The search for a job can be a daunting process, littered with rejections
and many moments of convincing yourself that you will end up destitute with no
food or money. However, it can also be a time of great self-discovery. Here are
ten things you can do to boost your CV, stay sane and enjoy your free time
whilst you track down that job.
1. Duo that Lingo
Learning a language is an excellent use of free time. For anyone who hasn’t
heard of it, the FREE app “Duolingo” aims to give you just that in
bite size pieces. It offers a range of languages from Spanish, French, German,
Dutch, Italian, Russian, Polish and even Irish to name but a few (for a full
list see here.) It caters for beginners to the more advanced
linguists and is an excellent way to brush up on the basics for those who are
rusty in the grammar department. It tests in all aspects of the language
including written, spoken, comprehension and grammar. It has some rocking sound
effects when you succeed in a section and tracks your fluency progress in percentage
that can be uploaded to your LinkedIn profile. As this is an app which requires
you to speak, it is not one that you can easily use on the bus so I would
advise to use it in the comfort of your own batcave. To top it all off, it
helps the WORLD and doesn’t have any annoying promo advertisements. If you
don’t believe me, watch this Ted Talk, download the app and bask in the knowledge
that you are helping mankind one translation at a time.
2.
Speak English Good
Elevate is another FREE app
which increases your level in English and is an excellent tool for English
mother tongue speakers who are looking to iron out common grammatical errors
and improve vocabulary. It takes less than 10 minutes a day to complete three
randomly selected games that test you in syntax, grammar, written, listening,
vocabulary and maths (the maths section is to help you add and divide at
greater speed. It is an absolute gem if you are a waiter and need to
quickly divide bills for clients). The games are actually….fun. It is very well
designed, keeps track of your progress and lets you know how you are competing
against other Elevate users. Again, this is an app which sometimes requires
sound so it isn’t easily usable in public but it does give you the option to
switch games to one which doesn’t require sound. The one annoying thing about
this app is it harasses you to upgrade to the pro version, which costs money.
If you operate with selective sight on the internet, which most of us do
already, this shouldn’t impinge on your experience too much.
3. Excel in Excel
Most jobs require proficiency in Microsoft Word, Powerpoint and Excel. If
you are a law graduate like me, you will have had reasonable exposure to Word
and Powerpoint over the course of your degree. Or better yet, you may have
completed your European Computer Driving License during your studies at school.
Excel is the tougher one to nail down unless you have had practice with it.
There are lots of tutorials on Youtube which walk you through the basics of
Excel. I joined a recruitment agency which offered free Excel training in their
offices. I can’t say it was the most exhilarating experience of my life, but
knowing that I can correctly input, formulate and design a graph/chart/table
that is so beautiful it would make baby Jesus cry (with joy) definitely does make me a
more attractive prospective employee. Some recruitment agencies offer this
training for free so it is definitely worth enquiring about. Overall, it took
me five days of three hours each (so 15 hours in total) to complete the
training.
4.
Perfect your CV
The road to employment is often a longer journey than one would have
originally thought. A lot of companies go through recruiters or recruitment
agencies which meet with you first before proposing your candidature to the
company. This invariably takes a lot more time. Recruitment agencies often
skill test you as well. In my case, I had tests in English and French as well
as online tests for Microsoft Office. This is how I recognized that my Excel
proficiency needed work so the tests are an excellent way to identify your
weaknesses and to do something to improve them.
Recruiters are invaluable in terms of their knowledge of a good CV and
their knowledge of the market. It is important to listen as much as possible to
their advice and to implement any modifications to your CV and to your
interview technique. Often you will get contradictory advice in terms of CV
structure but this is usually a personal preference and will change from
recruiter to recruiter. In such cases, listen carefully and try to find the
common points of the given advice. It can get a bit repetitive
after a while but definitely meet as many recruiters as you can- chase them
down and ask them as many questions as you can think of. Ironing out errors in
your CV is crucial to securing the all-important interview.
5. Learn to Cook
Cooking is not, in my opinion, something which someone chooses to learn. It
is a lifelong, necessary skill. It still baffles me the amount of people who
say “Oh, I don’t cook” as if it is something to be proud of. In her Ted
Talk , Chimamanda Ngozi said about cooking that she
“never thought it made sense, to leave such a crucial thing, the ability to
nourish oneself, in the hands of others”.
Whilst looking for a job, you more than likely don’t have that much money,
so learning to cook is a cost effective way of nourishing yourself. You'll need
to nourish yourself at least 2/3 times a day, every day, for the rest of your
life, so learning how to do it well is a very good place to start. The
job hunt is also characterized by periods of free time, so you HAVE the time to
look up recipes, buy in the ingredients and cook up a storm. There are
tons of food blogs and recipes online. Two such blogs are As Told by Sorcha and A Little Dishy who
serve up some easy-to-follow recipes with an extra helping of sass and
veganism.
6. Get Cultured
The job hunt is a marathon and not a sprint. Often, it has long periods of
free time, interspersed with intense bursts of interviews. It is important to
keep your brain active and to stay involved, otherwise it is very easy to lose
motivation. There are lots of free events and cultural evenings on around you.
Most can be found online or on Facebook. Find something you are interested in
or passionate about, bring a friend and go along! I’m located in Paris and love
the information evenings held in the Maison des Métallos and
the Spoken Word night in Au Chat
Noir held every Monday night.
7.
Stay Active
Whilst looking for a job, you won’t have that much money so a gym
membership is out of the question. If you aren’t a runner (which I most
definitely am not) it can be hard to continue a regular exercise pattern. BUT
NEVER FEAR, THE INTERNET IS HERE! FitnessBlender do excellent FREE online workouts with no
equipment save for an exercise/yoga mat which is a once-off buy between 3-10
yoyos. My favourites: this and this
one.
8. Embrace Guilt-Free Fun
When you have a job you are usually too tired in the evenings or too busy
to actually do the things you like to do. Often, you are so tired that you opt
for the easy way to relax such as television. For me, reading is one of those
things I like to do but that is hard to find time when I am working. Whilst
looking for a job, relish the guilt-free time you have to kick back and
indulge. If you aren’t a reader, it could be scrap-booking, blogging, fangirling over the Kardashians, binge
watching TV shows, writing, painting, or just chilling out with friends.
9. Offer your Time
If you find yourself not knowing what to do with your free time, try get in
touch with a local charity and get involved. It’s best to send them your CV and
your availability so that they know where your skills lie and what you are
interested in. Also, let them know that you are currently looking for a full
time job. Charities too need due notice in terms of organizing their man power.
10. Don’t
Despair
Rejection is never easy and it can be hard to keep the head up after being
rejected from jobs. Keep reminding yourself that a big part of the process is
finding a job that is right for you. Immediately after interviews, jot down the
questions you were asked and your overall feeling from the interview. It is
crazy what your gut instinct will tell you! Always ask for feedback from
interviews. Sometimes employers pick up on habits that you did not know you
even had. Interviewing is a skill just like anything else- the more you do the
better equipped you are for the next one. And always remember this .
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