Putting The Spark Back Into Your Job Search

February. The month flooded with romantic gestures, social media posts, and displays of affection. And although it’s consumed by all things related to Valentines, it is also one of the busiest months of the year for applying for jobs. 

So, whilst everyone is reminding the world who they love – or maybe, unfortunately falling out of love with – we want to help you get swept off your feet when job searching and help you find your perfect match.

Just call us Recruitment’s version of Cupid. 

So, here are three things to consider when job searching this Valentine’s.

Redefine What You Want Out Of This ‘Relationship’

You may have had your ‘heart broken’ a few times during your career from previous employers – maybe the role wasn’t exactly what you expected it to be? The culture different from what you heard? Or maybe the commute to the office was more demanding than you expected? These past experiences will have shown you what you do, and maybe more importantly,  don’t want from a future role. 

Just like how you ensure your values align with those of a prospective partner in a romantic sense, the same should apply during your job search. If you’ve been job hunting for some time without much luck it may be worth redefining what it is you want from a future position. 

Here are three things to consider when redefining your job search:

1) What Are Your Non-Negotiables?

You’ll have discovered over your career which aspects of your role you do and don’t like, and ultimately, what you want your next role to look like. So, as you search for your next position, make a list of what things are your ‘non-negotiables’. Essentially, things that your role must-have moving forward. Examples of these are:

• • • The role has to be within 20 miles (because you’ve realised that a longer commute didn’t work work with your circumstances at home)
    • There must be a clear progression path (you want a role with longevity and that has opportunities to move within the company)
    • Opportunities to secure bonus or commission (you know you’re motivated by money and perform best in roles where you can increase your monthly earnings.)

2) What Can You Do Without?

These could be things that you’ve enjoyed during previous roles but they’re not deal-breakers when deciding whether to apply for a future role or not. These could be:

• • • Early finishes on a Friday (a nice perk but you don’t mind working normal hours)
    • Inflated Holiday Entitlement (Your previous employer may have been extremely generous in holiday allowance, but you know this isn’t going to be the case for every role).
    • Car Allowance or company car (You may not even require a car in your next role, so you’re not precious over receiving a vehicle if you don’t need one)

3) Who Do You Want To Work With?

You spend more time at work with your colleagues than you do at home with your family, so the type of people that you work with and the culture of a business can really ‘make-or-break’ your career relationship. 

When applying for roles and interviewing with hiring managers, be sure to ask:

• • • How does the company celebrate successes? If they do at all?
    • What is the office environment like day-by-day?
    • What is the average tenure of employees within the business?

Always Bring ‘Fresh Flowers’ To Your Date

Flowers – The fail-safe date gift.

We’re sure that you’ve either given or received them before. So, you’ll know how important it is to pick a bunch that your date will like to make a good first impression; you’ll want to show that you’re interested and have spent time getting to know them by choosing flowers they’ll like. 

The same goes for your CV when applying for jobs. 

Job adverts will receive hundreds of applications from candidates that hiring managers will then need to read. With so many CV’s to review, they’ll be looking for key points when deciding whether to invite someone through for an interview or not; attributes that they’ve listed on the job advert that can be found on your CV. What this means for you when job searching, is adapting your CV to suit the requirements of each advert. 

However, tailoring your CV isn’t about just copying the job advert. Yes, they want to see that you have the skills and experience required, but they want to know HOW you do through real-life examples. For Example:

They want someone who’s ‘Proactive’.
Highlight a time when you’ve used your initiative to complete a task without direction and what the result of that was. E.G: You recognised that some the new Surveyors were forgetting to complete a part of a process, so you researched and found a new Project Management Software for the team to use which resulted in completion time reducing by X amount of days.

They want someone with ‘Management Experience’.
Really, anyone can be a Manager, but the best ones are those that can generate real results. Highlight how you’ve done this by E.G: Managed a team of 4 engineers and implemented weekly 1-2-1’s to ensure all members of the team had clear targets to hit within specific timeframes, increasing productivity by X% and client retention by X’

Set Yourself a Time Frame For ‘Breaking Up’

We’ve all had that feeling of a relationship fizzling out. The spark is going (or gone), you’re no longer excited by seeing them and you can’t picture a long-term future. So, the inevitable needs to happen – breaking up.

The same feelings can occur during your job search. It’s a tiring process that takes up your evenings, requires you to spend time getting to know others and continually put yourself out there. So, if you’re not ‘feeling it’, it’s best to end it sooner rather than later. 

With that being said, there’s no failure in calling it ‘quits’ with a company during the job application process. This is your future and career, and the decision has got to be the right for you. You don’t want to find yourself 6 months down the line and thinking ‘What if’.

If you’ve redefined your job search, discovered what the company culture is and who you’d be working with and you’re not ‘feeling it’, let it go and carry on applying for other roles.

Want help securing your next role? Submit your CV here, sign up to receive job alerts or message on of our Specialist Recruiters to discover roles we’re currently recruiting for.