This is the time of year when many people will be finishing their education and receiving their final grades. The job market will be inundated with recent graduates and school-leavers, many of them entering the workforce for the first time.

On top of that, the pandemic has been like a wrecking ball to society, causing many businesses to close and resulting in people changing jobs, or even careers. But help is closer at hand than you may think. This blog will explore how ITIL® can be used to assist you in your job hunt.

Value co-creation

Yes, you read that right. Job hunting is not simply a one-sided activity where the person looking for a job is doing all the work. The employer is also searching for the right employee and doing what they can to ensure that they attract and attain the right person. So, how can you utilize value co-creation? By asking for feedback from every application and interview. Some companies may not provide feedback at the first stage, due to the volume of applications.

However, at later stages, always ask for both perspectives, which is what they liked about your application/interview and what they didn’t. To ensure sufficient value co-creation, be persistent in receiving feedback. Some employers may provide generic feedback; for example, the other applicant was better, or that you lacked experience. This is particularly annoying when you had applied to an entry-level role!

Continual improvement

A helpful tip is to keep track of every role that you have applied for. This could be in a table or spreadsheet, where you list the company, role, date that application was submitted, how far you reached in the application process (such as phone interview, face-to-face interview, and so on) and any feedback that you received. It is useful to have a dedicated place to store feedback, keep track of applications, and remind yourself of employers who have not responded, so that you can chase them for a response.

Yet, it is not enough to store the feedback, you must also implement it. Analyse the feedback and try to find a common theme. Are they saying that your application is unsatisfactory or that your interview technique is poor? Find 2 or 3 areas of improvement and work on it. If this is your first foray into the job market, then there will be certain skills that you will need to improve, such as interviewing technique. Perhaps you could practice interviewing with another job-hunter or find a recruitment or employment service that could assist you.

The guiding principles: start where you are

It can be easy to become disheartened when applying for jobs. It seems that every job requires a PhD, fluency in at least 3 languages, ten years of experience, and an Olympic medal. And that’s just for an entry level role. Start with what you do have. You may not have an Olympic medal, but the club that you were involved in shows that you are just as dedicated as any Olympian.

Utilize every experience that you have, no matter how small, to demonstrate your skills and suitability as a candidate. Naturally, those who are entering the job market for the first time will not have much experience. Nonetheless, you can use other examples, such as extracurricular activities or specific projects from your education to show that you have the necessary skills. Remember that you are the only person who has your experience and skills.

The guiding principles: collaborate and promote visibility

Recent graduates and school-leavers will be competing for the same types of jobs, usually in the same geographic areas, at the same time. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t help one another. Think of each other as colleagues who are searching for employment, rather than competition. Look over each other’s applications and provide feedback. Practice interviews with one another. Talk about you experiences and how you found the application process or interview with a particular employer.

A key part of the job market is networking. By engaging with others, you may find that they can help you, whether it is in your current search or in later years. Networking is a key skill in the workplace and will pay dividends throughout your working life.

News by Solmaz Purser – Project Editor, AXELOS