Improving Your Employment Chances

Being out of work can be a very difficult experience. Despite having more time on your hands than you are use to, you can find yourself overwhelmed with the prospect of finding working, and besides, funds are probably limited for going out and enjoying yourself. So what can you do to improve your employment chances and reduce the stress during this time?

Take Stock

Take some time and Review Your Skills and experience. While it’s likely that you will apply for jobs similar to what you’ve done in the past, you may also discover you have others options. Look at your abilities, understand what you are good at, and think about what you can and would like to do. You don’t need to limit yourself to the same job you have always done.

Perhaps you have Career Goals and ambitions not yet explored. What could you do to gain the necessary skills? Do you have other abilities, such as those developed from a Hobby, that you could seek employment in?

Training

If you are out of work, there may be training opportunities available to you at your local job centre. These are all good ways to increase your skills and learn new things. It also shows that you didn’t waste the time you had off while unemployed. There may also be an opportunity for you to retrain. Having a career break can sometimes encourage people to go for their dream and find ways to obtain their ideal job.

Get Experience

There are ways to get experience other than through full-time employment. Working On A Voluntary Basis may be an option, and can give you exposure to different jobs and roles. It also looks good on your CV.

There may be opportunities to help out in your local community, local charity or hobby group. These are also great ways to avoid becoming too house bound when you don’t have a job to go to. If you know someone with a business, you might consider offering your time in return for gaining work experience.

Career Change Matcher

Tell us what is not working and what you want instead and we will match you with career paths that fit.

Try our Career Change Matcher free, here on this site →

Looking for Work

Jobs typically won’t come looking for you, so it’s important to decide how you will approach your job search. These days, Internet jobsites, newspapers and agencies are the best place to look for vacancies. You can also apply directly to organisations.

Don’t forget Your Network. It’s likely that you have meet and worked with a variety of people, so it pays to keep in contact and let them know that you are looking for work. A personal recommendation puts you at the front of the crowd when applying for jobs, too.

Internet Social Networking Sites, such as Linkedin and Twitter, are excellent ways to remain in contact with past colleagues and can be helpful in getting word out that you are looking for work.

Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.

Get Your CV in Order

Look Your Best

It can be easy to forget about yourself if stressed about being out of work. Make the most of the opportunity to look after yourself; take a break from job searching and go for a walk. Keeping fit will also help you maintain a positive state of mind.

Make the most of the time that you have available. It’s possible that you can learn new skills or discover abilities you didn’t know that you have. Try to keep positive and eventually your hard work will find you a new job.

Writing a Covering Letter

When applying for a new job, the strength of your covering letter can often determine whether or not your CV is even looked at. Read our feature Job Applications And Covering Letters to find out how to make the best possible first impression.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Career Change Matcher lets you tell us what is not working and what you want instead and we will match you with career paths that fit. Try it now →