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14.

Creative Approaches to

Job & Work Experience Search

Career Futures Series Creative Approaches Job & Work Experience Search

The advice in this publication is designed to help you plan your job search strategy. Think about what you have read, turn it into action points and implement them.

Good luck!

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Futures Team University of Central Lancashire 2011 Version 2

Career Futures Series Creative Approaches Job & Work Experience Search

Contents

What it is and why do it?......................................................1

Networking………………………………................................2

Word of Mouse………....……………….......................……..2

Information interviews…………………..…..........................3

Work Shadowing.......……………………..........................…5

Speculative Applications..………….…............................…5

Methods of Approach….......……………..........................…5

Finding your contacts…......…….……….............................6

Work Experience.................……………….......................…7

Recruitment Agencies…….…………….........................….7

Entry level jobs and the importance of flexibility............7

Further Information…………………………………...……...8

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Creative Approaches to Job Search

What is it and why do it?

The job market is a very competitive environment and to be successful requires an awareness of the variety of ways in which to unearth opportunities. Traditional Job Search is effectively applying for vacancies advertised in the public domain (e.g. newspaper, on-line job sites, etc) with a CV or application form. There is a booklet ‘Where to Look for Graduate Vacancies’ within the Career Future Series (http://www.uclan.ac.uk/careersbooklets ) which gives more detail on this and possible sources of opportunities. However while most people are aware of these, many are unsure about what creative job search techniques are and how to utilise them. Creative job search is essentially employing a pro-active approach to job hunting, rather than being passive and reactive; it involves using your initiative. Everyone can probably relate to stories of people who gain a job/placement because they have a ‘friend of a friend’ who works there, or they had previously worked there. These are effectively a result of utilising creative approaches to job search. Indeed many vacancies are never advertised (research suggests as many as 80%), for a variety of reasons. These may include employers not needing to advertise because they get enough speculative applications (e.g. in competitive areas such as the media), or not realising they have a need until a speculative approach prompts them into recruiting. Ultimately ignoring these more creative strategies means that you are potentially missing out on many opportunities. Before outlining these, it is important to note however that some of the approaches may take time to potentially reap rewards and planning ahead is an important part of the process. Furthermore no one way is guaranteed to succeed; however the more methods you employ the greater the chance that you will access the roles you’re looking for. Finally, it is worth emphasising these methods can be used for gaining work experience opportunities (e.g. placements), as well as permanent jobs.

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Networking

Networking is about developing a list of contacts that can help and advise you.

What can you gain from networking?

Better access to suitable opportunities, including both paid and unpaid work experience, work shadowing and actual jobs;

The chance to research your chosen career area and gain useful insights from an insider;

Tips on how to strengthen your applications for that particular sector;

In-depth knowledge of potential employers;

Recommendations on where to look for vacancies and information;

Introductions to other contacts that might be able to help you. Contacts can come from a variety of backgrounds; start off obviously with people you know (e.g. friends, family, tutors, work colleagues, etc), and don’t forget that the first contact doesn’t have to be doing the job you’re interested in (by asking you may discover they have a friend of friend.......). If you have exhausted your initial network of contacts you may have to generate new ones (see the ‘Finding your contacts’ section below). For further advice see the Futures Careers booklet ‘Networking’: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/careersbooklets

Word of Mouse

Social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Viadeo can be another avenue for networking and developing/searching for contacts (for example ask ‘friends’ if they know anyone in the field you are looking into). Furthermore don’t overlook relevant society and industry linked networking sites and message boards.

Moreover, sites like Viadeo, and LinkedIn are now being utilised by companies to head-hunt staff, alongside individuals using them to find work. The rules of old-fashioned networking apply and prohibit directly asking a new contact for a job; however, by ‘following’ people (to use the Twitter terminology) who are involved in a business sector, you can gain insights into that work, contribute your own comments and begin to get known.

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Information interviews

Integral to networking, information interviews are essentially meetings arranged to talk to someone about their job/career, and gather as much information as possible to gain an insight into that career, sector and organisation.

It is NOT about asking for a job but about information gathering, and this should be made clear to the people you look to arrange the interview with. Indeed you may look to arrange an information interview after a speculative application for a job or work experience opportunity has come to nothing.

There are several benefits to undertaking information interviews which mirror many of the general benefits of networking listed above.

It is important to ensure a professional approach throughout the whole process from the initial approach to arrange an interview, during the interview itself, through to the follow up afterwards.

When considering who may be worth approaching for an information interview, do first of all see if there is anyone you can utilise from your own network of contacts; friends and family are obviously likely to be more receptive!

After exhausting existing contacts it is then down to you to research and approach relevant people; see the ‘finding your contacts’ section below.

How you approach the organisation is down to you. If the person has asked you to contact them or it is a referral from an existing contact in your network, obviously follow the instructions given (e.g. you may be asked to send your CV, give them a call, etc).

If you are approaching them for the first time, it is perhaps best to initially try to telephone them with your request and explain the purpose of the meeting. It is important to just ask for a few minutes (15-20 minutes), in reality it will probably last a lot longer when you’re in there! It may be that they ask for your request in writing (or pass a message back through reception) but at least you have set the scene. It is important if you are asked to write to them with your request (and maybe send your CV) that you also follow up with a telephone call a week or so later if you do not hear back from them. Don’t be afraid to be persistent....

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On the day of the information interview do ensure you act professionally and follow many of the guidelines for preparation and presentation for a formal interview. See our booklet on Interviews for further advice, however, remember:

Be punctual and professional;

Dress appropriately;

Take an up to date and tailored CV, which you can offer to leave for future reference;

Do your research into the role and organisation;

Prepare questions, and take a notebook to make notes. You may well be expected to take the lead in the interview, as you requested it, so do prepare an overview of what you’re looking for from the meeting and have a structure of what you would like to cover and questions you’d like to ask.

The types of question you may like to ask could include:

What does your job involve?

How did you get where you are now?

What other roles exist in the organisation?

What advice would you give to someone in my position?

What do you look for in job applicants?

What work experience opportunities would you recommend?

Where would you look for jobs/work experience?

How do you see the sector/industry in the future?

What challenges do you/the organisation face?

Could you look at my CV and offer any advice on how I can improve it, or what I need to do to develop my experience/skills?

What are typical entry level jobs?

Are there any other related careers you would recommend I consider?

Are there other people/organisations you would recommend I speak to?

Time manage the interview. Don’t exceed your allotted time without asking if it’s OK to continue;

Do ask if there are other people they would recommend you to talk to;

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Thank them for their time, and agree any future contact between you. For example, if there might be opportunities in the future it may be worth agreeing to contact them at an agreed time in the future (if only to keep in touch).

After the interview do ensure you send a thank you letter and clarify any action points from the meeting; for example, they may have promised to forward contact details of another contact, or you may have agreed to contact them again in the future. Also enclose a CV for reference.

If the contact is too far away or reluctant to meet, telephone information interviews can be beneficial, especially in niche areas where contacts may be limited. Furthermore you can develop more contacts in a less time consuming way.

Work Shadowing Similar to information interviews, work shadowing is a popular way of gaining an insight into a particular career or job, and ultimately a great way of developing your network too. Essentially it involves observing people in their work role and environment, and is something to consider requesting.

Speculative Applications

A speculative approach is when you contact an organisation, which is not currently advertising, to see if they may have any suitable opportunities (e.g. permanent job or work experience opportunity).

Although you may need to initially contact the organisation to get a contact name the most common way of making a speculative application is through sending a CV and covering letter. Top tips include:

Less is more! Focus on specific areas/employers. Rather than sending a general mailshot to 50 employers, focus on 4-5 at a time. Concentrate on quality rather than quantity;

Tailor your application;

Use a named person;

Follow up – telephone a week or two later.

Methods of Approach

There are a variety of ways in which you can approach an organisation when looking for jobs/work experience/contacts for your network:

Telephoning

E-mail/letter

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‘Doorstepping’ - basically knocking on the doors of relevant organisations. Research and preparation are still important, as is some confidence. It can be an effective way of approaching employers, however, again as with interviews do remember appearance (dress appropriately) and first impressions count. Furthermore, as mentioned above, do rehearse and prepare a brief pitch. In many cases you may well be asked to leave your CV and have to follow this up. However, it can impress recruiters with your pro-activity and confidence, particularly in areas such as sales, and in competitive sectors such as journalism and the media.

Networking sites

Make sure you do your research and try to get the name of the person you’re best approaching (this may mean making an initial telephone call for example).

Do remember when approaching in person or over the phone to prepare a brief 30 second pitch (sometimes known as an elevator pitch), outlining who you are and what you have to offer and what you’re after.

Finding your contacts

If you do not have anyone within your existing network, then there are a variety of ways of identifying relevant organisations/people to approach, including:

Looking out for relevant adverts on an ongoing basis throughout your studies and career, to build a database of potential organisations you can approach when you are looking for an opportunity (e.g. work experience, job, information interview). Alternatively, if you see an organisation recruiting for a position in your field but maybe not quite at your level, then again it is still worth approaching.....

Use Google, yell.com, industry and occupational websites/networking sites/journals, etc, to source relevant organisations/contacts. The university has a system called FAME which allows you to search from a company database of 1.5 million, see the link below:

www.uclan.ac.uk/students/library/fame.php

It is important to follow up the application/approach, and if they don’t have any of the opportunities available that you enquired about at present, see if there are any other openings (e.g. if there isn’t a permanent job are there any placements, temporary jobs, work shadowing opportunities, other people worth contacting?). Try to get something from the approach even if it’s an agreement to contact them again in a few months time (and make a note in your diary to do so!), or an information interview.

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Work Experience

There are many benefits and ways of gaining work experience (See the ‘Work Experience and Volunteering’ Futures Booklet: www.uclan.ac.uk/careersbooklets but essentially it’s also a great way of gaining contacts and developing networks, and ultimately gaining placements/jobs in your chosen area. Therefore, do consider developing work experience (from volunteering roles through to placements) wherever possible and the benefits will not be limited to enhancing your CV and career awareness.

To illustrate the point, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), 21.7% of summer 2009 graduates who were in employment six months later had been taken on by an employer with whom they had previously had some kind of work experience.

Recruitment Agencies

Agencies can be a useful source of both permanent and temporary vacancies. Indeed, gaining a temporary job (even in an unrelated job to the career you want but in a relevant organisation), can be a useful ‘foot in the door’, which can lead to a permanent role in your chosen career.

Again further information can be found on recruitment/employment agencies in the ‘Where to Look for Graduate Vacancies’ booklet: www.uclan.ac.uk/careersbooklets

To search for relevant agencies visit: www.rec.uk.com

Entry level jobs and the importance of flexibility

Finally, it is important to mention that the more flexible you are, both with the type of employer and geographically, the more likely you will be to access opportunities. Don’t overlook certain sectors/industries (for example marketing jobs don’t just exist in competitive sectors such as the sporting field but in what some may perceive as the less glamorous industrial sector too); you can always try to move to your preferred area later in your career. Look at related career areas which can generate relevant and practical experience; for example if you’re looking to get into Computer Games Development, consider looking at other roles within multimedia to build your practical experience and skills.

It is important to note that jobs/work experience don’t have to be directly relevant to your ultimate career goal (although this is obviously advantageous), do consider entry level jobs and roles that provide a ‘foot in the door’. For example, getting a temporary administration job in a finance department could lead to securing a trainee accountant post at a later date, having developed contacts and a good reputation through the administration role.

So do think laterally about how you may be able to get relevant experience in your chosen career area/sector, and how this can often be the ‘foot in the door’ that you need.

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Further Information

The Futures website contains a range of careers booklets, offering advice and tips to help you, at www.uclan.ac.uk/futures. You can also find information on the site about relevant events, elective modules and the Futures Award. You might also want to check out the recorded online events, covering a number of topics at www.uclan.ac.uk/futuresondemand

If you would like further help or want to speak to a careers adviser please call at Futures Reception, or use our e-guidance system on the Futures website to email us with queries.

If you require a copy of this publication in large print or another format,

please enquire at Futures Reception.