Explore and understand the sector you're interested in
Understanding the sector you are interested in takes your job search to a new level by being much more targeted and focused. The benefits of doing this research first are:
- When you do go to the vacancy portals the language you are using will be better informed, specific and more likely to yield quality results
- It will signpost you to industry specific job websites and resources (like professional bodies) that you would not have otherwise known about
- You can look at the “job family” or other jobs in the sector, these are roles that are similar to the one you are interested in and can often lead to unexpected discoveries. Job roles and titles are changing all the time and quite often people just don’t know what is out there
- You will know exactly the responsibilities and skills required for a job – this means you can adapt and target your LinkedIn profile, applications and CVs to reflect this
- Good labour market knowledge leads to better, well-informed decision making
How to do it
Start your exploration by using Prospects website where you can browse by sector or the specific job title you are interested in.
- Read the job profile
- Ask yourself "is this something I can see myself doing?" or "is it what I thought it was?"
- If yes, go back and follow all the click throughs. Some resources will be more useful to you than others, make a list of bookmark those that are most useful. Follow their socials and make using these sites part of your regular job search activity
- Immerse yourself in the information, community and subsequent action this activity will open up to you
You can also use the advice section on TargetJobs.