Thurs Science, Engineering, Technology Daily Telegraph – Tues/Thurs Guardian/Observer - Thurs International Links to on-line newspapers world-wide are available from AJR NewsLink at: http://newslink.org or www.kidon.com/medialink/index.php Prospects Careers has information, starting points and contacts for different countries through the country profile section of their website www.prospects.ac.uk/links/countries The book Best Resumes and CVs for International Jobs is available for reference at careers centres in Brighton and Eastbourne. Other Print Sources Periodicals and Journals Many job vacancies appear in specialist journals. Whilst experience may be required for these jobs they are still worth investigating to give you an idea of the companies recruiting in your field. For periodicals and journals in specific occupational areas see the Researching Careers section of our website. Willings Press Guide also has details of journals. The current edition is held at Aldrich and Queenwood libraries. The University of Brighton libraries have copies of or access to many professional journals that relate to the subject disciplines of the university, see http://library.brighton.ac.uk/ Jobs on the Internet – Regional/National/International employers Increasingly companies are prioritising internet-based recruitment methods. Sites that specialise in graduate vacancies are listed on our page www.brighton.ac.uk/careers/looking-for-work/finding-vacancies. We also have a list of regional vacancy sites covering the UK from Scotland to Cornwall. We review new sites and add links on a regular basis so be sure to check in often. Many of these sites will have a sign-up service. Jobs that meet your criteria can be emailed to you or made available via an RSS feed. It is very easy to get overwhelmed by the number of emails and vacancies you are sent. It pays to be selective about which sites you sign up to. Make sure the sites offer vacancies in your area or sector, and that ask for a suitable level of qualification. If you don’t know what you want to do career-wise you might find our leaflet or webpage Getting started with your Career Planning useful. Employers’ websites Look up the human resources/personnel section and check regularly for vacancies. To find a company website use Google, or use a local employer directory or trade association directory. If the employer isn’t currently advertising vacancies you are interested in, you could try making a speculative application – see the information on finding employers and speculative applications later in this leaflet. You may find smaller companies don’t use newspapers or vacancy sites to advertise because of the costs involved. You may have to make more effort to seek out these employers, using the directory resources mentioned above. Professional Bodies Professional bodies sometimes advertise vacancies within their profession – this might be on their website or via a mailing list. The Researching Careers section on our website has details of professional bodies in each sector. Alternatively you could search the Trade Association Forum site www.taforum.org/ or consult the Directory of British Associations, the current edition is held at Aldrich and St Peters House Libraries. Recruitment agencies Larger employers often use recruitment agencies to promote vacancies as well as manage the selection and recruitment for those vacancies. Some agencies offer general recruitment and some more specialist; focusing on graduate recruitment or specific sectors or locations. See our web page on recruitment agencies – which offers details of agencies and advice about using them in your job search. Sector and occupation-specific websites The Researching Careers section of our website contains careers information on sectors and occupations. As well as much of the information above, this area also includes links to websites that specialise in recruitment in specific occupations and sectors. Graduate Prospects also has links to a wide range of sector-specific sites in www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs_and_work_experience. These are found in their A-Z directory of generic role profiles ‘Types of Jobs’. Other types of vacancies See the Looking for work page on our website which contains vacancy information if you are looking to: Work or volunteer abroad, including taking a gap year Undertake a placement or work experience Find a teaching post Find and apply for part-time, seasonal or vacation work Research workplace issues – vacancy sources that seek to address imbalances in the workforce and promote diversity. If you are considering undertaking a graduate scheme, please see the information on our website www.brighton.ac.uk/careers/looking-forwork/graduate-training-scheme for specific vacancy sources. RSS Feeds and Social Media RSS stands for ‘Really Simple Syndication’ and is the technology behind social media resources such as Facebook and Twitter. By setting up RSS feeds vacancies can be sent to you as and when they are advertised. This saves you the trouble of remembering to check sites daily for new jobs. Browse job sites offering the kinds of vacancies you’re interested in and look out for vacancy lists that can be captured by RSS feeds. Look for this icon (displayed in orange): Click on this icon to set up a feed to your web browser’s ‘Favourites’ list. Alternatively you can use an RSS Reader such as Google Reader, Pageflakes or Netvibes. Right click on the orange RSS icon and select ‘copy shortcut’. The RSS feed’s URL address can then be pasted into the RSS reader to display the feed. For help with setting up an RSS Feed in Google see the Google Reader Help Page: www.google.com/intl/en_uk/googlereader/help. Increasingly Employers are using social media networks like Twitter and LinkedIn to advertise vacancies and often accept applications direct through these sites. Twitter is a useful source of real-time information, including job vacancies. You can view most content without having your own account. However, if you sign up you can contact recruiters directly and ‘follow’ them to receive automatic vacancy updates. http://twitter.com TwitJobSearch is a vacancy search engine powered by Twitter. You can search by job title, location and keyword. You can also search via an interactive ‘job map’ to focus on jobs in specific locations. http://www.twitjobsearch.com LinkedIn has been used by job seekers to contact employers directly and show off their skills and experience to organisations looking to recruit. Linkedin Jobs is a new feature which lets you search and apply for jobs advertised on the site. http://www.linkedin.com/jobs To find out more about using social media to network with employers see the section below on Networking Online. Other ways of finding a job – Finding employers Finding employers within an employment sector Professional Associations: Associations such as the Law Society or the IET have details of member firms on their websites. Our Researching Careers web pages have more details on professional bodies operating in each sector. Search the Trade Association Forum site www.taforum.org/ or consult the Directory of British Associations, the current edition is held at Aldrich and St Peters House Libraries. Graduate Scheme Directories: Even if you are not sure about applying for a graduate scheme these can provide details of companies recruiting graduates. Popular directories include the Real Prospects Directory and GET Directory. Copies are available to take away at Careers Centres and Partner Colleges. The Careers Centre also receives a number of sector specific careers publications in areas such as Engineering, Finance, Law and Property. They include details of companies recruiting, job profiles and case studies. Copies are available from careers centres; see also our information on ‘Graduate Schemes’ www.brighton.ac.uk/careers/looking-for-work/graduate-trainingscheme.html Employer directories/databases: Available online or in paper form and giving lists of employers within an industry sector. General directories include Kompass, Kelly's Industrial Pages, Key British Enterprises, Who Owns Whom and DIAL Industry – available for reference in university/public libraries. Graduate employer directories include the Times Top 100, The Guardian 300 and Ireland’s Top 100 Graduate Employers. Available as reference copies or to take away at Careers Centres Sector-specific publications – for example Hollis PR & Marketing Handbooks, Willings Press Guide, Consultant Engineers 500, Environmental Consultants Directory, Solicitors Regional Directories and Benn’s Media UK. Details of directories within specific sectors can be found on the relevant Researching Careers page on the Careers Centre website. Online alljobsuk.com is and internet database of some major UK companies www.alljobsuk.com/employers Applegate Directory for industry, technology and manufacturing in the UK and Ireland www.applegate.co.uk Hoovers Online for company, industry and market intelligence and market intelligence www.hoovers.com/freeuk Destinations of Leavers of Higher Education (DLHE) report - This is a report detailing where graduates are working or studying six months after graduation. All UK universities conduct their own survey, the University of Brighton survey is online at: www.brighton.ac.uk/aboutus/facts/destination.php?PageId=705 Finding employers within a geographic area Careers Centre web pages: See the leaflet or webpage ‘Working in Sussex and the South East’ www.brighton.ac.uk/careers/looking-forwork/working-in-sussex-and-the-south-east.html for information on local employers and business directories. Careers centres at other universities: will usually have local careers and labour market information and may produce directories of local firms. A list of UK university careers services can be found on the Prospects website www.prospects.ac.uk click on ‘careers advice’, then ‘Your university careers service’. Local Councils: Often have business or economic development resources with information about local industry/employers. An A-Z listing of local councils is available at www.direct.gov.uk/ - search for ‘local authorities’. Local Libraries: Search their catalogue for business directories. To find your local library service, use www.direct.gov.uk/ to find your local council, as above. Libraries will be listed with other council services. Employer directories/databases: Many of the resources mentioned in the previous section can be searched and sorted by location as well as sector. In addition, directories of local information include: Brighton & Hove Business Directory: www.burrows.co.uk/brighton Cadia Business Directory - Gatwick Diamond Business Association www.gatwickdiamondbusiness.org.uk CDEC: University of Sussex employer database www.sussex.ac.uk/careers/jobs/researchingemployers/employers County Web: www.countyweb.co.uk, search locally and nationally for businesses. ESCIS: information about community organisations and charities in East Sussex www.escis.org.uk/Directory/All_areas Kompass Directories: Only the paper versions are searchable by geographic area. Available at Aldrich Library. South East Media Network (SEMN): collective group of agencies supporting the media sector in the South East www.semn.org.uk Sussex Enterprise www.sussexenterprise.co.uk Sussex Innovation Centre - technology businesses www.sinc.co.uk Wired Sussex - new media jobs and directory www.wiredsussex.com Yellow pages: Visit www.yell.co.uk See our web resources on ‘work/volunteering abroad’ for information on employers operating abroad: www.brighton.ac.uk/careers/lookingfor-work/work-volunteer-abroad Other ways of finding a job - Making speculative applications You may be having difficulty finding vacancies in your field. You may also be interested in working in a very competitive field; for example, media or the arts. If so, you may wish to contact employers directly about the possibility of working for them – this is known as making a speculative application. A speculative application involves approaching an organisation about the possibility of working for them. It is an unsolicited application rather than in response to an advertised vacancy. Some jobs, for example those in media and the arts, are so popular that employers often have enough good speculative applications. As a result they do not need to advertise vacancies. Once you have identified the employers you wish to approach you will need a high quality CV, tailored to that company and a concise covering letter written specifically for them. Emphasise your knowledge of the company and the skills you have that may be of interest to them. If you are applying for a creative role, be aware that there is a huge amount of competition and your application must be of a very high standard to get noticed. If you are a designer (in any field; web, product, graphics), include good quality examples of your work - this could be a link to an online portfolio, showreel or story board, or previous projects that you have worked on. See our website section on ‘Applications and Interviews’ for information on CV and letter writing, as well as some information on creative applications www.brighton.ac.uk/careers/applications-andinterviews/index.html. The Creative CV Guide is available for reference at the Grand Parade careers centre. Tips for making speculative applications Always address applications to the most relevant person, using their name. A phone call to the company is an effective way to get this information. This will avoid your application being passed around and ensures it gets to the most relevant person quickly. Research the company and establish why you are interested in working for them. Is the company one of the most reputable and successful in its sector? Do you share their ethos and values? What interests you about the projects that they have worked on? Whatever your reasons for your application explain them clearly in your covering letter. Be clear about what you want to do and explain what you can do for their company. Don’t just send your CV and ask if they have any jobs! Tell them what you would really like to do and emphasise your strong interest in them. Always follow up your application with a phone call. Try to arrange a meeting to discuss any opportunities. This shows you are serious about your application and are keen to work for them. Say you will do this in your covering letter and do it! For guidance about researching the company you are interested in visit our website page ‘Do your research – researching a company’ www.brighton.ac.uk/careers/applications-and-interviews/do-yourresearch.html Other ways of finding a job – Networking Networking is the process of making appropriate contacts in your profession or sector that can help you while you build up skills, gain experience and eventually secure the type of job you want. Networking occurs in many settings, both formal and informal, such as at professional events, careers fairs, conferences, workshops and parties as well as online via social networking. Effective networking You might equate networking with schmoozing and recoil at the idea, or you may think you don’t have any contacts to network with. Don’t despair; your networking opportunities may be more extensive than you think. Work experience: Does the company or organisation you want to work for offer work experience? For example the BBC has a section dedicated to offering work experience. They get so many requests each year from people wanting to work for them that they ask people to look at what they offer and apply. Work experience schemes can be very competitive so it’s really important to submit a high quality application. Temping: This can be another good way of getting your foot in the door and making contacts within an organisation that you want to work for. If you have a clear idea of the type of company you want to work for you could find out which recruitment agencies they use to find temporary staff. This would allow you to work there and to get an inside view of the company. Getting information on actual posts: Get a clear idea of the job that you want and see what it actually involves. Send off for application packs and job descriptions to gain more details. Research the occupation/industry so you know about the issues or trends on the sector, including current events or news, emerging markets, hidden opportunities. This insider information will help you to demonstrate genuine interest to an employer as well as giving you conversation topics. Who do you know in the field? Did you make contacts on a work placement? Do your tutors have any contacts? Do you have friends or family with contacts? Approach the Brighton Graduate Association www.brighton.ac.uk/alumni. They could put you in touch with former Brighton graduates working in the sector/job that interests you. Have you met any contacts at careers fairs or visits? Networking online using social media The term ‘social media’ includes networks like Facebook and LinkedIn, blogging sites like Wordpress and Twitter, and new 'social' technology like RSS. However its function is not just 'social'. Businesses have already started to realise the potential of marketing and recruiting through social media. Employers are now screening candidates, posting vacancies and even hiring directly in this medium. If you are considering whether to use social media to network and look for jobs it is important to bear in mind that: Research suggests that social media will continue to grow and develop, becoming almost ubiquitous in business and recruitment. The world of social media is constantly changing, so experiment, explore and try and keep up with the trends. Whilst social media can be a powerful job hunting tool, you shouldn’t ignore other methods of finding work - some employers won't use social media at all. You can stay up to date with all the trends and developments in social media at Mashable.com, a social media news site, or for more specific news on the world of online recruitment visit www.ri5.co.uk. Social media can be a very effective networking tool as one of its primary functions is communication. Whilst the principals of networking are the same in every medium, social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn have made the process easier and more accessible. This section shows some of the ways that social media can be used to network and provides some tips to help you stay ahead of the competition: LinkedIn www.linkedin.com LinkedIn is a social networking site for businesses and professionals. Your profile is effectively your online CV, and you interact with other users in order to share business ideas, increase your contacts and look for work. LinkedIn is probably the easiest place to start networking and is common practice to sign up as a student and start connecting with employers, groups and organisations. To get started with using LinkedIn to network and job hunt, visit the LinkedIn learning centre for students - learn.linkedin.com/students - or their career services site careerservices.linkedin.com. Facebook www.facebook.com As the most popular network for students and graduates, employers are increasingly turning to Facebook for their recruitment needs. Sometimes this is as simple as promoting their vacancies in a graduate-rich environment, though it is becoming more and more common for larger employers to expect direct involvement from potential candidates. In the past Deloitte and T-Mobile have set up Facebook groups for their graduate interns to get to know each other, and recently advertisers Saatchi & Saatchi recruited via a competition to create the most popular Facebook group. By making your profile recruiter friendly, searching for the employers you are interested in and taking an active involvement, where appropriate, in their Facebook page, you open up another possibility of securing graduate employment. With the introduction of career networking application BranchOut, it is likely that Facebook's potential as a career tool is yet to be fully realised. www.branchout.com Twitter http://twitter.com Twitter is a micro-blogging site in which users can post updates of no more than 140 characters. Another hugely popular social network, it is used by many employers. Networking on Twitter can be as simple as following someone - they will get a message letting them know you have shown an interest and may even follow you back. Twitter also gives you the option of 'mentioning' a recruiter in a tweet by putting @ infront of their username, re-tweeting something they have posted or joining in with a hashtag trend that a recruiter has started. Not everyone uses Twitter, so think about using an application which displays your tweets on your LinkedIn or Facebook profile. Alternatively if you update another profile most frequently with 'employer friendly' statuses, then use an application that sends these messages to Twitter. It will save you have to post updates more than once whilst increasing the chance that you are seen by a prospective employer. If you are unfamiliar with Twitter or some of its more advanced functions then the Twitter Basics help centre page should be able to answer all of your questions. http://support.twitter.com/groups/31twitter-basics When networking online: Just having a social network account isn't enough - you need to use it. The more effort you put in, the more you’ll get out of it. Be polite, courteous, respectful and helpful. Show that you're interested in the employer and their opportunities. Always write professionally, with accurate spelling and grammar. Use the right level of formality to suit the occasion. Don't go overboard and hassle an employer too much. Interact where appropriate and do enough to help you stand out and prove you're a good, confident communicator. Remember, social networking is no substitute for the real thing. Don’t be tempted to hide behind the anonimity of a social media account. Try and back up online contact with a face-to face meeting when appropriate. Using social media and your online presence Your online presence consists of all the information about you on the internet - this usually comes from your social network profiles, blogs and other interactions on the 'social web'. Before you begin to search and apply for jobs, it is important that your online presence says the right things about you. With over half of employers now using social networking sites to screen candidates (source: careerbuilder.co.uk), what you say and do online could prevent you getting an interview or even cause you to lose your job. However don't be put off using social media - having lots of social networking profiles and regularly engaging with social media is generally seen by employers as a good thing. It shows you can use new web technologies and also allows employers to get an idea of what you are like beyond your CV. Here are some points to bear in mind: There’s no such thing as a completely private social media site. Search engines can find posts years after publication – even ones you have deleted. Check your privacy settings - make sure any negative information (a compromising photo from a night out for example) is not available to the general public. Think about having separate accounts for 'business' and 'personal' use, or using different sites for different functions. Use LinkedIn as your professional profile and Facebook for your personal networking. Make sure your various social media profiles are connected in some way. Use applications to link your profiles together, mention your other profiles in your contact details or have a theme running through all your sites (by using the same avatar or colour scheme for instance). Don't talk negatively about your current or previous employers using social media. If in doubt, don't mention your job at all. Show you know what you're doing with social media - be confident, use the right terminology and get to know all the applications, sites and trends that social networkers are using. Make sure your achievements, success stories and good qualities are out there for potential employers to see. Build a good online portfolio, write an interesting blog or get recommended on LinkedIn - when employers put your name into Google, ensure they see you at your best. Most importantly be aware of your own privacy and the need to protect your identity. Don't give out information that can be used against you. For more information on your online presence, read the University of Brighton article 'Want a job? Clean up your e-profile!' on the Information Services website. Arrange a meeting Once you have some contacts, try and arrange a meeting to gain advice and discuss any possible opportunities. Before the meeting, plan some questions/areas for discussion such as: Can you describe a typical working week? What do you enjoy most? Would you recommend any particular experience/training relevant to this field? How did you get into the role? Has the role changed? If you get the opportunity you could show the contact your CV or portfolio and seek advice on how to pursue your occupation. You could ask: How does my CV look? What would you change or modify? Do you have any advice or ideas for me? Who else should I be talking to? Are there any groups or events I should attend? Are there any publications I should read? What would you do if you were me? Do not expect your contacts to help you and don’t ask directly for a job. If you are enthusiastic and optimistic, you can start to build up relationships. If they like you, they are more likely to want to help or even give you a job. After meeting a contact Always thank them for their time and advice. Make a note of what you have found out to remind yourself when applying for jobs. For more information other ways of finding a job see our pages on: Networking: www.brighton.ac.uk/careers/looking-for-work/networking Making speculative applications: www.brighton.ac.uk/careers/looking-for-work/making-speculativeapplications Further Information: Can I have a few minutes of your time? For tips on how to approach people, and on the whole topic of networking. (AGCAS video: Moulsecoomb, Falmer, Eastbourne) Successful Networking: How to Build New Networks for Career and Company Progression Kogan Page 2010 (copies at Brighton and Eastbourne sites) Brilliant Networking: what the best networkers know, do and say Pearson, Prentice Hall 2008 (copies at Brighton sites) Contact your Careers Centre Come and carry out your research, make an individual appointment to discuss your plans (or lack of them). Moulsecoomb Careers Centre First Floor, Manor House, Moulsecoomb Place, Brighton BN2 4GA (01273) 642855 [email protected] Falmer Careers Centre E Wing, Checkland Building Village Way, Falmer, Brighton BN2 9PH (01273) 643584 [email protected] Grand Parade Careers Centre Student Services, 1st Floor, Grand Parade, Brighton BN2 2JY (01273) 643187/3 careers.grandparade @brighton.ac.uk Eastbourne Careers Centre First Floor, Room 113, Trevin Towers, Gaudick Road, Eastbourne BN20 7SP (01273) 643845 careers.eastbourne @brighton.ac.uk University Centre Hastings LRC, First floor, UCH, Havelock Road, Hastings, TN34 1DQ. (01273) 644636 [email protected] A careers counsellor is usually available on Mondays. Careers Centres are usually open Monday - Friday 9.30am - 4.30pm studentcentral: select ‘Careers & Part - time jobs’ from the ‘Student Life’ menu on your home page https://studentcentral.brighton.ac.uk/webapps/login/ This leaflet is available online at www.brighton.ac.uk/careers or in alternative formats – please ask for details. December 2010
© Copyright 2024