IS IT POSSIBLE TO SECURE EMPLOYMENT IN a seemingly EMPTY JOBS MARKET?
Since the start of the pandemic, the number of vacancies available to young people has diminished severely. This has possibly made many people lower their heads and wait until vacancies have come up, simply believing that they would have to sit and wait until opportunities arose that suited them as individuals. However, what if they changed their mindset so that they were trying to make businesses want to hire them specifically, rather than wanting to be hired by the company?
The speculative approach is when you go ‘out of your way’ to contact a business in the industry you are interested in and ask whether they would be interested in hiring you. It’s something I tried in July of last year when there really was a shortage of job opportunities, and here are some of my findings from that process.
It can be tempting to just gather emails for every business in your local area and ping them all an email with your CV saying how much you would love to work for them. Firstly, this is unlikely to be successful because businesses will see through your shortcut. Secondly, and more importantly, if you did end up with positive responses, you might then realise that you are not really interested in that company and you only sent them an email because they were on the list of e.g. “Estate Agents in the Scottish Borders”, for example. Instead, do a little bit of research into each company and decide if they are genuinely a company that you think you would like to work for. At the end of the day, what is the point in finding a job where it takes you a week to realise that you have made the wrong decision.
If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
Be unique with your approach.
Businesses receive enquiry forms and spontaneous emails all the time so there is no guarantee that your approach will be noticed, or your email even opened, let alone actioned on. This is why it is more worthwhile to make your approach unique and a close representation of who you are as a person. Unique ways of approaching businesses include video messages and creating a personal website. Getting an email read is one of the hardest parts of the speculative approach, and many believe that it is completely out of their control. However, being creative and unique will increase your chances of being seen, in a way which is similar when applying for a vacant position.
Don’t expect results straight away (or at all!)
It is very unlikely that after just 3 or 4 emails to different companies you will be getting replies from possible employers asking to meet with you. To be honest, there is a good chance you won’t get a reply in your first 30 emails. In my case, I sent around 25 emails and only got 7 replies. The replies all said that they couldn’t take me on, however most gave me feedback and said they would get in touch if anything came up. In my opinion, this is still a win because you have ended up in a better place than you started in. You might not get a job, but you will learn, broaden your connections, and gain experience about the process of gaining employment.
By Euan Welsh, DYW Young Board Member
The speculative approach is when you go ‘out of your way’ to contact a business in the industry you are interested in and ask whether they would be interested in hiring you. It’s something I tried in July of last year when there really was a shortage of job opportunities, and here are some of my findings from that process.
- Don’t spam every business in the Borders!
- Be unique with your approach.
- Don’t expect results straight away (or at all!)
It can be tempting to just gather emails for every business in your local area and ping them all an email with your CV saying how much you would love to work for them. Firstly, this is unlikely to be successful because businesses will see through your shortcut. Secondly, and more importantly, if you did end up with positive responses, you might then realise that you are not really interested in that company and you only sent them an email because they were on the list of e.g. “Estate Agents in the Scottish Borders”, for example. Instead, do a little bit of research into each company and decide if they are genuinely a company that you think you would like to work for. At the end of the day, what is the point in finding a job where it takes you a week to realise that you have made the wrong decision.
If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
Be unique with your approach.
Businesses receive enquiry forms and spontaneous emails all the time so there is no guarantee that your approach will be noticed, or your email even opened, let alone actioned on. This is why it is more worthwhile to make your approach unique and a close representation of who you are as a person. Unique ways of approaching businesses include video messages and creating a personal website. Getting an email read is one of the hardest parts of the speculative approach, and many believe that it is completely out of their control. However, being creative and unique will increase your chances of being seen, in a way which is similar when applying for a vacant position.
Don’t expect results straight away (or at all!)
It is very unlikely that after just 3 or 4 emails to different companies you will be getting replies from possible employers asking to meet with you. To be honest, there is a good chance you won’t get a reply in your first 30 emails. In my case, I sent around 25 emails and only got 7 replies. The replies all said that they couldn’t take me on, however most gave me feedback and said they would get in touch if anything came up. In my opinion, this is still a win because you have ended up in a better place than you started in. You might not get a job, but you will learn, broaden your connections, and gain experience about the process of gaining employment.
By Euan Welsh, DYW Young Board Member