How to Look For New Opportunities and Land Your Next Job

• How to find the perfect job
• Identify your soft and hard skills
• Learn how to tell your story to potential employers

Before you embark on landing that dream job, take a moment to reflect on what you really want from your new role. Knowing this can help you identify what to look for throughout your job search and put your best foot forward.

The first step is defining the types of jobs that appeal to you. Next, you should think about which industries or companies you’d like to work for. Most will require certain qualifications or skills, so you need to make a list of what you can offer. Lastly, you should spend time rehearsing how you’ll persuade potential employers you’re right for the job.

Start by defining what’s important to you. For example, what do you love doing?; which sectors or companies would suit you best?; and if you could list five things you want from a job, what would they be?

Defining the Next Steps in Your Journey

• What opportunities are out there?
• Which factors influence your decision making?
• What do you want to achieve?
• What can you do if you lack particular skills?

Set S.M.A.R.T Career Goals

• Specific: I want to work as a Finance Manager at a startup
• Measurable: I will have achieved this when I receive a job offer
• Achievable: I am currently working as a Finance Intern
• Realistic: I have the knowledge and skills required
• Time-bound: I want to have achieved this goal in two years’ time

It’s Never Too Late to Develop Your Skills

• Take courses
• Attend talks and events
• Gain experience and insights

How to Structure Your Job Search

Managing your job search can seem like a huge project, but with the right approach and tools, you’ll be able to do this effectively and efficiently.

• Set up Google Alerts to automatically receive the latest news and articles about companies that appeal to you
• Develop your network and personal connections to increase your chances of getting job referrals.
• Make valuable new contacts by attending industry events and conferences.
• Search for relevant LinkedIn groups and make valuable contributions to their discussions.

Managing your job search can feel like a mammoth task, but using the right tools will make the process much easier and quicker.

Use All the Tools at Your Disposal

• Search engines
• Job boards
• Your networks
• Careers advisors

Explore Every Opportunity

• Discover new ways of working
• Identify trends
• Research roles and requirements

Keep an Eye Out For Key Information

• Daily tasks and responsibilities
• Specific skills or experience required for the role
• Commitment to personal development
• Salary and location

Develop Your Personal Brand

• Why creating a personal brand online matters
• How to start developing your personal brand online

Recruiters often have to sift through piles of applications before shortlisting their candidates. So what can you do to make sure you stand out from the crowd? Developing a solid and authentic online presence can help you engage recruiters and give them a clear and accurate indication of who you are.

Don’t worry about publishing everything at once. Instead, schedule time to post regularly, and keep your content a consistent quality. Always use the social media sites that are likely to get you noticed by the right people, and remember that your personal brand should be a true and authentic reflection of who you are.

Having a strong online presence helps you stand out from other candidates, and gives potential employers a better idea of who you are and what you can do.

Create a Compelling Personal Brand

• Re-evaluate your social media
• Create a LinkedIn profile
• Join in discussions and network
• Share engaging content

Check Your Digital Footprint

• Content you share
• Pages you follow
• Posts you are tagged in

Prepare For Your Job Interview

Coming to your job interview prepared, relaxed and informed can be the difference you need to really make that lasting impression.

Before the interview, you should prepare a list of relevant questions to ask the interviewer. During the interview, you should be mindful of your body language and nonverbal communication. Lastly, when the interview is over, you should follow up with a quick email to say thanks for the opportunity.

Having a list of relevant questions will help you learn more about the role, and show potential employers you’re serious about the job.

Reflect on objects that are important to you and establish your key criteria:

• Must-have (Salary — Location — Contracted hours — Company Culture — Role — Responsibility — Progression)
• Nice-to-have (Training- Flexibility — Support
• Take or Leave

Build Confidence With Self-Promotion

Learning how to speak openly about your accomplishments helps others understand your strengths and skills.

Understanding the power of self-promotion will help you make others aware of the unique contribution you can make.

Most people shy away from self-promotion as they feel like it’s bragging. Instead, they’d sooner try and wait for someone to recognise their achievements before promoting them. Your best public relations person is you! Knowing this is the first step to becoming an expert self-promoter.

Self-promotion can help reveal your untapped potential. The more accurately you talk about your talents and achievements, the more likely the person you’re speaking to will make the right decisions about you.

Self-promotion is about educating the relevant people about the skills and value that you can bring to the organisation.

Explore What Makes You Stand Out

Speaking openly about your accomplishments in the workplace and beyond can be challenging, but is the only way to ensure others will know about your experience, your talents, what you’ve achieved and what you’re capable of.

How to Practice Self-Promotion

Self-promotion, like any skill, requires practice and attention.

Here are some tips and exercises to help boost your self-confidence and get better at it:

• Create an accomplishment list
• Listen to feedback from friends and colleagues
• Build a confidence backpack
• Try out physical poses to help you feel more confident

Creating a confidence backpack is a useful technique for boosting your self-confidence. Start by thinking about your proudest achievements and then, in your mind, place them all in a backpack. Next time you’re in a situation where you feel nervous or anxious, simply remember all those times you’ve done it before, and how you can easily do it again.