Whether you're looking for work, have been made redundant or would just like to improve your job prospects then look through this powerpoint, better job prospects,

1. How to
Improve Job
Prospects

2. What are job prospects?
 There are different ways
to build job prospects
 People already with a job
will be doing different
things to grow them
Job prospects are simply your
chances of landing a job – the
probability of being hired.

3. So how do we improve them?
Improving your job prospects with the
aim of getting hired requires effort in
three areas:
Building the CV; personal growth
Knowing where to look; the job search
Nailing the interview; proving yourself

4. The CV:
Invest in yourself
 Your CV is essentially everything that you are in an A4
document. This is quite restrictive.
 So you have to make sure the content in it is striking
and extremely supportive to your intended path
 Build your CV around the path you wish to take – and
if you’re unsure, you can build more than one CV

5. Training and Education
 There’s little better to show commitment to a
path than by taking a course in it
 Do these well in advance of applications as the
time constraints associated with them may hinder
your chances

6. Keep qualifications
up to date
 Don’t let it look like you’re just stuffing your CV –
keep the courses relevant and show a continued
effort with them
 For example, doing a First Aid course is great, but
have you been practicing?
 Experience volunteering with St John Ambulance,
or being designated as First Aider at work will
prove commitment here

7. Get part-time
education too
 Climbing the ladder or switching careers
- can require further education.
 There are many institutions that offer part-time courses
 Taking management courses is a great example
Those who can see themselves stepping up but want
training and knowledge to do it well will make the
most of these

8. Creative CVs – think
outside the A4
 Ditching the traditional CV is certainly not for everyone
 But some have benefited greatly from reaching out in
other ways
 Adam Pacetti spent his last £500 on a billboard asking for
a job – and it worked
 A Coventry University marketing graduate
stood in a tube station asking for people to
take a copy of his CV – and it worked.

9. Work and voluntary
experience
 Unpaid work isn’t naturally appealing, but then
neither is unemployment!
 Unpaid experience may be an expectation for
candidates in particularly competitive markets
 A common complaint of job seekers is that they
need experience to get a job to get experience
– but this isn’t always the case
 There are routes into a field that don’t involve
full employment

10. Take an Apprenticeship
 Apprenticeships are built up of National
Vocational Qualfications (NVQs), achieved via
assessment and training
 Apprentices
learn on the
job, and earn
money too

11. Paid to work and learn
 These are great for CVs as they will show work
as well as study – the perfect combination of
education and experience
 Apprenticeships can be
taken in a variety of
fields, and apprentices
may end up with a job
offer at the end

12. Work experience
 Work experience can be chased in a similar way
to normal work; be professional, enquire and
show your interest in the field
 Work experience can be in a short period, like
many do for a week in their final year of KS4, or
a longer period with an internship.

13. Internships
 Internships usually last at least
three months, with many lasting
up to six and even a year
 Internships are often unpaid, but not always.
 Interns are of huge help to many charities and
organisations with little capital, but the
experience will be hugely valuable to a CV

14. Voluntary work
 Voluntary work shows
honest commitment
without expectation
of financial reward
 Often done for caring causes, this work will help
grow you as a person as well as boost your CV
 Experiences will be on par with other work, and
will be much easier to find!

15. The Search:
Know where to look
 After having built your CV, you need to know how to find
the best places to put it
 Primarily an issue for entry-level applicants, it is important
to understand how the internet has affected this process
 It is very easy to find a job opening now.
But it’s also very easy to apply. Employers
are flooded with choice as a result.

16. Use job websites properly
 Target your applications
and use the appropriate
CV – make sure you’ve
got one for each type of
job!
 If they provide other contact information, use it!
 Show your interest in the position and push to get
noticed. You may be competing with hundreds of
others for these positions.

17. The Interview:
Manage the little things
 The interview is about your presence – so ensure you’re
well groomed and that your clothes fit properly
 Look up tips on body language – this TED talk is a great
start
 Gaining an understanding of body language
will help you improve your prospects in a
lot of areas of life

18. To finish – and to start:
Believe in yourself
 This belief will give you the courage and willpower to go
and fight for positions
 Without it, you will consistently be aiming lower than you
deserve and avoiding great opportunities
Break that mental barrier and
watch everything fall into place

19. Why not improve your
job prospects with us?
Contact one of our careers advisors at Pathway Group
who can point you in the right direction.
Call Pathway on 0121 707 0550
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www.twitter.com/pathwaygroup
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