Need advice on staying motivated whilst on the job hunt?
The job market is relatively slow within certain pockets of the market research and marketing sector. In this environment it can be really hard to keep up the positivity and drive in your job search. Here at Stopgap we like to give our candidates as much support in their job search as possible, so here are some top tips from Lara Fisher-Jones, our specialist market research recruitment consultant to help those of you in this situation:
- If you’re currently not working, don’t spend all day on the hunt – instead, set aside a couple of hours a day to focus on searching for live roles, making speculative applications/approaches, writing cover letters or filling in standard job application forms etc. By spending too much time on the hunt you could potentially sink into a job search hole - one which can seem hard to get out of.
- Exercise/time-out – exercise or whatever else clears your mind is a really good way to keep positive and clear the mind. Some people find it in gardening or knitting, but whatever it may be for you - it can really help. It also provides that time when you’re in the moment and can see things more clearly.
- Be creative – list the companies you want to work for vs following up jobs you’ve seen, talk to as many people as possible in your line of work – not necessarily to see if their company has a role but rather just to chat generally about the market - you never know where this could lead. You could scope out your local area to make a note of any employers who may be worth following up on.
- Build up relationships with specialist recruiters and keep in touch. You’ll get to know each other well and you can trust that you have someone working on your behalf and in your best interests. They can also act as a sounding board or give a general view on the market – or just be someone understanding at the end of a phone if you get frustrated!
- Freelancing - if you can find short term work in your field this can really help in all sorts of ways – financially and otherwise.
- It’s also worth bearing in mind that on average it takes approximately 3 months to find a new role - it will happen for you, but not necessarily overnight.
If you’re looking for experienced and honest recruiters to work with in your job search – please get in touch with Stopgap. We can help on both a short-term/freelance and permanent basis across agency and client-side research and insight roles (and general marketing roles too). Alternatively, if you’re an employer looking to fill any market research roles then please get in touch to discuss your requirements.
Contact Lara-Fisher Jones on 020 8334 1426 or 07962 648229. Or email lara.fisher-jones@stopgap.co.uk