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087 | Job search success tips to find your next HR/People role
Episode 87 • 2nd June 2023 • HR Coffee Time • Fay Wallis
00:00:00 00:23:49

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Finding your next HR/People role can feel daunting; especially if you haven't changed jobs in years. This episode of HR Coffee Time is here to help, with job search success tips from career coach Fay Wallis. Learn what to do and how to do it, to hugely increase your chances of landing your perfect role.

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If you found this episode of HR Coffee Time helpful, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you're kind enough to leave a review, let Fay know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: fay@brightskycareercoaching.co.uk.



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Transcripts

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[00:00:26] Before I get started today, I just wanted to say a quick but heartfelt thank you to you, Hannah, Jasmine, and Ross who have all shared posts about HR Coffee Time on LinkedIn over the past couple of weeks. Thank you so much for your support. It means the world to me and it makes a real difference in helping other people discover this show.

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[00:01:17] She asked me what podcast episodes I'd recommend, and I realised that even though this is something I've helped hundreds of coaching clients with over the years, I haven't covered it properly as a solo episode yet. So I really hope this episode is going to be helpful. Grab your favorite cup of coffee, find a cozy spot, and let's dive in.

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[00:02:03] I know that self-doubt can easily start to creep in. This is something that seems to happen with any big change in our careers, but I'm here to reassure you that you are not alone. Take a deep breath. It's completely normal to feel this way, and I'm here to help. I'm going to share my main pieces of advice for having a successful job search, and I really hope they're going to help.

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[00:02:54] It can take ages as you don't want to rush it. But something magical starts to happen. As you put all of your achievements onto paper, you start to feel a real boost in your confidence and that self-doubt can start to fade away because you realize how much work you've done over the years and how much you have to offer a new employer.

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[00:03:49] And then secondly, ask your colleagues what they think. Or if you've already left your job, ask your former colleagues what they think. They'll be able to remind you of things that you've completely forgotten about. It's weird how short term our memories can be sometimes. And of course, your achievements aren't just going to be things you've done recently.

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[00:04:33] We also talked about CV writing in episode 13 of the podcast, and then episode 63 of HR Coffee Time, which is called "How to Progress Your HR Career by Measuring Your Impact at Work". That one will really help you with figuring out how to demonstrate what a great job you've done in the past, and I even have another resource, which is an online CV writing course that I can link to as well for you.

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[00:05:21] I love hearing from you. It's great to be connected on LinkedIn, so feel free to drop me a message because if I hear that you definitely want an episode about CV writing, I promise that I'll get cracking with it.

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[00:05:46] I can't emphasize enough how helpful LinkedIn can be for your job search. It is the most incredible tool. I know I'm a complete LinkedIn geek, but I promise you it is the most incredible tool that can just dramatically increase your chances of getting your ideal role. A lot of people don't realize how much you can actually do with LinkedIn.

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[00:06:45] In fact, I ran a webinar for Presentus about this recently, which you can re-watch for free on YouTube. If you'd like to dive into LinkedIn in more detail, I've also talked about LinkedIn on the podcast before in episode 31, which is called "3 little-known LinkedIn Features, which will help you get your next job".

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[00:07:25] Then my next piece of advice is the most important thing I can possibly share. If there is anything that you take away from today, please make it be this. It is by far the best way of getting your next role, but it's the one that people can feel a bit anxious about and put off doing. And the advice is to ask your network for help.

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[00:08:17] I promise. That's not what I mean at all. Let me explain what I do mean.

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[00:08:42] Your network is also made up of people you've worked with, whether that's recently or a really long time ago. It doesn't matter. They're still in your network. And what's wonderful about your main network is that all of these people know you. They know what a great person you are. Even if they don't know you well, they'll have a good feel for who you are and they trust you.

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[00:09:32] Or the person you sat next to in church last week might be married to a brilliant recruiter who specialises in HR and People roles. Or one of your former colleagues might be about to leave their current job and would love to be able to put you forward as a suggestion for their replacement. Or someone you met at a local C I P D branch event, might have moved jobs recently and has some great tips and contacts they can share with you to help find your next position.

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[00:10:33] There that's not so terrifying, is it? That's not the same as saying, "Please, can you get me a job?" "Who do you think I should speak to next" is the most impactful question you can possibly ask. You are making it easy for them to help you when you ask them this. Because the thing is that most people are nice.

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[00:11:17] The problem often is that you might not know how to help them, but if they ask you the simple question, "Who do you think I should speak to you next?" it's easy for you to help them. It will unlock an idea you probably didn't even know you had. You'll be able to recommend them to someone else in your network that you know might be useful for them to talk to or might be able to help them in some way.

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[00:12:00] There are different statistics. They all vary, but they say that the hidden jobs market accounts for between 50% and 75% of all jobs. But it's safe to say, although all the statistics vary, and no one seems to be able to agree on exactly how many jobs there are in the hidden jobs market, it is safe to say whatever the true statistics are.

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[00:12:46] My sister is a Chief People Officer. Let me ask her if she'd be happy to have a chat with you. I'm sure she mentioned that she had some openings on her team." Or the person you sat next to in church will be able to say, "Did you know that my wife is a recruiter? Why don't you have a chat with her and see if she's able to help?"

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[00:13:46] Because having someone in your network put you forward for a role or make an introduction for you is usually so much more effective than applying for a role cold.

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[00:14:17] But if you're still feeling a little bit nervous about reaching out to your network, I've covered networking on the podcast lots of times before, and you might find it helpful just to listen to those episodes. They are episode 11, "Networking - the three most important networks for your career", episode 15, "How networking can help your career", and Episode 16, "How to become more confident about networking".

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[00:14:46] Right. Let's move on to my next piece of advice. So you have your CV and LinkedIn profile ready. You've asked your network for help. The next step is to start making contact with recruiters who specialise in HR and People roles, or who you've seen advertising interesting roles in the sector you want to work in.

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[00:15:29] By job boards, I mean websites that exist to advertise job vacancies. You'll be familiar with the famous ones like Reed, Monster and Total Jobs, and of course, and of course there are more specialized ones like People Management Jobs. The internet has brought us many wonderful things, including job boards that make it handy to find and apply for jobs.

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[00:16:14] But there are a few big drawbacks to using job boards.

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[00:16:40] So that is the big benefit of going to a recruiter if you are a job seeker. If a company has engaged a recruiter to fill their People vacancy, then they trust that recruiter to only put a handful of people forward for the role. They know that the recruiter will have vetted those people to be sure they're a good fit.

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[00:17:27] Although you'll have seen lots of recruiters advertising roles online, they certainly don't advertise all of them. They often know that they have enough job seekers registered on their own database who they can approach about the role, or they prefer to find the perfect person themselves through asking their own network or searching on LinkedIn.

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[00:18:12] They are the next effective option to go for. You can definitely get your next job this way. In fact, I got my last job this way. But it can take longer and it can feel really discouraging because you are more likely to experience knock backs along the way. But the good news is there are things that you can do to hugely increase your chances of success if you are going to apply for roles this way.

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[00:19:03] "I'm not a hundred percent sure that's right for me, but I'll give it a go because all I have to do is click apply and submit my CV". So if you are looking for a new job, please don't be tempted to just click apply and then hit "Submit your CV". Make sure you're taking the time to tailor your application.

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[00:20:04] As a job seeker, you can't convey this properly if you are just hitting "Click apply". You can only get this message across if you spend some time tailoring your CV and tailoring your application for the role. So I'm not saying never use job boards and never apply for roles this way. I'm just saying make sure you take your time with these applications to increase your chances of standing out.

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[00:20:50] Give the internal recruiter or talent acquisitions team member who's advertised the role, give them a call and ask them if they can talk through exactly what they're looking for. Because job adverts or job descriptions can often be a bit generic or hastily thrown out into the world.

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[00:21:51] genuinely interested in the position and they were doing the work to try and stand out and make as good an application as possible. I was always impressed if they'd taken the initiative to learn more about the role. So why not give it a try and see how you get on?

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[00:22:12] I hope it's given you a boost of confidence to tackle your job search head on. Remember, you have the skills, the experience, and the passion to land your next great opportunity.

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[00:22:34] Secondly, ask your network for help, then register with recruiters, and of course your final option is to apply for jobs directly online. Good luck with the job search. I hope you find the perfect role very soon, and if you have any questions about your career, feel free to ask me and I'll be able to send you any relevant podcast episodes and other free resources I have.

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[00:23:05] And I would love to help as many HR and People professionals as possible with this free weekly show. So if you found the podcast helpful, can I ask you for a small favour? Please can you leave a rating and review for HR Coffee Time on Apple Podcasts or Spotify? Because this is a really big help in encouraging them to suggest the podcast to listeners who haven't come across it before.

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