Employment Advice

Online Job Hunting

Job Websites

Searching for a job can be time consuming; however, job websites can take some of the legwork out of the search for you.

Any good recruitment website will have a range of jobs for you to choose from, and allow you to search by location and by job sector. These sites will also let you search using other criteria such as full or part-time positions and salary level.

Job Website Notifications

Email alerts are a great way to keep a track of when new jobs adverts are created on recruitment sites, however, you need to be as specific as possible about the notifications you want to receive to avoid becoming bombarded with emails.

Employer Websites

You should also check company websites as they may have a dedicated 'Vacancies' page where they list their available positions. It is worth looking for these and adding them to your favourites so you can check them regularly.

Offline Job Hunting

When job hunting offline you can look in the vacancies part of the newspaper and specialised magazines whose content covered the area you would like to work in. 

It's also worth looking in local shops as they may advertise vacancies in their window or job boards. You could also hand in your CV to employers for when they have positions that become available. 

Job centre's are another great way to find work as there are staff available to help you.

Recruitment agencies

Recruitment Agencies can operate both online and offline support. 

The agency will ask you questions about the kind of career you are looking for, your skills and job history etc. They will then match you up with any current vacancies they have and either send off your CV or put you forward for an interview. Most agencies will have vacancies for a selection of positions, for example permanent, part-time, temporary and contract work.

Your details will also be kept on file so that they can let you know when new positions become available. 

It is worthwhile keeping in touch with the agency, especially if you haven't heard from them in a while as it will remind them that you are keen to find a job.

There is nothing to stop you from registering with more than one agency if you want to keep your options open, or if you are not getting job offers from the first agency you signed up with.

House Exchange’s job hunting tips:

• Check the deadline: Most recruitment and employer sites are good at removing vacancies that have passed, however, it’s always a good idea to double-check the deadline as employers will not accept a late application.
• CV Writing: Job adverts may contain a lot of information so it is essential that you tailor your covering letter and CV to the role specifications. Click here for more information and some top tips on how to write a great CV.
• Quality not Quantity: While online applications are quick and easy we don't recommend you send the same CV to every company on the recruitment site. We do, however, recommend you tailor each application before sending; employers look for applications that link your skills and abilities to the requirements of the job.
• Be open: If you are struggling to find vacancies, browse different job categories or widen the geographical area of your search, as there may be opportunities that you haven’t considered.

Our guide to job jargon

"What does this mean?" If you are asking yourself this question when you look at a job advertisement, you are not alone! Below is our handy jargon buster to help you out. 

PA: Means 'per annum'
So £17,000pa means you would get paid £17,000 per year before deductions.

PW: Means 'per week'
So £200pw means you would get paid £200 per week before deductions. 

OTE: Short for "on target earnings" 
This means that your pay will have a performance-related element with additional commission. Commission is when someone gets paid for their performance or hitting a target. 

So if an advert states £18,000 OTE, it could mean that your basic salary is £8,000pa and that you would be expected to earn a further £10,000 in commission. Be sure to ask about the targets at the interview and then decide if you would be able to achieve these or not.

Pro Rata 
A 'pro rata' salary is an amount of pay you quote an employee based on what they would earn if they worked full-time. So a person who works 'pro rata' is getting a proportion of a full-time salary. 

For example, if the wage is £16,000pa for 40 hours per week, and you're contracted to work 20 hours, then you will earn £8,000pa. 

Additional Help

Take a look at the National Careers Service for handy tips and advice on job hunting, apprenticeships, training, CV writing and even tips for a successful interview.

Check the Governments 'Find a job page; you may even get the opportunity for free training or an apprenticeship!