Most people will have basic knowledge of where and how to look for a job but here is a basic guide to helping you get the most out of your job search:

• Job/career centres – Job centres will usually provide a wide variety of different types of jobs and new openings are posted on a regular basis so it is well worth visiting on a regular basis if you are serious about looking for work. Staff working in the centres is there to assist you in looking for your particular line of work and to help you arrange interviews and offer advice and support in your search.

Career centres differ in that they usually help people searching for work up to the age of 21 though some now also help older people, career centres will usually have jobs that are specifically aimed at younger people and which are not advertised by the job centre.

A lot of the career centres will also hold a register where you can be listed and when suitable vacancies come up they will notify you. Younger people may also be sent on training courses and attend group meetings for getting help with writing resumes and have access to free newspapers advertising jobs and can make use of telephones and computers free of charge.

• Newspapers – Many job vacancies can be found listed in National, local and free newspapers, there are also newspapers that specialise in job vacancies, usually these are printed by region and only have vacancies that are within commuting distance while others have vacancies on a wider scope.

A lot of employers with vacancies will just advertise in newspapers and not list jobs with the job or careers centres so it is worthwhile to scan these on a regular basis. It is worthwhile checking out your local library as most libraries offer newspapers daily free of charge.

• Magazines, journals and agencies – A lot of professions will have their own journals or magazines in which employers will advertise openings, some of these can be bought from a newsagent off the shelf while others are only available as subscription.

If you are looking for work locally then vacancies will usually be listed with employment agencies, these cover all different types of work and employment agencies can be found listed in the yellow pages.

• Employers premises – A lot of employers will have job vacancies and work opportunities posted on the premises, the larger stores such as DIY companies and food retailers will have job boards which people can look at which saves them the time and expense of listing vacancies with agencies or newspapers.

Some companies will list your name on their books even if they haven’t got an opening at the moment and keep you in mind for future vacancies.

• The internet – The internet is a great way of looking for a job, employment and recruitment agencies use it to advertise job openings locally, nationally and internationally. Local companies will also have web sites where they list any vacancies that they may have and most will let you apply for the job online.

Many times in your search for work you will come across the perfect job for you but the problem that stands in your way is experience. Many jobs on offer will state “experience needed”, “5 years experience required” or something similar, so how do you get experience if no one is willing to give you the experience in the first place.

There are however ways you can get around not having experience, listed below is the kind of experience that most employers look for when hiring and how you could gain it:

• Other work – Take a lower paid job for a while that will give you experience in the skills needed for the position you are aiming for, those who think a pay drop and the position is beneath them are missing a valuable chance to gain much needed experience.
• Internships – some businesses will sometimes be willing to give people experience in exchange for hard labour, if you can afford to not get paid at all for your work then this is an excellent way to gain experience.
• Volunteer positions – there are many no profit organisations that will give you the experience in exchange for your time.
• Clubs and organisations – keep your eye out for organisations or clubs where you can gain experience and use your skills on a regular basis.
• Student activities or leadership roles – if you are still in school or college then consider taking an active part in leaderships roles to gain experience.
• Take temporary work – working as a temp is an excellent way to gain experience through many different positions in different jobs.
• Career services – if you are a student in college or have attended college then the chances are that you will have access to career services, using these services are an excellent way to gain experience.

Points to remember when employer’s state experience needed are

• They want to be sure the applicants know what they are doing
• They don’t want to spend money on excessive training for the job
• They want applicants who have already made “beginner” mistakes

Sometimes if you can prove that these don’t apply to you and that even though you haven’t got the working experience you are more than able to do the work then you still might be in with a chance of getting the job.

While you are looking for work it is best to plan a strategy and spend at least 30 hours looking for work exploring as many different job search options as you possibly can, it is worth concentrating on the searches that will give you the most results in the shortest time possible. Some job search options include:

• Referrals
• The internet
• Employment agencies
• Newspapers
• Contacting employers directly through companies listed in Yellow pages
• Social services organisations
• The unemployment office
• Colleges, universities and Business schools
• Job fairs

To get the most from your search it is best to use at least 5 different search methods at one time this will give you a wider range of opportunities, some helpful tips for your search include:

• Spread the word – The more people that know you are looking for work and the type of work you are looking for the better, let people know what qualifications you have and the type of work that you would prefer.
• Get in touch with potential employers yourself – A lot of employers never advertise jobs that are open but fill them with people they already know or by word of mouth. You can contact the person who hires directly by phone, e-mail or in person.
• Be persistent – Persistency counts when looking for work, don’t be afraid of being turned down time and time again, be persistent until you get a “yes”.
• Apply to small and large businesses – Don’t just apply to the large companies when looking for work try the smaller ones as well, remember smaller companies are growing and as they do they will want more staff.
• Remember to send thank you notes – Send out thank you notes to those who have helped you in your search for work, this includes potential employers that you may have spoken too, referral sources and any interviews that you might have had.
• Analyse yourself – Review the skills that you have acquired particularly noting the ones that are relevant for the work you are looking for, remember that over 80% of applicants fail to prove they have the qualifications and skills needed for the position they are applying for.
• Research the companies you are applying to – Before attending the interview do as much research on the company as you can so you are well armed and confident, things you could research are the company’s origin, products or services, the company’s structure and its prospects for the future.
• Get into a routine – Get yourself into a routine and schedule for job searching and keep a journal of your efforts and the jobs you have applied for and who you have contacted.
• Get support from family and friends – Job hunting can be a very stressful time so enlist family and friends to support you in your search, having someone to talk too helps a lot and they might even be willing to help you go through the newspaper ads or search online for jobs to help you.