5 Things To Do if You're Still Unemployed

There are several things you can do whilst waiting for a job to keep you busy, but to also boost your chances of employability. Here at GRB, we have five tips on what you should be doing if you are feeling like you're stuck in a rut and need a bit of direction!

Volunteering

Not only can volunteer work be a fulfilling and rewarding experience, but it is highly admired by employers. Volunteering shows employers that you are a compassionate individual as you've gone out your way to help a community. You won't get paid to do this, but you can still treat it as work as the skills you learn are easily transferable to the real work environment. There are plenty of places to find volunteer work: care homes, charities or schools, but if you're looking for something a bit more challenging, try signing up to a volunteer organisation that involves volunteering abroad. You could end up building orphanages or schools in an under developed community half way round the world, whilst working tightly with a group of people your age and make some incredible friendships, including the locals. Volunteering abroad is definitely worth considering if you're looking for a life changing experience!

Online Reputation

Having a presence and maintaining a good reputation on social media is pretty much essential nowadays. Start a blog and use it as a portfolio to showcase your work and show your personality. You can write pieces of content with your opinions on news stories or anything you think people may find interesting to read. Find companies, bloggers or recruiters you're interested in working for and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Learn what they tend to talk about and the content they share and engage with them. Comment on their blogs to show your interest and use this as a chance to share pieces of your own content as well as your opinions. Impress them with your talents and insights! Many employers turn to social media to find graduates and to check up on candidates who've applied for jobs, so keep your profiles interesting and engaging as you never know what opportunities could arise.

Make connections

Maintaining a business network is much easier these days, thanks to LinkedIn. Connect with people via LinkedIn that you have worked for in the past and anyone you know who's in an industry that interests you. It's also recommended to join groups and follow companies that interest you too. Engage with people in group discussions to boost your exposure and you could get noticed. Make sure to tell all family members, friends and previous work colleagues that you're looking for a job so they can keep their eyes peeled for any job opportunities for you too. It's all about who you know, so be active in getting your name out there by letting everyone know you are employable.

Work Experience

You can never get enough work experience down on your CV. Employers cannot stress enough how important it is for job applicants to have some sort of work experience as it shows understanding of the work environment. It can sometimes only entail shadowing people in the office and doing general admin work, but you will still gain valuable insights into the working world and this will help strengthen your CV. Contact companies and state you are keen to learn more about what they do and that you're willing to help them out or shadow people in the office. This won't be paid but if you impress them enough, they could potentially offer you a job!

Follow up

Many people go wrong after sending a job application as they forget to follow it up. Always take that extra step to show you're interested in the job by sending a chase up email or a letter to the employer, and always send a thank you email after the interview. Handwritten letters set you apart from other candidates so keep that in mind!