There are many different places you can look for work, including:

• Private and government run employment agencies;
• Online jobs boards;
• Newspapers; and
• Social media such as Facebook and LinkedIn.

Knowing how employers recruit, and where to look for jobs, can give you a great head start as a jobseeker.

Employers use a wide range of recruitment methods to fill vacancies, so it is important that you adopt a variety of job search strategies to avoid missing any opportunities.

Employers also advertise using employment websites/their own company websites or in newspapers and increasingly jobs are being advertised on social media or mobile applications as a way of connecting with jobseekers. We recommend you follow the companies you’re interested in, to make sure you’re the first to know about any employment opportunities that come up.

During your job search, you might discover that you don’t have some of the skills or knowledge you need to get that job. If you need to skill up, there’s plenty of options.

• You could do a full qualification, a short course, or even volunteer or get yourself some work experience so you can pick up new skills in a real workplace or business.
• An internship or cadetship is another excellent way to skill up, and an apprenticeship or traineeship combines paid work with on and off the job training.

 There are several different ways you might apply for a job. These include:

via online applications/forms;

• by email;
• in person;
• by phone;
• by mail/letter; or
• via a website or social media.

You’ll need an email address to submit applications online or by email. After you’ve applied online, you’ll usually receive a receipt or acknowledgement by email, telling you that your application has been received (check your junk mail folder!).

Be sure that your email address sounds professional – if not, set up a new one specifically for job applications.

Read the advertisement carefully and be sure to follow the instructions for application.

Always check what the closing date and time is, so you have plenty of time to complete your application and submit it. Never leave things until the last minute! Your internet might go

down, your printer might not work, or you may lose track of time. Most employers won’t accept late applications, no matter how good your excuse is.

Be aware:

According to a new survey, 90% of employers find social media important when they evaluate candidates. What’s more, 79% of HR professionals have denied a job to a candidate due to inappropriate content on social media.

The job advertisement usually states what to include with your application, such as a CV. One item you’ll often see an application ask for is a cover letter. Your cover letter introduces you to the person reading your job application and provides a summary of the information in your written application.

A good cover letter should:

• be no longer than one page;
• be directed to a particular person, addressing them as Mr, Mrs or Ms;
• introduce yourself and provide your contact details;
• state the job you are applying for;
• clearly state the skills and experience you have that match those required by the job;
• encourage the employer to read your application; and
• end with a statement inviting the employer to respond – such as that you look forward to meeting them or attending an interview.

Selection criteria and work-related requirements describe the knowledge, skills and abilities a person needs for that job. ‘Selection criteria’ is the term most often used in adverts for government jobs, larger organisations or professional roles, whereas ‘work-related requirements’ is the term you’ll most likely see in non-government job adverts.

Some common examples of selection criteria include demonstrated capacity to communicate effectively, a proven ability to work as part of a team; and well developed customer service skills. Responding to selection criteria

When a job application asks you to ‘respond to the selection criteria’ or ‘address the work related requirements’, it means that the employer wants you to describe how you meet the requirements of the job.

The best way to do this is with examples that show you’ve done what you say you can do – for example, how you worked as part of a team to solve a problem, how you used your communication skills to provide excellent customer service, or how you used your customer service skills to resolve a conflict.

In many job descriptions, the selection criteria are divided into ‘essential’ (must have) and ‘desirable’ (good to have). You must be able to demonstrate that you meet the essential requirements, and always try to respond to the desirable criteria where you can. https://www.jobsandskills.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/uploads/Jobs%26Careers/jswa-selection- criteria.pdf

The STAR archetype is based around a four-step approach to describing your skills, knowledge and abilities in a way that demonstrates what you can do — based on actual experience.

t’s a great approach to follow when writing your application, and it’s easy to do – just come up with one short paragraph for each of the following.

• Situation — Outline a specific circumstance where you developed the particular experience or used the required skills or qualities. Set the context of the situation, tell the story.

• Task — What was happening? What was your role? What did you have to do?

• Action — What action(s) did you take? What did you do and how did you do it?

• Result — What were the results of what you did? What did you achieve?

It may take a bit of practice to get it right, but if you can learn to use the STAR model you will find it’s a great way to demonstrate your actual skills and knowledge and it really can be quite easy to do.

Take a look the Top tips on this page to see the STAR archetype in action.

Often an employer will ask you to nominate a referee, or ask for a reference, as part of the application process.

Referees are people who can describe your skills and experience to a potential employer. It’s good to list two referees – ideally one should be your current or most recent employer or manager, someone who can talk about your work related skills. The other can be anyone who would be able to give a positive account of you, such as a teacher, colleague or coach, but try to avoid using family members or mates.

Sometimes a referee might provide this information in a written document – this is called a reference.

Before you send in your job application, take the time to proofread it carefully to make sure it doesn’t contain any spelling mistakes or other errors.

If you can, ask a friend to also proofread it — sometimes you won’t see the errors in your own work because you have looked at it so many times, so getting someone new to read it over is a good idea.

Positive words for Job applications (collapsing) https://www.jobsandskills.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/uploads/Jobs%26Careers/jswa-positive-skill- words.pdf