Finding a Job in a Competitive Market

Unemployment is unbelievably high in the UK as fewer job positions are emerging. According to Fresh Business Thinking, UK employers are reluctant to hire new employees which, combined with public sector cuts, could spell an increase in unemployment figures. This is bad news for those who are currently job seeking as competitiveness for positions could increase further.

If you’re currently unemployed and looking for a new position, getting hired could prove more difficult than ever. It’s not just about impressing the interviewer, the number of applicants for each position makes it harder than ever for you to be top of the pile. In order to seek employment you must source job vacancies which aren’t as competitive as others and be one step ahead of the job market.

Knowing Where to Look

Although jumping on the most popular job boards and recruitment websites seems realistic, there are hundreds of vacancies for the most popular companies and brands, it may not be the best use of your time. Not only does it take an eternity to browse through the abundance of vacancies and find one that’s relevant, the employer will undoubtedly be inundated with applicants. To ensure you make the best use of your time spent job hunting, visit a variety of online recruitment websites like Blue Octopus. You’re more likely to find some hidden gems with small businesses – plus there’ll be fewer applicants, meaning you’ll have a higher chance of success.

Keeping it Personal

Performing some offline job seeking to supplement your online job hunt can help to assist you in your quest for employment. The beauty of visiting businesses and handing them your CV is that this is very much a dying trend. With job advertisements moving online, fewer people are walking around with a stack of CVs and greeting business owners with a friendly face. This means you’re more likely to be remembered for your enthusiasm and proactivity.

Visiting employers in person may not be suitable for large companies whose recruitment process is solely based online, small businesses often still use traditional recruitment methods due to budget restrictions. You could stumble upon a really promising opportunity by using “door-to-door” methods of selling yourself. Make sure you always have sufficient copies of your CV to hand, that it’s formatted appropriately and contains all the necessary information.

The Early Bird…

“The early bird catches the worm” is a very accurate description of job seeking. If employers receive a high number of applicants, they often close the vacancy early as they can’t cope with any more submissions. This is why being one step ahead of everyone else when it comes to sourcing job vacancies gives you a considerable advantage.

Some recruitment websites offer live job feeds – as soon as a vacancy is listed on the site it’s sent out to Twitter and Facebook for its followers and fans to see. If you subscribe to the job feed you can apply for jobs as soon as they’re listed, giving you a firm head start. Blue Octopus job feeds can be found here for Facebook and here for Twitter, subscribe to them to be one step ahead of everyone else!

With a high number of people being unemployed and desperately seeking work, it can be hard to compete against the large numbers of applicants within your field of work. Sourcing job vacancies which are harder to find means that less people will have heard of them, therefore you’ll have less competition. Just make sure you have a strong CV to send out too, it’s important to create the perfect first impression.

By: Blue Octopus

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.