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Plan your job search strategy carefully to get the best results, says leading career coach Ian Munro

Do not overreact by immediately sending off your old CV to lots of agencies and in response to job adverts.

You need to give some thought about what you want to do next
The market place for your type of work and the employers' needs may have changed
Update your knowledge of current market pay rates before sending out your CV.

Give some thought to your skills and competencies and what you want in your next job.

Many people have a poor knowledge of their skills and competencies and therefore do not mention these at interview, effectively underselling themselves
You should prepare a list of your skills and competencies and check this list before an interview
Have you ever listed what you like and dislike about your last two or three jobs? Otherwise you might walk right back into a similar situation in the next job.

Over 30% of jobs are found through contacts – learn how to network.

This means that between 3 to 4 jobs out of 10 are never advertised
Depending on your age, this number can be even higher – if you are in your late 40s it could be at least 5 out of 10; this means 1 job in 2!
Can you really afford to miss out on these job opportunities?
Become a networking expert

The only people entitled to know what you earned in your last job are your last employer, the tax man and you.

Make your CV no longer than 2 pages and clearly state what you are offering.

Many people think that the longer their CV is, the better their chance of getting the job
The average interviewer reading a CV gives it 90 seconds
If a CV is too long, they will quickly read the main headings and could miss something really important about your work
Don’t take up space explaining what the job involves if the title implies what you do. Instead, write clear one line statements about your achievements

Learn how to analyse advertisements and write short snappy response letters.

Many people do not take the time to properly read adverts – they see what they want to see
They often apply for jobs when they do not meet the criteria laid down in the advert. They are then surprised when they do not get called to interview
You must learn how to analyse adverts - most adverts cost thousands, therefore every word counts – read them fully
Candidates write two page six paragraph letters trying to convince the reader to see them. Who has the time to read a two page six paragraph letter and a CV?
Snappy letters focused on how you meet the needs outlined in the advert get people interested and you get interviews
Your purpose behind your response to an advert is to get an interview, not the job

Never declare the value of your last salary and bonus package – you will just be benchmarking what you get next.

The only people entitled to know what you earned in your last job are your last employer, the tax man and you
You should check the market rate for your next job; salary, bonus and benefits
Be prepared to discuss the current market rate and your expectations, but what your last salary was is not an indication about how good you were at your job; your achievements will speak for themselves
If you are not being offered the market rate, go somewhere that is.

Thoroughly plan and prepare for interviews.

Interviews are like sales trips; successful sales people do an enormous amount of planning and preparation
Put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes and ask yourself the question; “If I was interviewing me, which six questions would I ask?” Because you know yourself better than anyone else, you should come up with some really good questions
If you get asked these questions, how would you answer them?
Research the organisation online – how are they performing? What are their future plans?

Learn to be relaxed at interviews – in this way you will perform at your best.

What was the last big item you bought? How would you have felt if the sales person was really nervous?
If you are relaxed, but ready and professional you will help to put the other side at ease
Be confident but not cocky. Don’t give smart/flash answers

Keep a list of all tough questions you get asked – you might get asked them again.

Because you and your background are unique you will find that a pattern of questions starts to emerge at interviews
It is good practice after an interview to sit down in a quiet place and compile a list of the tough questions you have been asked
You should also compile various responses to these questions so that if they come up again at interview, you sound on the ball

Learn to handle rejection - it will happen.

Any sales person has to learn how to handle rejection, which is unavoidable
You are a sales person when you are looking for a job, so you need to recognise it will happen to you.

Ian Munro has worked as a career and performance improvement coach for many years and at all levels in private and public sector organisations. Ian has developed tools and solutions to speed up the process of getting people back to work. Ian has worked with many blue chip organisations and is a director of several companies. He is an accredited coach (ACC) of The International Coach Federation, a Member of the Association for Coaching, a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and The Institute of Directors. You can find more tips on careers in Ian’s latest book ‘100+ Top Tips for Job Seekers’, available from http://nextstepsgroup.com

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