» Apply Some Common Sense in Your Job Search

When your career is at stake make sure you don't head off in the wrong direction

It’s a difficult time to be job searching, whether you’ve been made redundant, returned to the job market or you’re a first-time entrant from school, college or university. There is a tendency to panic, to jump at the first thing that’s offered you, or seek employment in a sector that is recruiting, but doesn’t match up with any of your actual interests or aspirations.

An article offering tips on some supposedly ‘hot’ job areas for new UK graduates recently contributed to this type of thinking, and I was concerned about some of the advice that was being offered. Here are just a couple of examples:

The article cited accountancy as a good source of graduate jobs, which I wouldn’t dispute; the financial sector has always taken a large number of new graduates. But that isn’t because there are so many new opportunities created each year. A key factor is the drop-out rate during training.

Accountancy is a career you can enter from just about any academic discipline, but to qualify you must pass the exams of the relevant professional body. You usually get a limited number of attempts at each level of these exams, and a stated amount of time in which to complete the qualification. Many people fail at one or other of these hurdles. This doesn’t mean they can’t work in this sector, but the opportunities will be more limited, based on being ‘time-served’ rather than fully qualified.

And of course the main recruiters are looking for that minority of people who clear all the hurdles and become fully qualified, hence the need to start lots of new graduates on the journey each year.

And then again, don’t forget: accountancy is about numbers. Okay, that’s a real simplification but obviously you’re going to have to deal with things like budgets, profit and loss, taxes, wages etc. There may be all manner of software packages to do the number crunching for you but that doesn’t get away from the fact that you have to understand the principles behind it all. It’s only when you’ve got the basics well under your belt that you’re likely to get opportunities that take into more general management areas.

So if you’re not comfortable with numbers, think at least twice before chasing those accountancy jobs.

Another ‘hot’ suggestion was nursery nurse. This one had my jaw scraping on the ground. For some reason that I was never able to fathom, large numbers of young people, usually girls, want to work with children and seek a career as a nursery nurse. In the UK entry qualifications for this career are accessible to those completing compulsory education. The trend is towards on-the-job training, for either all or part of the qualifications needed, and employers aren’t usually good payers for new entrants.

Where possible they take advantage of government supported programs that help keep training costs and wages manageable. And the annual average earnings quote in the article, which were only a few pounds short of those quoted for a secondary school teacher, were unrealistically high in my opinion. This is not a highly paid profession unless you reach the point of management, preferably of your own (string of) nurseries or playgroups. As the usual employee is there because they want to work directly with children, they’ve accepted the trade-off between money and job satisfaction.

To suggest this as a viable option for new graduates is to suggest that employers will believe that:

*  New graduates will work for the same remuneration as those just out of school or college.

*   Someone who has already invested several years in post-compulsory education really wants to enter a career they could have chosen several years’ previously, and which may not bear any relation to their field of study.

and

*   Someone with a degree will still stick around if a better offer comes their way.

In my experience you’d struggle to convince a potential employer of your genuine interest and commitment, even if it is 150% genuine.

It’s tough enough in the job search market at present without saddling yourself with poor advice as well. Tempting as it may seem to jump at the first offer, you do need to think into the longer term as things won’t always be this tough.

These simple suggestions could help you:

Don’t Be Picky This may seem contradictory to what I said above but it isn’t. If you have a particular career in mind, be flexible about the opportunities available. If you can’t see beyond the high profile employers you could miss good entry level jobs being offered by smaller, or less well known, companies. Once you have some experience in your chosen field, and especially if you’ve gained any work-based qualifications you need, you’re in a position to start thinking about progression.

And if you ‘simply must’ work for that company all your friends have heard of, and will be impressed by, you’re in a better position to secure that move. But be warned: high profile companies are no less susceptible to the ups and downs of the economy than smaller or less well known companies. And sometimes it’s the businesses working behind the scenes that are in a better position for survival.

Be Flexible If you’ve got your mind set on a particular job title or a particular location you could be limiting your options. The younger you are, the more potential you probably have for flexibility, especially in relation to location. If there are no jobs locally but you’re offered a good opening 500 miles ago then take it. Okay you’ll have to make new friends, find somewhere to live, find your way around, but you can do it.

Don’t worry – you will survive and you will likely benefit from the experience.

Build Your Knowledge If you have a clear industry or profession in mind but the opportunities don’t seem to be there at your level, find out how you could get yourself better acquainted with this. You could look for temporary work such as secretarial, administration or data entry.

Once you’re there, do the best job you can. You may be on a temporary contract but think like a permanent employee. Take opportunities to show your skills and communicate your interest. Speak to people involved in recruitment to find out about potential opportunities. Get to know managers and show an interest in the company and how it works.

Develop Your Vital Skills It doesn’t matter what the job is, there are some skills that are truly transferable. These are things like how you get on with other people, problem solving, IT use, and task management. Make sure you have these skills in your repertoire.

While you’re job seeking spend your time usefully. There are some skills you can develop on your own, such as familiarity with IT packages, but others require you to interact with people. There are thousands of openings for volunteers which can help you develop interpersonal skills on several different levels, from handling difficult customers in a charity shop to guiding and supporting people through personal difficulties or traumas.

Some programs will give you the chance to build task management and leadership skills. One option here could be involvement in a program that works in third world countries. These can be real personality-building experiences, and this type of year out activity, where you’re making a real contribution rather than just travelling round the world, is likely to gain more kudos on your CV.

And they aren’t just for young people. Older people with specific skills and experience are welcomed by many programs. If you’re free of ties this could be the ideal way to recharge your batteries and gain a new direction on life.

But whatever you do, don’t forget that invaluable advice from the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy:

DON’T PANIC!!