If you are currently unemployed and want to find a job that is just right for you here are some tips for getting employment quickly.

Firstly, look at the skills and knowledge that you already have and consider whether additional training or qualifications would open up more doors for you. It is possible now to do a course remotely from your own home meaning that issues such as transport or childcare may not prevent you from accessing further education.

Secondly, try to be open about career possibilities as it may be that a career in a different sector may be better especially if there are fewer job opportunities in your previous career. Some colleges offer courses for unemployed people who are looking to retrain so it is certainly worth enquiring if there are any being offered in your local area. Some courses will be free if you are in receipt of certain benefits which is an advantage to many.

Sometimes doing the leg work and going around different employers asking if they have any job vacancies can result in finding out about a job before it is advertised widely. Having printed copies of your CV to hand out is a good way to make yourself known and demonstrates your willingness to work hard.

If you have recently applied for a job, you may have been asked to give details of a someone that they could contact for a reference. This may be for a character reference or for a reference as an employer. It is important that you think carefully about who you are going to ask and why. For an employer reference, ideally you want them to speak to the person who employed you in the most similar role, but it should also be a recent employer. It may be that you have applied for a job but have not handed in your notice at your current job or that your employer doesn’t even know that you have been for an interview. If this is the case, then you may wish to give details of a previous employer as well and ask them to only contact your current one if you are offered the job.

Although an employer cannot give you a really bad reference, they do have to be honest so if they are asked a specific question such as if you are punctual and the answer is no then they will have to say so. Always be honest and upfront and explain if there is something that you feel does not look great on a reference.

During Covid lockdowns and restrictions, many companies put recruitment on hold, but there were some that actually found they were busier than before and needed to take on additional staff. Often face to face interviews could not take place so instead, recruiters took to carrying them out online. This allowed them to interview more people in a shorter space of time and often reduced the whole recruitment process.

Recruitment can be a large overhead for many businesses and anything they can do to cut down on the time it takes to find and recruit someone is welcomed with open arms. Not only does online recruitment help to cut down the time spent on interviews, it also means that multiple people could be in on an interview without the need for being in the same room or even office.

Many job seekers found that they actually preferred this way of interviewing and often found it more less daunting as they were able to do it from the comfort of their own home. No longer did they need to work about being late or where to park, they could just log on and attend. Again this also meant that they could do multiple interviews in one day if needs be.