If you’ve been unemployed for six months of more than the government have launched a new six month offer to help individuals gain the skills needed that local employers are looking for and need. Careers advice experts based in various centres will help you discuss what skills you want to work and what skills that employers want in their employees. This will help get a training plan under way and an advisor will help agree on a training course between 2 and 8 weeks. Some of these courses vary in length but all count towards a recognised qualification that you can work towards.

Your CV is the first step in any job you apply. It’s your chance to show the employer that you’ve got the skills they want and the experience to take the role on making you the right person for it. There are various rules of thumbs that a CV needs to follow – it needs to be clear and concise, well laid out, evidence given of the skills needed for that particular job and any qualifications that might help you secure it on the internet you can find many tips for formats to use as well as step by step guides to help you write a eye catching CV out.

If an employer thinks you’re a good match for a job then they will most probably call you in to discuss the job further with you and find out if you’re the right person to join their team and organisation. You need to prove that you can do this job and to help you prepare there are several things you can do before hand. It’s important that you dress smart even if the role you’re looking to get doesn’t require you to dress in a shirt and tie. First impressions always count and generally this is formed as soon as you walk through the door. The next most important point is to be on time – if you’re going to a new location its best to try the route out beforehand to ensure you don’t get lost on the day.

Volunteering is a great way to learn new skills as well as help organisations whilst getting what you want out of it too. The type of volunteering activates that you can get involved in is vast and in most cases the assistance you provide is really appreciated. The type of roles can vary from cleaning up a nature reserve, to helping out in a old people’s home to working in a nursery! In the long term this can help you get into paid work by equipping you with the skills you need. It’s also a great way to meet new people and work in a area to make a difference.

If you’re starting to look for your first job or looking for a change, knowing the kind of job you want to do will make the search much easier! Careers advice centres have specialists who will help you think about the kind of career you want and what job might be best for you. One of the key factors which will determine a job from a career is if you need to work just to pay the bills or if you want a job to give you little bit more than that. What are your aspirations in life and where do you want to be – this will all help determine the path you want to take.