How to find a job Where to look for vacancies Job vacancies are advertised in a variety of places. You may be well aware of some, such as the recruitment section of your local newspaper, but you might not have thought of others. Here are the main places where vacancies are advertised.

Where to look for vacancies Job vacancies are advertised in a variety of places. You may be well aware of some, such as the recruitment section of your local newspaper, but you might not have thought of others. Here are the main places where vacancies are advertised.

Your local Connexions or careers service Connexions and careers services provide a placing service for young people who are looking for work or training. Young jobseekers need to keep in touch with their local Connexions/careers centre where vacancies are advertised, and where advisers can discuss work or training opportunities. They can also give advice about filling in forms and going for interviews. Connexions/careers services may also advertise job and training opportunities through their websites.

Jobcentre Plus Jobcentre Plus offices mainly advertise vacancies for people aged 18 and over. Job vacancies covering the range of occupational areas are displayed, usually through touch-screen Jobpoints. Staff can provide more information, and can also discuss opportunities through government-funded programmes, such as New Deal. EURES – European Employment Services – deals with vacancies across Europe (can be accessed through the Jobcentre Plus website, listed at the end of this leaflet). For clients with special needs, a Disability Employment Adviser can provide specialist advice and help.

Apart from visiting your local Jobcentre Plus, you can contact the Jobcentre Plus telephone job- matching service, on (the textphone version for people with hearing or speech impairments is ). The Jobcentre Plus website also gives access to job vacancies, or the same vacancy database can be searched through the 'Employment' section of the Directgov website:

Employment agencies Anyone can register with a private employment or recruitment agency to look for work. Some agencies deal with vacancies covering a wide range of different occupations; others specialise, perhaps in ICT or financial work. Agencies deal both with permanent and temporary vacancies – some specialise in one or the other. Find out about the range of vacancies that your local agencies deal with – also, the geographical area each covers. Agencies will want to know about your qualifications, skills and experience and the kind of work you are looking for. They will contact you if

something suitable comes up, but it might help increase your chances if you keep contacting the agency regularly. If you take up a temporary job, you may be directly employed by the agency, rather than by the employer with whom you work. Agencies are not allowed to charge a fee to the jobseeker. It's the employer who pays the agency for filling their vacancy. You can find local agencies through Yellow Pages or other local directories and most employment agencies have websites where they advertise their vacancies. For one way to find an agency in your area, or one specialising in a particular type of work, see:

The internet There are many websites that carry job vacancies. Some of these are specialist vacancy websites (a few are listed at the end of this leaflet), or websites of recruitment agencies (see above). Some employers publish job advertisements on their own websites and these also give information about their operations. The websites of professional and trade organisations often have vacancy listings, and newspapers and magazines may publish job advertisements on their websites. Many of these vacancies are likely to require people with relevant skills and experience. Some websites offer advice on CVs and application forms. Some allow you to log in your own details so that they can notify you of suitable vacancies as they occur. You may be able to or upload a copy of your CV, or complete an online application. N.B. If completing an application form online, take as much trouble over spelling and accuracy as you would when filling out a paper-based application.

Newspapers Local newspapers are a good source of local jobs – both temporary and permanent. Try to look in all the newspapers covering the area within which you would be prepared to travel. For papers that are published on a daily basis, there is usually a particular day of the week when job vacancies are featured. Keeping an eye on the 'situations vacant' column will help to give you an idea of the range of work being advertised by local employers, and of the level of skills, qualifications and experience that they seek. Local papers are held in main public and reference libraries. There are also weekly papers publishing nothing but vacancies – some available from newsagents at a cost, others that can be picked up for free at supermarkets etc.

National newspapers are another source of vacancies for those with particular experience and skills to offer, and/or who are in a position to consider vacancies away from their home area. Some newspapers advertise a particular type of work on certain days of the week.

Professional and trade journals Journals and magazines that advertise vacancies for particular kinds of work are useful if you have qualifications, skills and experience to offer, and are flexible about where you could work. Sometimes such journals are available through larger newsagents, e.g. the Nursing Times; others may be available to order, or through a reference library.

Reference sections of public libraries may hold the Willings Press Guide (either in print or online), or similar directories, which can give leads to useful journals. Virtually all trade and professional bodies have websites, many of which carry recruitment information and vacancy listings. Leaflets in this series on particular careers list relevant professional/trade bodies.

Shop windows and noticeboards If you are looking for casual or part-time work, such as gardening or retail sales work, vacancies are sometimes displayed in shop windows, especially newsagents. Supermarkets etc often advertise the fact that they are looking for staff on store noticeboards.

Use your contacts It's possible to miss seeing some vacancies, and many vacancies are not advertised publicly at all. So, let your friends, relations, neighbours and other contacts know that you are job hunting, and what you are looking for, and ask them to keep a lookout. This kind of approach is sometimes called 'networking'.

Making speculative approaches Contacting employers 'on-spec' means that an employer will have information about you and the kind of work in which you are interested to hand (or 'on file'), and may consider you if a suitable opportunity arises. Decide which employers you want to target – use employer information held in your local Connexions or careers centre or Jobcentre Plus, company website information or local directories. Try to get the name of the relevant person to contact (normally the person who would be your immediate manager) so that you can send a personally-addressed letter or . You could telephone the organisation to find the information you need, or look on their website. Otherwise, send letters or s to the human resources manager (sometimes called the personnel manager). If you can, find out this person's name.

Preferably include (or attach, if ing) a CV to inform the employer of your qualifications, skills and experience. Leaflets and in this series give advice and examples. Accompany the CV with a short letter or covering informing the employer of the type of work you are looking for, highlighting relevant skills and experience, and asking them to contact you if a suitable vacancy arises (see example). After a few weeks, if you've not heard from the organisation, you could follow up your letter or with a telephone call to check that your on-spec application has been received by the right person and to find out about any opportunities with the organisation.

If you choose to send an on-spec , the example letter can still be used as a guide, although you won't need to include the organisation's postal address. You should still provide your own postal address, in case the company wants to send you an application form or brochures etc by post, and also give your telephone number.

Example of a covering letter to accompany a CV sent 'on spec' Ms S Steel Human Resources Manager Broadtown Building Society 85 Station Road Broadtown BW10 3TY 9th March 2009 Dear Ms Steel Administrative assistant position I am currently taking a course in business administration at Broadtown College. The course finishes in June and I would be very interested to hear of any administrative assistant vacancies that you might have available over the next few months. For your information, I enclose a copy of my CV. I have experience in all aspects of Microsoft Office, and have undertaken a successful period of work experience in an organisation similar to your own. I am especially keen to work for Broadtown Building Society, as I have a particular interest in financial work, and would like the opportunity to work for a large, forward-looking, locally-based building society. I am available at any time for interview. Yours sincerely Jacki Bond (Miss)