Local Knowledge

For all the positive spin produced by the government in the wake of October’s Comprehensive Spending Review, and the dire warnings of doom from the opposition benches, as far as the UK job market goes, barely any change at all was registered in the last month.

The official UK unemployment figure stands at 2.45 million, 9,000 less than the previous month, which in reality is a fractionally small change. The unemployment rate remains at 7.7%.

Of course, in the coming months things will start to improve in terms of the numbers. There are already suggestions that more part-time jobs have become available in the run up to Christmas, but the festive demand for short-term employees is always followed by a bleak midwinter for the numbers. 

If you’re one of the 2.45 million people looking for work – or, for that matter, one of the many more who have taken part-time work or reduced pay just to keep in some form of employment – what can you do to get off the unemployment register and back into full employment as soon as possible?

One of the important things to do is to keep looking. There are so many different ways for employers to advertise jobs, ranging from newspapers, to signs in shop windows, to massive internet websites. The more things you apply for, the better chance you have that you will be successful. 

Still, with these things people often gravitate towards the largest or most well-known supplier of jobs, but local knowledge can be invaluable. If you’re in Derby, look for a website or a recruitment agency that specialises in jobs in Derby, likewise, if you’re looking for jobs in London, look for a company that actually has a base on the ground there. Even websites like reed.co.uk, though seemingly national, can offer jobs that other organisations simply do not know about because they have offices on the ground in the capital.  

The other thing that you have to do is be flexible. Whilst everyone wants long-term work, the old adage that it’s easier to find a job when you’ve already got one remains true. Take temporary work, or a short-term contract, and use your evenings to keep looking, eventually something great will come up, and the more places you look, the greater chance you have of finding a hidden gem.