|
||||||||||
| London Guides Section |  |
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
| Site Search
|
Job Hunting This page offers advice on finding post-graduate employment opportunities in professional industries, ranging from financial services and consulting to media, technology, telecoms, law firms, pharma, transport or the public sector. What are the different methods of finding good job opportunities? While there are many different ways to find good employment, recruitment agencies probably provide the most reliable way to find the jobs most suitable to your skills, experiences and interests. Of course, many national and local newspapers have high-quality job advertisement sections. There are also some excellent websites featuring general and specialisted recruitment ads that can often be searched by specific criteria. And finally, there is word-of-mouth, e.g. at Euronet events. What does a CV need to look like in the UK? Following your contact details at the top of the page, you should list your employment history (last one first), your education, special skills and hobbies. You also might want to add your career goal summarised in one sentence. There is no need to attach a photo or to mention your age, religion or gender. However, our experience is that your chances are sometimes improved if you do list your age, nationality and work clearance. Keep the whole CV to a maximum of two pages. Be very specific in anything you write. If you interview with recruitment agencies, listen carefully to their advice as to how you should rewrite or improve your CV. Are there any special rules for job interviews in the UK? Not really. How you conduct yourself in job interviews will always play a decisive role. Interviews with recruitment agencies are much more casual than with possible employers and can be a good exercise for honing your interview skills, especially if English is not your native language. Be confident, relaxed, specific, prepare good questions, enquire about job details, don't appear desparate to get the job, no matter how much you want it. Above all, remember that the interview is a two-way discussion: interview the company to ascertain whether they are right for you, ask good questions, this may impress the interviewer more than your answers to their questions. How to use recruitment agencies to find the perfect job? See recruitment agencies as your ally. They may receive between 10% and 35% of your annual salary as a commission from your new employer, so they have a strong incentive to find you a job. You should not have to pay any fees yourself. First, you need to find the right agencies for you. There are hundreds of agencies, some of the very large and handling all kinds of professions and industries, most of them however are specialised in a niche sector. It would be impossible to list all them here. Ask around. Do your websearches. The companies mentioned below are large and well-respected, but represent only a small part of the overall market. Beware of agencies that promise you too much or that ask you to pay a downpayment. Once you've identified the 5 to 7 agencies that specialise in your area, call them and ask for an agent that is suitable for your interests. Send him/her your CV and description of your preferences. If the agency is appropriate, getting an interview with them shouldn't be too difficult. In the interview, avoid being too general. The more specific you can be about your ideal employer and type of job, the better. If you are not sure about your market value, ask the agent about the salary you can expect. Here are some selected general recruitment agencies (in alphabetical order):
Do you know other good agencies of wide appeal? Please send us an email. How to use publications to find a job? The main daily quality newspapers with post-graduate job advertisements are (click on their names for their respective online listings): Every industry has its own specialised weekly and monthly trade papers, which very often have excellent, more focused job ad sections. However, graduate jobs advertised via newspapers or magazines often attract very large numbers of applications. There is likely to be someone amongst the candidates that fits perfectly. So, unless your skills and experiences match the listed job profile very well, you may not want to bother applying. How to use websites to find a job? Websites can be a very effective tool in your job hunt, but do remember that nothing can replace face-to-face interviews and establishing good relationships with appropriate recruitment agents Supply as much information as you can, but only write essential content. Spell everything correctly and use standard terminology for your industry. Recruiters will often search the jobsites using their preferred keywords. Your job search may be a long one, so go back to keep your CV and details up to date. Posting your CV and details on jobsites should be free of charge. Use as much jobsite functionality as possible. Most will allow you to upload your CV in Microsoft Word format, but take advantage of tools which allow you to specify your skill sets and the range of experience you have. Here are the biggest job search websites in the UK (in alphabetical order):
The "artificial intelligence" of these web sites is often not very advanced, although where it is – such as iProfile, which provides real-time analysis of the IT job market – it is usually well worth your time investigating. iProfile specialises on IT professionals and allows you to analyse contract and permanent pay rates across several market sectors. There are jobsites specialised on other industries. How do salary levels in the UK compare to other European countries or the U.S.? The UK is a country of relatively low salary levels, at least in comparison to other European countries or the U.S. This is due in part to lower income tax rates. London salaries are higher than the national average to accommodate for higher living expenses in the capital. What is the culture in the UK for bonuses and benefits? Many job ads will carry the term "OTE", or on-target earnings, which is the total of base salary plus the maximum possible bonuses. Sales jobs particularly have relatively low base salaries, but offer big bonuses upon reaching ambitious sales targets. Benefits – ranging from private health insurance, gym membership to a car allowance, a company mobile phone or even stock options – may represent a considerable additional value to you. However, only the very large reputable employers tend to offer these benefits. In some cases, these benefits may even be paid out in cash, e.g. if you don't want the health insurance (benefits in kind). Either way, they will be seen by the tax authorities as taxable income. In addition to public and national holidays, UK companies are legally obliged to offer full-time employees a mimimum of four weeks (20 days) paid leave (holidays) per year, although the better employers sometimes offer up to 25 days. What to do in case of redundancy? Generally speaking, job protection is weaker in the UK than in the rest of Europe, but stronger than in the U.S. The culture of changing jobs quickly and often is much more common here and the loss of your job through redundancy therefore is seen much less as a stigma. There are clear rules as to the minimum amount of severance payment the employer has to pay you, depending on the length of employment and your last salary. However, the legal minimum levels are not very high and the better employers have higher levels and clear policies, often leaving little room for negotiations. For details on minimum requirements, please visit the official government website. Should I bother applying for unemployment benefits? Should you be unsure as to how long your unemployment might last (while you are looking for a new job), you might want to register with your local 'Job Centre', the government-sponsored agencies set up to help people find jobs. Unemployment benefits – officially called 'Jobseeker's Allowance' in the UK – are not very high. With only about £55 per week (for people aged 25 years or more getting 'Contribution-Based Jobseeker's Allowance'), they may still help you bridge a financial bottleneck situation while hunting for a new job in a city suffering from high living expenses. For details, go to the dedicated page of the 'Adviceguide' website run by the Citizens Advice Bureau. London has a huge job market. There are always job opportunities out there. If you find the right recruitment agencies, newspapers and job websites suitable to your needs, it won't take long until you're back in employment. Do remember however, that most vacancies are never advertised, so your best chance of finding out about opportunities comes from networking with other people. Euronet events provide one of the many ways of doing this. |
Living in London Job Hunting |
||||||||
| | Home | Copyright | Privacy Policy | Webmaster | Tell a friend | | ||||||||||
