Finding a job in a recession

Finding a job is tough at the best of times but in the middle of a recession it can seem even more difficult. Nathalie Bonney offers some advice to landing a job despite the downturn.

On where to look for work.....

If you have been given notice of redundancy, and have been with your employer for more than two years, then you are entitled to paid time off to look for a new job.

Start by looking in the back pages of your local paper or in the shop window of your local newsagents; while this will reveal vacancies in your local area, you’ll probably find plenty of advertisements for dog walkers, babysitters and bar staff rather than any jobs that suit your specific skills.

Widen your search to include the national papers, which quite often advertise different types of jobs on different days. The Guardian, for example has a media section on Monday, education supplement every Tuesday and a social work and public sector section on Wednesdays.
Meanwhile, The Evening Standard advertises PA and secretarial jobs on Mondays.

Go along to your local newsagent and see what papers offer what and ask your newsagent if they stock any trade journals from your field of work. You can also browse jobs at the newspapers’ online websites, as well as sign up to receive emails on specific job areas.

Although employers don’t tend to rely wholly on internet advertisements, a survey from Work Smart reveals that 60% of UK employers advertise vacancies online.

So, make the most of the internet. Online employment agencies, such as monster.co.uk and totaljobs.com, are good places to hunt out vacancies or even post your CV. The Directgov website also carries vacancies.

Don’t forget to make the most of JobCentre Plus – as well as advertising vacancies, its website gives advice on writing your CV (see below).