How to get a job in the UK: 5 tips on finding your dream role

Searching for a new job can be exciting, but daunting. Push-backs, rejection, setbacks, no replies—it’s all part of the process. Plus, current times can bring lots of uncertainty. But fret not. There are still many opportunities going around. Whether you’re unemployed or you’re already in work and looking to change up your position, finding a job in the UK is still a highly possible (and exciting) pursuit.

Here’s how to navigate the market and find the role you’ve been waiting for.

Use your connections

Often the most exciting opportunities are heard about via word of mouth. So don’t be shy. Ask past and current connections if they know or have heard anything about new roles going. You never know what might pop up.

LinkedIn is a great tool for making new connections and asking around for new roles. In just one status post, you could open up a whole new world of opportunities thanks to the easy-click reaction and share buttons and comment boxes. We also recommend following organisations that interest you—you can easily filter your search by location to find groups and organisations most relevant to you.

Explore Jooble

There’s nothing more straightforward than a good old-fashioned job search. Jooble is a particularly great job search engine, with over 370,000 open opportunities in the UK to discover at the time of writing. Simply visit the homepage and insert keywords related to your skills and desired role. Then, ads from thousands of job boards, corporates, recruiter pages and newspapers will appear.

You can also use the Advanced Search option to filter through cities, salaries and date posted. It’s as easy as one, two, three.

Try online networking

At the time of writing, the Covid-19 pandemic is still restricting many events from taking place in the UK. Therefore, networking in person is a lot tougher to do than it used to be. But thankfully, our good friend the internet comes to our rescue once again.

EventBrite is a great starting point for digital networking events and the beauty is that location plays no factor. So if you’re planning to move cities, you can forge connections in advance of relocating.

Apply for an internship

If you’re starting out in a brand new country or you’re changing your career, you may also want to consider an internship. Though often low paid, a temporary internship can do wonders for advancing your skills and growing your network. Not to mention you’ll also get a feel for the environment you hope to work in. Many internships often lead to employed positions too, so knuckle down and make a tiptop impression.

Consider going freelance

Do you have the skills required to go freelance? If you’ve got the time and funding available and fancy becoming your own boss, now is a great opportunity to kickstart your freelance career. Especially if you’re not having much luck with employed positions.

If this tickles your fancy and you’re curious to find out more, check out our blog post on How to work freelance: 7 tips to get started for tips, tricks and insider info.

Things to do in the meantime…

If you’ve sent out dozens of emails to employers and are waiting on their responses, there’s no point in hanging around. Every little thing you do from now until call back can help you through future searches, interview stages and beyond. 

Invest in a course: If you’ve applied for a role requiring skills you could definitely brush up on, try an online course. Or treat yourself to a book to expand your horizons. Every day’s a school day.

Think positive: Rejection and setbacks are all part of the process of finding a new job. Try not to take it personally and ask for constructive criticism when you can. And think happy thoughts.

Get organised: Your new job might just be around the corner. Until it is, make the use of your free time. Tick things off your bucket list and get organised when it comes to accommodation and personal finances.

Be patient: It can sometimes be a waiting game when finding a new job. Try to remind yourself that delays are inevitable, but sit tight. It will come.

And on that note, good luck!

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