| How do I find work? | |
| Types of work | |
| Where are jobs advertised? | |
| Speculative applications | |
| Work permits | |
| Test your knowledge | |
| What next? | |
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How Do I Find Work?
Looking for a job takes time and effort. But the rewards often make it well worth while; whether it's getting your first job after graduation or the satisfaction of finding voluntary work that you really enjoy or a well paid part-time job while studying.
This section of the seminar will help you identify where to look for different types of jobs and help you begin to understand the job hunting techniques necessary to access the labour market in the UK.
I found work through ‘word of mouth' and from websites, including the Careers Service. Indian Postgraduate, University of Strathclyde I got my part-time job through contacts I made while playing touch rugby on a university team. American Postgraduate, University of Edinburgh I was able to find out about job opportunities through the Glasgow University Careers Service website and from the Prospects website. Chinese Postgraduate, University of Glasgow |
How do I start looking for a job?
There are two main ways to find work in the UK .
Reactive Job Hunting means identifying advertised vacancies and making applications. Common sources of vacancies are;
- university careers services
- newspapers
- professional journals
- specialist magazines
- recruitment agencies
The internet is a good way of accessing vacancies from these sources. For more on this look at Where are jobs advertised? for good starting points.
Not all vacancies in the UK are advertised; some estimates suggest, that for a variety of reasons, less than half of all jobs are advertised. This is why proactive job hunting is very important.
Proactive Job Hunting means uncovering and creating opportunities for yourself. This requires you to be creative in identifying job opportunities. Common forms are;
- speculative applications (this means contacting organisations directly to ask about possible work)
- networking (this means creating and using personal contacts to help you find out more about organisations and to uncover opportunities)
- working your way up from within (for example, doing some voluntary work, or getting a temporary job).
For more on this look at Speculative Applications
