You know its time to move on, restlessness, boredom and anger at everything and anyone has started to set in. It’s clear what needs to happen but the thought of scrolling through the recruitment sites, making the calls and doing up the CV can equally be daunting.
I was in this place a few years ago, I was irritated with people tell me what to do and I was really bored but I also didn’t really want to step up my game, take the time to actually look for a new role so I lingered. Looking back, I think one of the things holding me back was I was not sure I would be able to handle extra responsibility, I wanted to be able to leave the office and not think about the place until I absolutely had to. I wanted nothing to come in the way of my time with my husband and kids. I made lots of excuses but finally when I truly had enough, I decided to do something about it.
I started looking, applied and got a higher role, almost double my previous salary within 90days. I’ve since moved on from even that role but in the years, I worked for that organisation I didn’t have to compromise my lifestyle for the job. My initial fears were unfounded and it was a lovely experience. I know the story doesn’t always end this way, sometimes the job promises to be great but once you start you find it’s not all it was cut out to be, your disappointed and you know you may yet need to move again.
While hopping from job to job is definitely not ideal, when you find yourself in a situation that you need to move on, here are a few tips to make the search faster.

- Mindset: – I believe that all battles are first of all won in the mind. If you can see
it you can have it but you still have to put in the work. Below are a couple of things to settle in your mind upfront.- I find the first thing I had to do was to decide there was a role out there that was perfect for me and I was going to find it. Don’t let other people’s experiences of the job market deter you from your goal.
- Decide you will put in the work, especially when you don’t have a job, you should wake up in the morning with a purpose, like you already have the job and begin the search.
- You must think out of the box, don’t get stuck on the idea that you must work in a particular industry or do a particular job title to be successful.
- Be clear on what kind of role you would like and the kind of conditions you would be happy with. For example, if you know due to your current circumstances working a shift rota will have a detrimental effect on your family, either don’t take roles like this or work it out before you start.
- Don’t get discouraged, some days may be better than others.
- Put it down to experience. When you go for an interview but still don’t get the role, ask for feedback, make changes where you can but don’t dwell on it. My philosophy is to engage, adjust, execute, win.
- Be grateful. I personally find that gratitude lifts your spirit and it shows
- Understand the system: Many recruitment agencies use software to sift through the multiple CV’s they receive daily. You want to make sure you stand out!
- Use the right keywords.
- Know the time new adverts are normally released and target your applications to this as much as possible. This will increase the chances of the recruiter actually reviewing your CV.
- Register with
recruiter for similar types of roles. - You can call up the recruiter to find out more about a particular role you are interested
in, and thank him or her for the time regardless of whether you get the role or not. You will be remembered when the next role becomes available.
- Network! Network! Network! – Don’t spend all your time on job boards. Did you know that at least 70% of job openings aren’t even listed? You need to network to find out about them. There are informal and formal ways to network
- Get new contacts – from friend and family, think about your old student associations, professional bodies you belong to,
reunions hangouts., coffee - Attend as many networking events as you can. You can often find some of these if you follow strategic accounts on social media, look out for local
organisations , , eventsorganised by professional bodies (e.gbritish council) or similarorganisations in your country of residence. Check out your local libraries for adverts and church as many of these hosts events. - Use LinkedIn to your advantage, follow accounts and
organisations relevant to your industry, comment and like appropriate posts. Optimize your profile so recruiters know you are looking for your next role. Spread the word with your contacts on linked in and ask for referrals if they already work in theorganisation you are interested in or are connected to someone there. - Share your business cards at events and strike up conversations (it’s usually easier when you go with a friend).
- Finally, be ready with your elevator pitch, you should always be ready with this. Your pitch should be succinct and include, who you are, what you do/ what you are good at and the value you add. You want to be highlighting a problem you can solve.
- Get new contacts – from friend and family, think about your old student associations, professional bodies you belong to,
One more thing….
Note when you go for networking events, don’t make it about you. Take the time to listen to others, offer to introduce them to someone or solve a problem without expecting anything in return. People like to talk about themselves, listen to them. People usually remember how you make them feel rather than what you do for them, so be