Job search skills

You should prepare well for the job search and invest time on it. Below are a few tips on how to get started in your job search. We at TAMK Career Services can advise and support you on all matters related to job search: how to apply for jobs efficiently, how recruitment processes usually work, where to find vacancies and hidden jobs, how to utilize your networks, how to tell about yourself and your skills, what good job search documents are like and how to prepare for a job interview.

Also, be sure to take advantage of TAMK's JobTeaser job placement platform, where you will also find the UP Career Tips website. On the career tips site you will find e.g. examples of CVs and job applications as well as tips for making a proficient video CV.

Prepare for job search

• Consider job search as a project and create a plan, schedule and goals for it. This will give you a framework for your job search so you will know how to proceed.
• Follow current issues and conversations in your industry for example on LinkedIn groups or Twitter (hashtags #recruitment, #job, #jobs, #vacancies, #career, #jobsearch, #jobhunt). Create networks by attending recruitment events, guest lectures and participate in excursions.
• You have accumulated different skills not only through studies, but also in hobbies and previous employment relationships. Identify the full palette of your skills and practice delivering your experience in a nutshell.  
• Think about what kind of workplace you would like to work in and what kind of things you value at work.
• Network, tell people that you are looking for work and appear on different channels. Take advantage of social media for your job search, visit recruitment events and get in touch with employers. Only one third of all jobs are advertised publicly. Hidden jobs can be found by contacting companies or organizations directly.

Job search documents

With job search documents, you narrate and name your skills. There is no one right way to do an application and resume. However, there are a few basic rules for writing them, and those rules good to master.

• Always customize your application and resume to the job that you are applying for, don’t send the same documents to all potential employers. A tailored application and resume will go better across to the employer.
• Concretize those skills that are relevant to the job, don’t write everything into your application. Remember that you have also been able to accumulate skills in your hobbies, not just in your studies and work.
• Headline and group your resume. Make your resume it easy to read. Write in good and professional language, do not leave typos in the text.

You can find more tips on making an application and a CV, for example, from JobTeasers UP Career Tips website or BusinesTampere website.

 

Social media and job search

In addition to face-to-face meetings, it is increasingly important to build and engage with your professional network online. Students may have limited work experience, but they can use social media to highlight the skills they have acquired outside of the workplace or classroom, such as through hobbies. There's a broad variety of social media channels out there, so pick the ones that suit you best and keep your content appropriate and up-to-date.    

Social media enables you to keep an eye out for job opportunities. Social media groups built around a specific field or business sector discuss and debate on topical issues that may be relevant to your job search. Join interesting groups, take part in discussions, and keep up with what's going on in the world. 

Employers also build their social media presence by maintaining sites and groups in different channels. Social media offers you an excellent opportunity to stay up to date with company news. It is also increasingly used as a recruitment channel. Some companies are even using social media as their only recruitment tool. 

 

 

Job interview

The interview might be nerve wracking to many, but right amount of excitement and nervousness can also improve your performance in interviews. It's important to practice and prepare for job interviews. One part of preparing for an interview is imagination training. You should prepare to answer the most typical questions in advance.

The aim of the job interview is not only to map the applicant's competence, but also to assess the applicant's qualities and personality in terms of how well the applicant might fit into the work community.

 

Suitability assessments

Employers use suitability assessment to supplement the interview and support the recruitment decision. Suitability assessment may include for example intelligence tests, personality tests, workplace tests, and functional exercises. The interview is also part of the evaluation. It is hardly possible to practice for the aptitude assessment, but it is good to do the mental preparation that corresponds to the preparation for the interview. In the suitability assessment, listen and read the instructions carefully and focus on what you are doing. Some tests may be time-limited. Times are set so that most respondents don’t have time to do all the tasks, so don’t worry even if time runs out. You should answer the tests honestly because you can't cheat on them. The interview will address issues to resolve inconsistencies if you have provided conflicting information.

It is good to ask about the results afterwards. In addition to increased self-awareness, the suitability assessment will provide valuable information for future interviews and tests.

At TAMK Career Services, we will help you with all job search related topics: how to search for work in a systematic and effective way, how recruitment processes usually work, where to find open jobs and hidden opportunities, how to use your networks, how to tell about yourself and your competencies and skills, what information do good job search documents include and how to prepare for a job interview, for example. You can book a face-to-face appointment with us, or you can participate in trainings we organise upon degree programmes’ request. You can also participate in the career workshops where we go through different topics and steps of job search. The career workshops are advertised in the Intranet news and the event caleandar. You can get more information on workshops and trainings from TAMK Career Services, too careerservices.tamk [at] tuni.fi (careerservices[dot]tamk[at]tuni[dot]fi).