1. Nuala OSullivan
The Alternative Job
Search

2. Where are we now?
Where do
we want
to be?How do we
get there?

3. Nuala OSullivan
Researching for Work
How do we get there?

4. To
Review current tactics
Offer a range of options
Explore specific techniques
Examine how to extend your search
Personalise your search
Be a Career Portfolio builder
Leave with a plan
OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP

5. Why are you here?
What have you tried?
Why don’t you try…..
HELLO

6. X What Pays Most
X What is Most
Secure
X What would my
family like me to
do?
What adds most to
my experience?
What can I learn
here?
Are these skills
transferable?
QUESTIONS

7. Family
Friends
Network
Volunteer
Placement
Temping
AREAS OF INFLUENCE

8. INFLUENCERS
family
friends
NetworkVolunteer
Placement

9. Profession
Organizations
Self Starters
Entrepreneurs
Social Network
Professional Contacts
What do they do?
Mentors
Lessons Learnt
Extend contacts
FAMILY

10. Q1
Q2
Q3
Do I know the job title of close
family members?
Who do they meet who could be
useful to me?
How could I be helpful to them?
Questions To Ask
Myself

11. List 3 employed Friends:
1.
2.
3.
Qs I will ask them
1
2
3
FRIENDS

12. Alice to Cheshire Cat
`Would you tell me, please,
which way I ought to go from
here?'
`That depends a good deal on
where you want to get to,' said
the Cat.
`I don't much care where' said
Alice.
`Then it doesn't matter which
way you go,' said the Cat.

13. Levy has just graduated with a 2:1 in
BA Business Finance. His brother-in-
law is an accountant but he doesn’t
want to bother him. He hopes to have
a career as an accountant but is
uncertain where to start and feels sure
the CDC will be too general for his
needs. Advise Levy what to do
LEVY

14. Who?
1.
2.
3.
What Can I ask?
PROFESSIONAL CONTACTS

15. Linked In
~ navigate for profiles and skillsets
~ Use advanced search: titles & keyword
Facebook
~ who can see you?
Alumni
~ links you to employers at right level of entry
Networking Events
~ What is your purpose for being there?
NETWORK

16. TALK TO EVERYONE!

17. Skills Academy
Fastrack Careers Workshops (April 2013 & October 2013)
Fastrack Monday Talks
Careers Fair
Alumni Talks
MBA Tuesday Talks (Regents St)
Career Development Centre
Business Experience Team
Visiting Speakers
UNIVERSITY

18. Shahana is about to start her final year of a
BA Marketing degree but wants to take a
summer placement. She is worried that she
has left it too late as everyone else seems
to be so organized already. She was
offered some work at a local nursery to help
differentiate it from its competitors but she
feels that that may not be as useful as a
corporate internship. Advise Shahana
SHAHANA

19. Volunteering offers:
Temporary Access to the Organization
Skills gained well aligned to Org
Can assess if you want to work there
Gain an edge at interview
Internal candidate bias
VOLUNTEER

20. Still unfilled placements all over London!
• The Times Top 100 companies listing
• Placements: add to your credibility
• Offer relevant work experience
• Appropriate to your career stage
• Demonstrate your eagerness to work
• Upskill you within the relevant industry
• Offer an insight into the industry
PLACEMENT

21. Your offer is relevant!
Be prepared to be competitive:
Expenses Only (1 or 2 weeks)
Trial Period
Internship
Research support
Negotiated Pay after 3 months
YOUR OFFER

22. Career Development Centre
~ also offers support up to 3 years after
graduation
Compile List of Companies
The Times top 100 graduate employers
Identify Local Organizations
Look at who is sponsoring local events
Graduate Fairs
FINDING OUT

23. Organizations:
Write in cold….to a named person
Send information they might need
Thank you for the interview & feedback
Offering to work on trial basis
PERSONAL APPROACH

24. Energy Providers
Medical Liaison
HR
Management Accountants
Legal Experts
INDUSTRIES FARING WELL

25. Don’t know what you want to do?
Try Holland’s Career Inventory
Visit the Career Development Centre
Many & varied roles for career portfolio:
Bed tester £1k pcm
Zombie £30 k p.a
Scarecrow £250/week (Norfolk)
Professional Queuer (£22.40/hr)
Chocolate taster £25-75k…. etc
ROLES

26. Doga ~ dog yoga teacher
Dogfood taster for M&S dogfood
Lego Sculptor for LegoLand
Foodtaster for Obama or Putin
Chicken sexer for Bernard Matthews
Watching Paint Dry for Dulux
Tree Surgeon
Also Ostrich babysitter, snake milker & citrus fruit dyer
…However UFO desk officer in Whitehall was made redundant in 2009
ODD JOBS

27. • Make a list of companies you would like to
work for
• Follow up individual pages
• Access Career tab on homepages
• Join Watchthatpage.com for free
• monitor your chosen companies
• Identify the recruiters for posts
• Find workers/ex-workers via linked in
• Keep a record of progress
PRACTICAL STEPS

28. Research the market
Is your idea out there?
Can you do it better?
What wins development awards?
How much are my start up costs?
What assets (help) have I got?
ENTREPRENEUR

29. Marketing vouchers/ coupons online
Offering a service not available
Seen something abroad that might work here
Tweaking an ethnic tradition for mass market
Setting up a swapping service
Guerilla Gardeners
Selling Pixels
Swap a paperclip for a house ….in the end!
Kyle MacDonald red paperclip 1 yr & 14 swaps
FINDING YOUR NICHE

30. Keep a record of contacts
Name, number, email & location
Details of what you spoke about
Date everything!
Record details & future dates to contact
Use follow up emails to say thank you
CONTACTS

31. Write your ideal job title and your qualifications
at the top of an A4 page
No name at this stage
Make a mark so you will know your page again
Others will review and offer advice
Collect your page before you leave
EXERCISE

32. Go Raibh
Maith Agat