Job Search: Hints and Tips
Assuming your teenager knows what they want to do and why, finding a job can take a while but there are some proven strategies and approaches which your teenager can use to help them find the opportunity they are looking for. Below you will find top job search tips.
Advertised opportunities- Top job search tips Depending on the type of role and opportunity they are looking for, you can help your teenager to look for opportunities in your local paper, as these are a great source of first job opportunities and will suit those who want to start their working life while still living in the family home. Also, encourage them to look online as well using well-known websites which are reputable. Here are some good starting points:
Recruitment agencies- Top job search tips While these types of job-sites are very useful, not all jobs get advertised on them. If your teenager is looking to get work locally, whether part time or full time for the summer or a full-time job, your local employment agency is well worth a visit. A good recruitment consultant act as recommenders and this carries weight with employers when they are looking for staff. Encourage them to prepare a good CV in advance which positions them well for the type of job they are looking for. Your teenager needs to understand that, while the recruitment consultant he or she meets will do the best they can to help your teenager get into work, their primary client is the employer and not the candidate. because that is how they get paid. Typically, recruitment consultants earn between 10 and 15% when they place candidates in permanent posts and also take a premium for temporary jobs as well. That said, encouraging your teenager to build a good relationship with the consultant will pay dividends. If your teenager does opt to use a recruitment agency, they need to make sure that the agency they choose to work is reputable, so make sure they choose an agency which is a member of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, the professional body for this type of activity. They have a handyonline directory of members to help candidates find local or specialist recruitment agencies. Graduate schemes- Top job search tips If your son or daughter is at university, there are plenty of opportunities available every year on Graduate schemes year which, in the main, close any time from the autumn the year before they will graduate, through to late spring of their graduation year itself. Be aware that competition is stiff with around 75 or so applications per vacancy for this type of vacancy. This is the reality of applying for a job with the UK’s largest recruiters though what this figure doesn’t tell you, is that many get rejected at the first stage of applications simply because they don’t understand what they have to offer and how to use it effectively to create a good application. Our Applications page can help with this. |
Graduate jobs in your area If your son or daughter doesn’t get onto a graduate scheme, this is most definitely not the end of the world! Graduate schemes are the domain of big organisations of which there are about 6,000 in the UK. To put this in the context of the job market overall, large recruiters only represent around 1% of UK businesses. A graduate job is one which requires graduate level competencies and working in smaller companies often means that there is significant opportunity to develop and grow quickly because there is less internal competition, so encourage your teenager to find the company which feels right to them, regardless of status, unless that is important to them. The Open University has a useful list of places to look for regional and national graduate opportunities. Open University – applying for jobs The hidden job market While all these of jobs are really useful, your teenager will be looking for opportunities in the most crowded space, Around, 70% of jobs simply don’t get advertised because they get filled through contacts so there is no need to advertise. So, why not encourage your teenager to explore the network of connections they have with those closest to them such a friends and family. If there is no one immediately who can help in the area they want to go into, then see if those connections know people who can help and asked to be introduced. It is possible to do this online through Facebook as well, but please make sure that your teenager is safe while doing so. You can also encourage your teenager to do this online by using LinkedIn.the network site for professionals, Their student site offer lots of free online advice to help students to make the most of LinkedIn for students so they can network effectively and safely to secure great job opportunities. Some of the best opportunities are found this way. After all, as the old adage says, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know! Once they have an opportunity, all they need to do is create a sparkling CV which tells their story effectively, so make sure they have a look at our Applications and Interviews sections on the topics menu. |