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Best Jobs You Don’t Need A Degree For
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VHR is a technical recruitment company that exists for only one reason: to help you get a job. Despite massive changes in how jobs can be found and applied for, the kinds of jobs that exist, and trends in employment across the world, it can still be difficult to get a job that you really enjoy.
This guide should help you through the process of finding, applying, and getting a job, and has advice for getting even better jobs in the future.
Your CV is often the first thing a hiring manager or recruiter will see about you, and is vital for both making a good first impression, and moving you forward to the next stage of consideration for the job. A CV should highlight any relevant experience you have for the role, and your education.
Focus on your experience: what makes you qualified and capable of doing this job better than anyone else?
Explain how previous roles challenged you, what you learned, and how this experience will help you in the role you’re applying for. This should help highlight your understanding of what the role requires and how you can deliver. In general, a CV shouldn’t be longer than two pages, with a tight focus on only the things that are relevant to getting you the specific job you’re applying for. Unfortunately, the person reading your CV may spend less than ten seconds scanning it to see if its worth reading, so you have to show them what they’re looking for in that short space of time.
Formatting is crucial, keep sentences brief and to the point, with clear sections marked out and spaced apart.
LinkedIn has become an incredibly valuable tool in finding jobs, and allows you to see more of what businesses are up to. Before you apply to any job through LinkedIn, you should make sure your profile is up to date, with a professional picture, and that you’re using it to engage with the wider community of your industry.
From there, you can use it to research the business you’re considering applying to, what their values are, and the kind of projects they’re working on. This gives you insight into what your role might be like, and also shows that you’ve done your due diligence by doing research into the company beforehand.
From there, it’s time to do research across all channels and media to get a deeper understanding of the business, the role you’re applying for, and how they stand in their industry. You should know what the company’s goals are, and how you align with that. You can get a great feel for how a company runs by doing research on their website, on their social media, and by looking at reviews of them on Glassdoor.
Understanding who they are and what they want will give you a better chance of success when you apply, and will also give you talking points during your interview.
When you’re ready for a new role, your CV should have everything you need to find you a new challenge where you can continue to grow and progress your career. At this point, you should consider using a recruitment agency. Beyond a certain level, businesses choose to outsource recruitment to experts who specialise in their field, because they can guarantee a level of quality.
Recruitment companies understand what the business is looking for, what the role requires, and have experience placing top-level candidates with jobs that allow them to progress and learn new skills. This means they can fast-track you for career progression, working with you to find jobs that can move you up the career ladder.
The added benefit for you is that you no longer have to find vacancies, do research into companies, or
apply all on your own. When working with a recruitment company, they do all the work for you, putting
you forward to a client they already know. This means they can coach you through the interview
process, and give you feedback on how each stage goes.
Once you’ve been put forward for a job, you can begin working on the cover letter. Not every job requires a cover letter, so check before applying. In general, some formal communication is required between you and the employer, signalling your interest and highlighting why you’re the best candidate for the role.
This should briefly outline your experience, but also what attracted you to the role and the company. It
shouldn’t be more than a page, and should help you stand out from the other applicants. It also lets you
show off more of your personality than your CV.
The most important thing to note about a cover letter is that it must be written for any company you
apply to, it must be unique, and it shouldn’t be from a template. Most managers will see dozens if not
hundreds of cover letters for each position, and will be able to tell if yours has been rushed, or copied.
Because you’ve done your research, you know what the company’s values are, what their culture is like,
and what they’re looking for in employees. This should be reflected in your cover letter, letting them
know that you’ve researched them and that you can meet all their needs.
Once you’ve written your cover letter and applied, there is often a phone interview before a more formal in-person job interview. For some people, this is the worst and most stressful part of the entire process, and is where they struggle the most.
An important thing to remember is that out of all the applications and CVs that were sent in, yours was
the one they read and decided to call. If you make it through to an interview, this means the company is
interested in you, they think you might be the right person for the job. From here, all you need to do is
convince them.
It’s important to keep your CV updated as you learn skills and take on new challenges. As you grow within the role, you should keep track of what you’ve learned and ensure it’s reflected within your CV to make sure you have the best chance of impressing when you decide your CV out for your next job.
Businesses’ needs change over time, so it’s always worth going over your CV and making sure that everything is as optimised as possible to wherever you’re applying. Is social media important to them? Do they want to grow? Do they need someone with international experience? Your experience and the way you speak about it will help you no matter where you’re applying for, as long as you tailor your CV in the right way.
VHR specialises in technical recruitment for the engineering industry, and help place candidates in roles
for massive names all over the world.
If you need help with finding a job, give us a call on +44 (0) 207 500 7980, or email hello@v-hr.com.
Looking for a new challenge? Have a look at all our technical and engineering jobs around the world.
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