Preparing and starting your job search
Looking for a job can go one of two ways, a very easy process or a tedious and long journey. Fortunately with the growing use of the internet, job posts can be found countrywide in South Africa regardless of where you are searching from. This does not mean it does not come with it’s own set of challenges, access to data, the right information and where to find these job posts. This post will outline key things that should help you with direction in the process.
Know what your career plan and path is
A great starting point is based on what you have studied in university and identify what you would like to base your career on from that. A BSc Computer Science degree has several courses such as programming, operating systems and networks, mobile application design etc. Out of all the courses, there could be 2 or more that stand out because you enjoyed them and excelled in them. From that, you can decide to pursue a career that includes that scope of work.
What did your degree or life experiences expose you to that you would like to pursue?
What is the ideal role for your skills and interests?
What do you like, and the reverse, what do you not like?
Research around what jobs encompass this line of work on a day to day, is there room for further growth and progression down the line?
Do you understand the industry you want to get into, if not, start reading up on it, the top companies and developments within the industry.
Even if you do not have an idea around what you want your career to be, do some research, what are the up and coming roles and sectors that may peak your interest.
Know yourself
This includes questioning and getting to the answers to:
What can you see yourself doing in the short and long term?
Are you looking for a full time, part time or contract role e.g. 6 months or 1 year?
What seniority level are you entering the market at - graduate/entry, junior, mid, senior, management?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
How much do you want as a salary and what kind of benefits?
Do you like working as part of a team or independently?
What kind of work environment suits you, office based or remote? Would you be happy with a job that requires significant travel?
What kind of working hours are ideal as not every company operates on a 9-5, Monday to Friday schedule.
How long and far are you willing to travel to and from work on a daily?
Are you willing to relocate?
What supplemental knowledge do you need to acquire to better place yourself in the job market for the intended roles?
Know what companies you would like to work for
Having a list of companies you admire, with valuable products or services that align with you makes for a perfect starting point for your job search. Consistently check their career page which tends to be found on the bottom of the home page of the website. It is also good to connect with people that work at the company that way you have someone that you can acquire company knowledge from. Not every company is going to fit into the picture you want, so why not focus on the ones that do. Yes the job market is tough and most people are accepting anything from any company but it is also important to do your own research about the company.
Is it a corporate or a startup, a local or multinational company?
Does company size matter, would you prefer a company size of 100 vs 1000?
What industry and sector is it in?
What benefits does it offer, how well does it take care of its employees?
Does it support career development through funding for further school, industry related training etc?
Ethics and social responsibility.
What is the company’s reputation in the industry and from its employees (Glassdoor & Indeed is great for this).
What are the origins, values and culture and is that something that fits with you - your personality and behaviors?
These are the Certified Top Employers in South Africa. If companies can be selective about who they employ, you can too.
Now that the base work is done the next level is knowing what is out there and requirements in various job specifications. Document this in excel or word.
identify your target role e.g. Financial Accountant, Systems Analyst, Digital Marketing. Be as specific as possible.
Look for 3-5 different job posts for that specific title and outline the day to day responsibilities & deliverables and requirements to apply (hard and soft skills) for that role.
Identify the common requirements across all the job specifications - functional, technical, experience and qualifications vs what you currently possess.
Identify common key words used (language, common words) across the job specifications.
This will quickly help you to know what the market is looking for, what to expect in the role and whether you meet the requirements or not and what work needs to be done to quickly get you to that level.
Resources to get you started
Human workplace seeks to challenge the status quo of the work and help people reinvent their careers. Although it speaks from an America perspective, it has very useful resources to assist you e.g looking for a new job, changing careers, getting ahead at your current job & more. They can also be found on Twitter @humanworkplace.
Phiona Martin is a career coach & Organizational Psychologist that assists in career development - preparing your CV, interviews, job offers and all things work related. She can be found on Twitter @MsPhiona.
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