[JOB SEARCH] Build Your Professional Brand

On Saturday 15 April 2023, I published a post about job search, and mentioned that I would go through each part.

Build Your Professional Brand

The third step involves building your professional brand by crafting a compelling CV, cover letter, and online profile that showcase your skills, experience, and qualifications. You can also create a strong professional network by attending networking events or connecting with industry professionals via online platforms. For example, LinkedIn.

CV’s and LinkedIn always changes, so I keep my CV’s and LinkedIn as updated as possible.

Thought my LinkedIn is general in case I go back to Warehousing and Logistics industry, I have a general CV and a Construction based CV.

For my CV, I have always set up the put my relevant details at the top of the page. Then put all of the headings before completing the “Experience” section.

From there, I can complete the “Profile” and “Skills” sections.

I then would finish off with “Education” section before proofreading or getting somebody else to proofread my CV.

Job Search essay

Introduction

Job search is an essential process to find a suitable employment opportunity that aligns with one’s skills, interests, and career aspirations. However, it can be a difficult and time consuming task that requires a lot of dedication, preparation, and various strategies to succeed. This essay will explore the dynamics of job search, including the different challenges faced by job seekers, the different steps involved in the process, and the various job search techniques that can enhance the chances of finding a rewarding, but better job.

Challenges of Job Search

Job search can be a very daunting task, especially for recent graduates, job seekers returning to the workforce, or individuals seeking to change their careers. The following are some of the challenges that job seekers may face during the job search process.

Lack of experience: Job seekers struggling to find suitable employment opportunities due to a lack of experience in their desired field. Even entry level jobs may require a certain level of experience or familiarity with industry-specific software, tools, or equipment.

Competition: Job seekers may face stiff competition for different job opportunities, as many other candidates possess comparable qualifications, experience, and education.

Inadequate Networking: Lack of professional and social connections can make job search difficult, as networking can be a powerful tool to find job opportunities within an organisation or industry.

Insufficient Job Market Knowledge: Job seekers may not have sufficient knowledge about the current job market, industry trends, job descriptions, pay scales, or employer expectations.

Lack of Confidence and Preparation: Many job seekers lack the confidence and preparation needed to ace interviews or complete application processes adequately.

Steps Involved in Job Search

Job search is a sequential process that entails several stages, each of which requires careful planning, preparation, and diligence. While job search processes may differ slightly depending on the industry, location, and employer, the following are the typical steps involved in job search:

Define Your Goals: The first step in job search is to define your goals, career aspirations, and what you hope to achieve from the job. This step will help you identify the skills, qualifications, experience, and qualities you possess that align with your desired career trajectory.

Conduct Research: The second step involves researching the job market and identifying job opportunities in your desired field or industry. This step calls for gathering information about job titles, job descriptions, salary ranges, employer expectations, industry trends, and relevant qualifications and experience.

Build Your Professional Brand: The third step involves building your professional brand by crafting a compelling CV, cover letter, and online profile that showcase your skills, experience, and qualifications. You can also create a strong professional network by attending networking events or connecting with industry professionals via online platforms. For example, LinkedIn.

Apply for Jobs: The fourth step involves applying for job opportunities that align with your career goals and qualifications. You can apply for jobs through various channels, such as Job Boards, employer’s career websites, Recruitment Agencies or referrals.

Attend Interviews: The next step involves attending interviews with prospective employers. During the interview process, you must prepare for common interview questions, research the company and hiring manager, dress appropriately, and showcase your enthusiasm and qualifications for the job.

Follow Up: Finally, after attending an interview, you should follow up with a thank you note or e-mail to the interviewer or Human Resources Manager.

Job Search Techniques

Various job search techniques can enhance your chances of finding a job that suits your skillset, qualifications, and career aspirations. Some of these techniques include:

Job Boards: Job Boards can be a great source of job opportunities, as many employers advertise their job openings on these platforms. Sites like Glassdoor, Indeed, and LinkedIn offer numerous job listings and allow you to filter based on location, experience, job title, and other criteria.

Networking: Networking is a powerful tool that can help you find job opportunities within your desired industry or company. You can network by reaching out to industry professionals, attending job fairs, participating in professional associations and groups, or joining online discussion forums.

Recruitment Agencies: Recruitment Agencies can be a useful resource for finding job opportunities, particularly for temporary or contract work. Many Recruitment Agencies specialise in placing candidates in specific industries, and they can help match your qualifications with available job openings.

Direct Application: You can directly apply for job opportunities by visiting the company’s website or contacting a Hiring Manager to enquire about available job openings.

Social media: Social media can be an excellent tool for finding job openings and networking with industry professionals. LinkedIn is a particularly useful social media platform that allows you to showcase your professional profile, connect with Recruiters and Hiring Managers, and apply for jobs.

Conclusion

Job search is an essential process that can be challenging but ultimately rewarding when done correctly. Successful job search requires a well-planned and strategic approach, adequate preparation, and patience, persistence, and dedication.

By defining career goals, conducting research, building a strong professional brand, applying for jobs, attending interviews, and following up with employers, job seekers can increase their chances of securing a job opportunity that aligns with their career aspirations.

Using job search techniques such as Job Boards, networking, Recruitment Agencies, direct applications, and social media can also help job seekers to find job opportunities and build professional connections within their desired industry or company.

Notes

At some point over the coming weeks, I will go through each of these as my personal experiences.

Job Search Weekly: w.b. 05/12/22

Monday 05 December 2022

• LinkedIn: 4 posts.

Tuesday 06 December 2022

• LinkedIn: 3 posts.

Wednesday 07 December 2022

• E-mails: Went through 21 e-mails from Job Boards for between Sunday 04 December 2022 and Tuesday 06 December 2022:
  • Absolute Talent
  • Apply Gateway
  • CV-Library
  • Indeed
  • LinkedIn
  • Search Consultancy
• Recruitment Agencies: Sent texts to 11 Recruitment Agencies, including:
  • Avion Group Ltd
  • Black Book Resourcing
  • City Site Solutions
  • CPR Recruitment
  • Elite Solutions
  • Fawkes & Reece
  • ITS Construction
  • Ivy Resource
  • Madison Recruitment
  • PCR
  • Sinclair Recruitment
• Appointments: Had an appointment with Making a Difference.
• Blogging: Rescheduled 1 blog post.
• LinkedIn: 2 posts.

Thursday 08 December 2022

• E-mails: Went through 38 e-mails from Job Boards for between Tuesday 06 December 2022 and Thursday 08 December 2022, including:
  • Absolute Talent
  • Apply Gateway
  • CV-Library
  • Emily Clark Consulting
  • Indeed
  • LinkedIn
  • Love Local Jobs
  • Pertemps
  • The Career Wallet
  • Total Jobs
• Job Applications: Applied for 2 jobs, including:
  • Labourer cscs, Connect Grp UK Ltd, 01273 036 999
  • Temporary Warehouse Operative, Edward Douglas, Ref: GTS82
• LinkedIn: 2 posts.

Friday 09 December 2022

• LinkedIn: 4 posts, 4 comments, 4 likes.

Saturday 10 December 2022

• Appointments: Had an appointment with Making a Different to create a new CV.
• Blogging: Typed and scheduled 1 blog post.
• LinkedIn: 1 post.

Sunday 11 December 2022

• Blogging: Typed and scheduled 1 blog post.
• LinkedIn: 1 post.

Good Deeds

• Generally let people on and off the buses before me.

Next Week’s Plans: w.b. 12/12/22

It has been a busy one over the past week. Well sort of.

I have started getting some help with my job search, where a review of what I need help with is completed and a new CV is on the way.

E-mails

I definitely need a lit piece of dynamite up my bum for this one, as I have not completed this every day, like I mentioned that I should.

Blogging

I am still on day dot for this, and still need to put much more elbow grease into my blogging to help me find suitable employment.

I will be asking for help from my connections on this, like Key Competencies, more interview questions, etc.. So watch this space.

Other Job Search

I know I mentioned in last week’s edition of Next Week’s Plans that I would complete another Company Hunt in Crawley Town Centre, but decided against it, as it is so close to Christmas now.

For the time being, I will be keeping an eye out on other job search tasks that I can complete.

I will also look into going back into warehouse work for the time being, until the construction

Results & Target Orientated: Friends

A college friend was looking for work and needed a new CV to replace the one she was using. She needed the CV as quickly, but as professionally, as possible.

To create a new CV for my college friend as quickly as possible, making sure it was the most professional document that I created.

I messaged my college friend and asked her to email me a copy of her CV. I was surprised at how many pages it was. I I opened a new Microsoft Word document and started by putting her name and relevant details at the top of the page. I put the heading Profile. I then went to to type up her employment section followed by her education section. At the end, I summerised her CV in her profile.

Though I was looking for work myself, I created her CV within 45 minutes and sent her new CV back to her. With the CV I created, she managed to get a new job in less than 2 weeks.

Skills Used

• Results & Target Orientated
• Analytical Thinking
• Being Well Informed
• Communication Skills
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Initiative
• Managing and Directing Others
• Problem Solving

Interview Question: Are you looking for a permanent or temporary position?

As much as I prefer a permanent, full time position, I would consider taking temporary positions. I would not consider part tike work.

I do have a post called Important Information for Employment, which stipulates what I am looking for.

My Time as a Volunteer Office Worker at RBLI

Introduction

Joined the team, quickly established rapport with the team and learnt what I needed to.
The Job at Hand

I answered and responded to questions, queries and enquiries from clients, where I delivered, provided, demonstrated and maintained excellent customer service. I did this face to face, as well as telephone and e-mail correspondences

I built, developed, established and formed positive relationships with both the staff of different levels and the clients

Monitored RBLI’s board for jobs, which I organised and prepared, where I changed and replaced old jobs with new jobs on RBLI’s board for jobs.

I communicated with both staff of different levels and clients and strictly adhered to Data Protection Act 1998.

The Clients

I greeted clients when they arrived at the office.

I advised, informed, recommended and suggested to clients about suitable employment opportunities and encouraged them to apply for those suitable jobs.

From there, I altered, amended and tailored clients’ CV’s and Cover Letters when they applied for suitable employment. I also helped, supported and guided clients with any application forms they received.
The Right Job For Me

Checked Job Boards for new jobs that I could apply for and I discovered, found, identified and located those new jobs on job boards, which I analysed, assessed, inspected and observed the job descriptions.

From there, I collected, extracted, gathered and reviewed the important information from job descriptions that I required to continually update my CV and for cover letters.

I Researched companies for more information and, if required, I requested more information from potential employers

I then submitted my applications and documented and recorded all jobs that I applied for on both my blog, as well as on the Universal Credit website.

Results & Target Orientated: RBLI

I was a Volunteer at RBLI and the boards that were used to pin jobs on had jobs that were past or close to their closing dates.

I needed to find and print jobs from various Job Boards and pin them to RBLI’s boards as quickly as possible.

I took note of how many new jobs from the different sectors they had with a pen and a piece of scrap paper. Within five minutes, I got back to the computer at the Reception desk and I looked on Job Boards, initially on Indeed, before going onto Total Jobs and CV-Library. After about 20 minutes, I found the correct amount of jobs to pin on their boards.

I found and printed off the correct amount of jobs to pin on RBLI’s boards, which I did pin to their boards within 30 minutes of realising new jobs were required. I was also able to apply for suitable jobs from those jobs I had found.

Skills Used

• Results and target Orientated
• Analytical Thinking
• Being Well Informed
• Decision Making
• Initiative
• Note Taking
• Organisational Skills
• Problem Solving

Implemented Change: Unemployment

Each vacancy has different requirements.

I needed to adapt my CV for every application that I would like to make to fit the requirements, and save the adapted CV.

To be able to do this, I needed to find carious vacancies I am capable of doing, then I found out the requirements of each of the vacancies, where I used a table for each with different headings (Essential Skills / Experience, Desired Skills / Experience and Hidden Requirements). Now that I knew what they are looking for, I adapted my my CV with the skills, experience and knowledge I have that the company is looking for, and save it.. Then I applied for the vacancy with my updated CV, accompanied with a cover letter and took note of the closing date, along with the vacancy and company details. The day after the closing date, I gave the company a telephone call, where I explained who I was, that I applied for the vacancy they had, and that I was following up on the application. If they declined my application, I politely ask why my application was declined and ask for feedback for my job application, whilst I took notes on their responses and feedback. When the conversation came to a close, I thanked them for their time, that I appreciated them taking a little time out of their day to talk to me, and wished them a good day.

I successfully applied for a suitable vacancy and either get a job interview or get declined, with feedback.

Skills Used

• Adapted CV
• Research
• Communication Skills
• Note Taking
• Organisational Skills
• Initiative
• Telephone Skills

How do you develop your blogging ideas?

I have generally come up with my own ideas, especially from my job search, requesting permission where necessary. Here’s a list of thing I blog about:

• Weekly job search tasks (bottom of this contents page)
• Job interview questions that I have answered (this contents page)
• Job interviews (with permission) (third title of this contents page)
• Agency sign ups (fourth title of this contents page)
• Networking events (with permission from organisers and attendees) (This contents page)
• Company Hunts (second title of this contents page)
• CV Drops (second title of this contents page)
• Anything from job search and career books (with referencing)

From there, I try to do a spider web (brainstorming) format. For example, from job interviews, I take note of all interview questions and answer them on my blog as posts. Then I attempt to ask similar interview questions to answer.

For networking events like Purple Networking with permission from the amazing organiser, Stuart Ritchie, I ask the attendees if they would be prepared to be named in my Purple Networking blog. From there I ask the regular attendees if they would be prepared to complete a Q&A session on networking. The next stage that I haven’t completed yet, but I would consider doing. From there, I would ask if the attendees would be interested in completing other Q&A sessions on things like Customer Service, Recruitment and Warehouse. This would depend on what their job is and what company they work for.

I am not going to lie though. Sometimes I have had writer’s blog and ideas block, where I have had to complete some research on what I can blog about, like I mentioned on my Blogging Ideas posts that I published on Monday 30 September 2019 at 12:00.

M&S closure puts 450 jobs at risk

i, Wednesday 18 April 2018, Number 2,308, p40

Why did this article catch your attention?

This article caught my attention because Marks and Spencer has planned to close its distribution centre in Hardwick, near Warrington, which will cause 450 employees to be affected.

What does this mean for the 450 Marks and Spencer employees?

This means that the 450 Marks and Spencer employees will have to claim Universal Credit (unemployment benefits), which will most likely cause financial difficulty.

However, they will also be affected mentally and physically.

Who else would this affect?

This would cause a dominoes effect. The following are who would be affected by this.

Marks and Spencer stores – Stores would have fewer quantity of products

Customers – With fewer quantity of products possibly arriving at stores, customers may have less to purchase, and lose out in the process.

The Government – With 450 employees being made redundant at Marks and Spencer distribution centre, that will be 450 fewer people paying taxes and claiming Universal Credit at just over £300 per month, until the Marks and Spencer employees have found alternative employment. It works out that, 450 people claiming Universal Credit at £300 per month, that equates to £135,000 per month.

I am one of the 450 affected Marks and Spencer employees. What can I do to seek alternative employment?

The majority of supermarkets require you to complete a lengthy online application, but one supermarket that I know of doesn’t. Morrison’s requires a paper-based application form to be completed, accompanied with an updated CV. There might be other smaller supermarkets that don’t deal with online applications, so have a look around your ideal location.

There are also plenty other companies who deal with distribution, so why not complete a Company Hunt to see what companies are out there, whether or not they have any vacancies, how to apply, and who to apply to.

You can then follow up with CV Drops (Part 1 and Part 2).

Key Employees at Marks and Spencer

• Simon Marshall MCIPD, Head of HR – South East
• Darren McCabe (FCIPD), Head of HR – Food Group
• Emma Helm, Recruitment Manager – Food Group, Clothes & Home Supply Chain and Logistics
• Gabrielle Johnson (MCIPD), Senior Talent Acquisition Manager
• Tamsin Terry-Lush, Head of Senior Talent Acquisition
• Holly Edwards, Recruiter
• Carl Cornish, former Head of Region
• Katie Dolby, former Womenswear Commercial Manager

To find out who else works for Marks and Spencer, check out LinkedIn!

Job Search Weekly: w.b. 29/07/19

Monday 29 July 2019

• E-mails: Went through 42 e-mails from job boards from Sunday 28 July 2019 to Monday 29 July 2019.
  • CV-Library
  • CW Jobs
  • Find a job
  • Indeed
  • Love Local Jobs
  • Monster
  • Myfuturerole
  • Reed
  • Total Jobs
  • WorkCircle
• Job Boards: Looked on Total Jobs for suitable jobs. Found nothing suitable.
  • Warehouse Operative nights, Crawley (2 pages)
  • Warehouse Operative, Crawley (2 pages)
• LinkedIn: 4 posts, 5 comments, 8 likes

Tuesday 30 July 2019

• E-mails: Went through 27 e-mails from job boards from Tuesday 30 July 2019.
  • CV-Library
  • CW Jobs
  • Find a job
  • Indeed
  • Joblift
  • Jobsite
  • Love Local Jobs
  • Monster
  • Reed
  • Total Jobs
  • WorkCircle
• Job Applications: Applied for 1 job.
  • Warehouse Picker and Packer, Talented People Solutions Limited, Steven Evans, 01293 224 114
• Recruitment Agency: Talented People Solutions Limited e-mailed asking me to call them, which I did. They would like me at sign up tomorrow at 09:30.
• LinkedIn: 8 posts, 6 comments, 24 likes

Wednesday 31 July 2019

• E-mails: Went through 24 e-mails from job boards from Wednesday 31 July 2019.
  • CV-Library
  • CW Jobs
  • Find a job
  • Indeed
  • Jobsite
  • Love Local Jobs
  • Reed
  • Total Jobs
  • WorkCircle
• Recruitment Agency: Attended Talented People Solutions to sign up. Awaiting a call from the Manager for more information about the Warehouse Picker and Packer job I applied for.
• Company Websites: Looked on Benchmarx Joinery website and Vines BMW website for suitable jobs. Nothing suitable found.
• Job Applications: [DECLINED] Talented People Solutions
• LinkedIn: 5 posts, 1 comment, 7 likes

Thursday 01 August 2019

• E-mails: Went through 18 e-mails from job boards from Friday 02 August 2019.
  • CV-Library
  • CW Jobs
  • Find a job
  • Indeed
  • Jobsite
  • Love Local Jobs
  • Reed
  • Total Jobs
  • WorkCircle

Friday 02 August 2019

• E-mails: Went through 18 e-mails from job boards from Friday 02 August 2019.
  • CV-Library
  • CW Jobs
  • Indeed
  • Love Local Jobs
  • Reed
  • Total Jobs
• Blogging: Typed / Scheduled 2 blog posts, including I attended Talented People Solutions and Here’s What Happened, Deal secures 2,000 jobs at the Patiserie Valerie cafes and Waitrose closures affect 677 jobs.
• LinkedIn: 7 posts, 1 comment, 6 likes

Saturday 03 August 2019

• E-mails: Went through 38 e-mails from job boards for Saturday 03 August 2019.
  • CV-Library
  • CW Jobs
  • Find a job
  • Indeed
  • LinkedIn
  • Love Local Jobs
  • Myfuturerole
  • Reed
  • Total Jobs
  • WorkCircle
• LinkedIn: 2 likes

Sunday 04 August 2019

• Reading: Read through Chapter 3 of Blogging for Dummies.

Good Deeds

• 29.07.19 – Helped a lady who had issues with the internet when she logged onto a computer at Crawley Library.
• 31.07.19 – Helped a connection get his CV from his mobile to his e-mails and let him apply for a job that I found on a Company Hunt.

Question of the Day: 24/07/19

Here’s Christina‘s Question of the Day for Wednesday 24 July 2019.

We all make mistakes in our lives, even throughout our career and employment.

Click the more button to see Christina‘s question and find out my thoughts on this!

---

What are you taking control of in your lift today?

I try to make sure that I have a clear mind, so I don’t make rational (and wrong) decisions.

As Christina has mentioned in her LinkedIn post:

The truth is, we can’t control the past, but we can control how we live our lives in the present.

I absolutely agree with Christina on this. I have made some pretty bad mistakes in the past, which will not happen again in my life.

Just learn from your mistakes and move on.

One mistake that I did was apply for whatever roles I wanted to do, even if I had never had a job in that field. I did this for ages, and found that I was not getting anywhere.

Now, I make sure I aim for the jobs that I have doe in the past, go through the Job Description and make sure that I fit 80% of the Job Description.

I feel that any of the (up to) 20% is something I can learn quickly, whilst being able to complete tasks (the 80%).

We never EVER stop learning, so keep learning!

Manor Royal: Tell Us Your Story

 

Introduction

I saw an amazing connection I know at Crawley Library in the early afternoon of Saturday 20 July 2019, Steve, and I met Richard. We discussed the TELL US YOUR STORY they have planned, for a heritage arts trail project for the district.

My Story

Here’s my story, as a conclusion of the Company Hunts I have recently completed, as part of my job search.

I have been an active job seeker since the end of February, after being made redundant.

I completed two Company Hunts via e-mails from a list of companies (with e-mail addresses included) I researched for the last time I was actively seeking new employment opportunities.

I e-mailed companies on Friday 05 July 2019 and Wednesday 10 July 2019 to enquire about vacancies, how to apply and who to contact when applying for vacancies.

Since then, I have completed a blog post for each Company Hunt for the responses I had received. Responses: Friday 05 July 2019 and Responses: Wednesday 10 July 2019.

Since then, I have completed a Company Hunt via telephone on Wednesday 17 July 2019 to enquire about vacancies, how to apply and who to contact when applying for vacancies.

Conclusion

Even though I dislike doing Company Hunts via e-mail and telephone, they were both other ways of staying active as a job seeker.

Personally, I prefer communicating with others face-to-face, as I can see them and they can see me, and also see how each other reacts.

There’s no rest for the wicked.

Skills Used

• Communication
• Customer Service
• Flexibility
• Initiative
• Note taking
• Organisational
• Results and Target Orientated

Job Search Tough Love

Following on from my blog post for Christina‘s Question of the Day for yesterday, I explained that I would publish a blog post from a LinkedIn post published by Steve P Brady, giving more information.

As promised, here’s that blog post

There are some of both lists I do do.

I generally don’t tailor my CV, but I feel that it does need to be altered for every job I apply for. However, I do feel that it does need to be changed completely, so it is based more on Warehouse based work.

I go to a networking event once per month with Stuart, et al. I have found that there are other networking events around, but they’re generally further afield. Not easy when you don’t drive or have no money to get to the locations.

I believe I am an all star, but I will double check.

I do ask for help when I feel that I require the help, but I don’t always get the responses I am looking for.

For job boards, I do use job boards, but I do prefer to be outgoing and attempt to get a job on foot, no matter on what the weather is like, or what mood I’m in.

With thanks …

I would like to thank Steve for giving me permission to share his LinkedIn post!

Hopes springs eternal after 400 job rejections

Metro, Wednesday, May 22, 2019, p21

Why did this article catch your attention?

This article caught my attention because an aspiring actor, Jake Hopes, is struggling to get into employment, even after completing 400 job applications. All of which were rejections.

How does it feel to be an active job seeker?

I know how it feels to be an active job seeker. It’s frustrating, demoralising, as well as mentally draining.

When you apply for a job, but get declined, it is painful. Not many companies give constructive feedback on how to improve your chances for the next time you apply for a job for them.

As it says in this article, “it is soul destroying when he does not receive a response.” This is very true and I will come to this in one of my upcoming answers.

Who else does this affect?

Not only is Mr. Hopes having to put his aspirations on hold and career on the line, it’s affecting others, like a dominoes effect.

Mr. Hopes family – Somehow, Mr. Hopes would have to pay his way in his household, like rent, council tax and other necessities. This means that his family would have to support him in whatever way they can.

Companies – Companies would lost out on the skills, experience and knowledge that Mr. Hopes obtains.

The Government – They would not receive taxes from Mr. Hopes, until he has found employment and would have to pay out just over £300 per month in unemployment benefits (Universal Credit).

What are your thoughts on this?

My thoughts on this are as follows …

Companies should respond to all applicants in a timely manner with an outcome, positively or constructively. Communication and timekeeping are essential for companies. If I get declined, I need and want to know how I can improve on, so I can do better next time. Even if I am accepted to the next stage of the recruitment process, I need to know how I can do a really good job and thoroughly, so I can advance further in the recruitment process.

I find it frustrating that most of the jobs are advertised online because I am one of those people who prefer to be outgoing, on foot to seek employment opportunities. I strongly prefer human interaction than sitting at a computer day in, day out, making my eyes go funny and frying my brain..

What can job seekers do to seek employment?

There are various ways to find suitable employment and tasks to do before and after every application. They include:

• Knowing yourself (education, training, employment history, skills and experience)
• Key Competencies
• CV’s (What is a CV?, Preparation)
• Cover Letters: Job Applications
• Online applications
• Recruitment Agencies
• Other ways of looking for work
• Research (Company Hunts and employers)
• CV Drops (Part 1 and Part 2)
• Networking (online and offline)
• Following up (applications, networking, Negative Feedback)

As you have noticed, I have linked some of my blog posts to some of the things above. The blog posts will explain in more detail on what needs doing and how to plan for them.

I use a website called Workray to follow up on ALL of my applications online and offline a few days after each and every application I make. One click, then three days afterwards, it sends out a follow up e-mail to the company I applied to. If I don’t hear anything back for two working days after the follow up e-mail has been sent, I follow up by giving the recruiter at the company a call to find out where my application is at. I talk with them with courtesy and respect (the way I would want to be treated), explaining that I am very interested in the position, what skills and experience I possess and when  I can visit the company for a job interview. Simple things like that can go a very long way.

Key Employees at Asda

• Chris Darby, Senior Director – Retail Operations – South Birmingham & M5
• Simon Gregg, Vice President – Online Grocery Home Shopping
• Katie Walley, Head of Asda Money & Mobile
• Adam Mydlowski, Network People Manager – South
• Olivia Band, Ecommerce Trading Manager
• Paula Stephenson, Transport Manager
• Ruksanah Mirza, Retail and Customer Service Specialist

To find out who else works at Asda, check out LinkedIn!

Key Employees at Pizza Hut

• Regina Borda, Managing Director, Pizza Hut Europe & Canada
• Iain Winton, Lead Design and Construction Manager
• Aimee Ashworth, Waitress

To find out who else works at Pizza Hut, take a look at LinkedIn!

Job Search Weekly: w.b. 25/03/19

Monday 25 March 2019

• LinkedIn: 4 posts, 1 comment, 12 likes

Tuesday 26 March 2019

• CV Drop: Handed 3 CV’s to those companies who required them from the Company Hunt on 22.03.19 (CV Drop blog)
• LinkedIn: 3 posts, 2 likes

Wednesday 27 March 2019

• LinkedIn: 4 posts

Thursday 28 March 2019

• Recruitment Agencies: Signed up to Search Consultancy (blog)
• LinkedIn: 1 post

Friday 29 March 2019

• Blogging: Published / scheduled 2 blog posts
• LinkedIn: 4 posts, 4 comments, 6 likes

Saturday 30 March 2019

• Blogging: Handwrote 2 blog posts
• Blogging: Published / scheduled 3 blog posts
• LinkedIn: 2 likes

Sunday 31 March 2019

• Blogging: Took notes / started planning 4 blog posts

Good Deeds

27.03.19 – Gave directions to a female finding Arora Hotel from Crawley Train Station.

What have I done in February 2019?

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Hope you are all well?

I did much less than I would have liked for February because I have been working. Here is what I did during February, so have a look:

LinkedIn

During February, I didn’t document on what I did on LinkedIn, but the most viewed post of mine on LinkedIn were:

• Apology for falling behind on blogging (251 views)
• Question of the Day: 11/02/19 (110 views)
• Question of the Day: 12/02/19 (78 views)
• Streetwise: Saturday 12 January 2019 (78 views)

Company Hunts & CV Drops

I have not completed any Company Hunts this month in Crawley or in Manor Royal.

Blogging

In November, I had written and published 10 blog posts, where there were 58 views from 34 visitors with 1 like.

The views were very spread out last month and Several were for Christina’s Questions of the Day.

• Jet2.com to hire 1,700 new staff (4 views)
• Chocolate Pizza has required Domino’s effect (3 views)
• Question of the Day: 12/02/19 (2 views)
• Question of the Day: 02/02/19 (2 views)
• Question of the Day: 03/02/19 (2 views)
• Organisational: Staffline (2 views)

The top three countries where my blog posts were viewed from were United Kingdom (38 views), United States (8 views), Hong Kong SAR China (6 views), and Germany (2).

Interviews

I haven’t had any job interviews last month. But I have been working for Streetwise until I was made redundant on Wednesday 27 February 2019. To see what I have been doing at Streetwise, please click here!

Conclusion

I am still working for Streetwise and it has been two months since I started.

I would like to thank everybody who has helped me during December, and I am hoping that I can help you all in one way or another.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

Notes

If you would like to know what I have completed in previous months, please click here.

Results: Unemployment

Being unemployed is horrible and I was running out of ideas on how to actively look for suitable employment but found out applying to relevant companies speculatively. I urgently required a job.

To do this, I needed to enquire about vacancies speculatively as quickly as possible, without reducing the quality of communication and Health and Safety.

I thought of, and wrote down a list of strong, relevant questions I needed to ask, then I set a date and chose several roads in close proximity within the Manor Royal area. My research skills kicked in, so I researched the companies on those chosen roads. From that research, I altered my CV to tailor it for each company and I printed them of. On that date I set, I got myself ready and set off early, where I started one side of the main road and finished on the other side. I visited every company, asking the strong, relevant questions and kept eye contact whilst taking notes. For those companies who required a CV, I passed them the correct tailored CV and a business card to those who did not.

From this, not only did I completed a speculative approach, I received calls from three of the companies for three different job interviews.

Skills used

• Results
• Research
• Communication
• Health and Safety
• Planning
• Initiative
• Microsoft Word
• Editing
• Customer Service
• Organisational
• Listening
• Eye contact

Reflections of 2018 (Part 1)

What are you most proud of?

I am proud that I continued to attend Purple Networking, a networking event at Xenia Lounge in Crawley once per month. I have managed to continually create new connections and maintain them. I can’t thank Stuart enough for letting me continue to attend. Thanks Stuart!

I am also proud that I managed to get two jobs within a warehouse environment in the last six months of 2018. The first was with Hermes through Streetwise* (an agency) and Streetwise, where I am currently.

Eventhough Staffline paid a little bit more than Streetwise does, it isn’t about the money. It’s more about the essential experience I gained which I am most proud of.

What skills did you acquire?

I learned that, whilst at Hermes through Staffline, how to stack cages correctly. Start building a wall along the front of the cage with bigger, heavier boxes, then securely place the smaller boxes further back in the cage and packages right at the back of the cage.

This way, everything can be transported much easier to where it needs to go without parcels or packages falling out onto the floor and, in turn, saves some time. I have tried to keep this going at Streetwise, without much success due to a different manager seeing things from a different perspective.

What do you wish you did differently?

I wish I could keep up-to-date (and beyond) with blogging**, as I have fallen behind on a few occasions. With me working early mornings currently and me travelling to Brighton for personal reasons, I do not always have the time or energy to keep my blog up-to-date.

To do something different, I could try a weekly round up of work instead of daily to save some time, or get a volunteer typist to help with this. What do you think?

What went better / harder than you expected?

Blogging has been more of a challenge for me because of work and personal reasons, like I mentioned in my last answer.

Where, or what, do you feel the most peace?

I feel most at peace at home because I like knowing that my family are safe and well.

However, I feel at peace at work because I enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done.

I also feel a little bit at peace when I have had to travel because it is outside of my boundaries and I like to see how far outside of my boundaries I can go,

Conclusion

All in all, it have been a good year, doing well in some areas, needing to improve in others.

Notes

If there is anything you would like to ask, please reach out and ask!

Blogging Links

* You can find out more about my experience at Staffline and Streetwise, click here!

** You can find a contents page on my main blog … click here!

What have I done in 12 months? (August 2017 – July 2018)

This is a blog post for the six months leading up to July 2018. However, this excludes July 2018.

I feel I did alot over the last year, so here is what I did, so have a look:

LinkedIn

Over these six months, I did the following on LinkedIn:

• 289+ posts
• 381+ comments
• 1,117+ likes

Blogging

I had written and published 169 blog posts, where there were 1,232 views from 990 visitors.

Interviews

I had 11 job interviews over the last year.

Conclusion

To see everything I mentioned above, please click here!

I would like to thank everybody who has helped me during the last year, and I am hoping that I can help you all in one way or another.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

What have I done in November 2018?

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Hope you are all well?

I feel I did more than I would normally do, considering that I am working. Here is what I did during November, so have a look:

House of Fraser nears collapse

Daily Mail, Monday, August 6, 2018, p76

Why did this article catch your attention?

This article caught my attention because House of Fraser is getting closer to closing down its stores and making many redundancies after “landlords drop legal challenge”.

Carillion losses rise to over 1,500

i, Tuesday 13 March 2018, Number 2,277, p40

Why did this article catch your attention?

This article caught my attention because 78 Carillion employees have been made redundant , meaning the total amount of Carillion employees who have been made redundant has reached 1,500.

How does this affect the 78 employees?

This will mean that 78 Carillion employees were made redundant and would need to seek alternative employment opportunities.

Whilst they are actively seeking new employment opportunities, they should be able to claim Universal Credit (unemployment benefits) which is lower amount of money than they would get from being employed. In turn, they will not have enough money to pay for the necessities, like household bills and food.

Who else would be affected by this?

Not only would these 78 employees be affected, but there are others who are affected. This includes, but not limited to:

• Contracts / Building Work: Someone, somewhere has signed a contract for building work and most likely started paying for it or paid it in full. Would Carillion be able to pay it back if they are unable to complete the work?
• The Government: Without taxes being paid by the 78 employees who were made redundant, that will affect the finances for the Government to distribute where necessary.

What are your thoughts on the 305 employees from the different departments gaining new employment?

Congratulations to the 305 former Carillion employees who have found alternative employment.

You have done an excellent job and I’m excited for you!

I am one of the former 78 former employees. How can I find alternative employment?

As you should know already, there are different ways of actively seeking new employment opportunities. For example:

• Preparing CV’s
• Cover letters for job applications
• Researching a prospective employer
• And more.
• To find out more, click here!

Conclusion

Once again, congrats to the 305 former Carillion employees who found alternative employment.

Related Blog Posts

• Job Losses: Another 101 Carillion staff redundant

Key employees at Carillion

• Alison Horner, Non Executive Director
• Joe McGuffie, Senior Account Director
• Mark W., Regional Director
• Justin Swain, Operations Manager
• Wendy Liddell, Head of Customer Operations
• Mark Sunter-Camm, Customer Operations Manager
• Hillary Hodson, HR Business Partner
• Hannah Coward, Contract Site Manager

Brady’s warning on work experience

i, Saturday 28 October 2017, Number 2,162, p11

Why did this article catch your attention?

This article caught my attention because there are benefits to work experience placements as well as negative impacts on work experience placements.

How would work experience placements benefit people?

There are a couple of things that work experience placements could benefit people. This includes, but not limited to:

Gaining experience / learning new things: It is great when somebody gains experience and learns new things too as it gains skills and knowledge to a potential employee. In turn, the potential employee has a better chance of gaining employment with that company.

Showing skills, experience and knowledge: Employers can easily spot skills, experience and knowledge in a potential employee. If the potential employee proves themselves, the employer can make an easier decision to employ them without forking out on expensive job advertisements onto job boards, recruitment agencies, etc..

How would work experience placements affect people?

These work experience placements would affect people because they are not getting paid for the work they do for companies. In turn, they will not be able to pay for the necessities in full, like bills and food, etc..

If they are unable to pay rent, for example, they are more likely to be evicted from their home.

Who else would this affect / benefit?

This would benefit companies because they don’t need to pay for wages to those who are completing work experience placements.

However, the Government won’t get any money from taxes of those people who are on work experience placements, as the potential employees are not getting paid by the employer.

What are your thoughts on work experience placements?

I feel that, as good as work experience placements are, it is free labour, which I think is wrong as people need to live.

I am one of those people who prefers to have enough money to live rather than have no money from being on a work experience placement or be a millionaire. As long as I have enough to live and have a little bit left over, I am happy.

Conclusion

All in all, work experience placements should be scrapped as it only partly helps and companies shouldn’t promote free labour.

It will cause money issues for those who are completing work experience placements and will have a domino effect. Would a manager or Chief Executive do work experience placements for nothing?

What are YOUR thoughts?