10 tips for your job search

Quando cerchi lavoro scrivere il curriculum è il primo passo, ma non sottovalutare altre importanti questioni: crea una mail professionale (nome.cognome, gli indirizzi bizzarri tienili per il tempo libero) e stai attento a quello che Google dice di te! Ecco 10 consigli che possono tornarti utili.
By Susan Gray – in collaborazione con Kaplan International English

Finding a job, whether it’s your first full-time work or something new, is rarely an easy thing to take on. If you’re dreading the task, we have some tips that will help your applications look better and give you the motivation to keep searching.

1 How good is your CV?
If you are just getting started in the career world, make your CV focused in the area that you want to work. Include all your volunteer experience and unpaid work related to your intended job area. Include special work done at school, for example, within groups or school studies and activities. After you have job experience, you should remove these items from your CV. (Here, you can find some pratical tips: How to write a CV in English, How to catch the attention of your reader)

2 Have a professional email address
When you’re searching for a job, you should set up an email address with your first and last name. Remember to check it regularly!

3 Google yourself!
Before starting your quest for a job, Google your name and check that the results don’t damage your professional applications. If they do, prepare for some damage control. It’s a good idea to consider changing the settings of your social media accounts, enabling only your friends and family to see your photos and posts.

4 Network
Get the word out that you’re looking for a job. Speak with friends, family, teachers, colleagues, classmates – anyone who might be able to help. Go to job fairs, visit the websites of companies that you would like to work for, be pro-active and send them your CV.

5 Publish your CV online
Find out the best Job sites for your industry and upload your CV with the clear desired job title and keywords that will help potential employers to find you online. If you have a portfolio, you might consider publishing it online as well. There are a lot of free resources online, just search for: “publish your portfolio free”.

6 Create job alerts
On the websites where you published your CV, create Job alerts to be sent to your email address once new jobs matching your criteria become available. Reply to these quickly, but not on a Friday afternoon. You don’t want your application email to be drowned among the weekend spam emails!

7 Create specific cover letters
It might sound like a boring task, but it’s one that will make all the difference. You might write a general cover letter, but you want to be sure to reference a particular trait or experience expressed in the job advertisement.

8 Feeling demoralized?
Get back to school. Visit your alumni career advisor, show him/her your CV and cover letters and ask for an opinion. The career advisor can also tell you about any potential jobs going around or companies that are hiring. It’s also a great chance to network.

9 Volunteer!
The longer you are inactive the longer it will take you to find a new job. Consider volunteering for an organization close to your heart. This will give you the chance to improve your skills and even learn new ones.

10 Don’t give up!
Don’t lose motivation. Think and act positively, have a healthy routine, include exercise and positive actions to do during the day. Focus on other things in your life that make you happy, as well.

Please bear in mind that job search is a marathon, not a sprint. Looking for a job can be a job in itself – have discipline. Set aside time to do it every day. At the end, it will be highly rewarding!

Materiale fornito da Kaplan International English