As you begin the start of your journey of looking for a job, please remember you are not alone. As well as our experienced team of Employability Mentors who are available to talk you through each step of the process, you can also check out our Tools and Training page for a comprehensive range of resources to help you. Alongside these resources you can also take a number of self-assessment quizzes from the National Careers Service to help you explore what type of work you may like to do, and the skills needed to take the next step on your journey.
For more information, please click on the following link
Skills assessment | National Careers Service >>
Feeling frustrated?
If you have been applying for a while but haven’t found a job yet then this can affect your confidence. Most people have been turned down for a job or submitted an unsuccessful application at some point - but it can still be difficult when it happens to you.
Visit our Wellbeing and Mental Health >> pages or take our Building your Resilience >> free online course to help you deal with rejections.
1. Know your options
Identifying what sort of work you want can be the first hurdle. Knowing what to expect from different roles, what your ideal job would be and finding out which match your current skills, experience and interest can give you some direction. Although, particularly if you are looking for your first paid opportunity, keeping an open mind and being flexible can help you get your foot in the door. Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings, started out his career as a Vacuum Cleaner Salesman!
2. Where to look
Knowing where to look can speed up the process of finding a new job. Take a look at our suggestions for local job boards in South Gloucestershire, as well as other top tips on how to find your new opportunity from networking to sector specific jobsites.
3. Applying
Our Tools and Training pages >> are jam-packed with guides and resources to help you with all steps of applying for jobs, from writing your first CV to tidying up your social media profiles. Even if you haven’t yet got any paid work experience there are other ways to show employers that you are ready for an opportunity. Use your existing skills, hobbies and interests to boost your employability as well as get ideas of how to build your experience quickly.
4. Interviews
Being prepared for interviews will give you the best chance of being successful. Employers want to get to know you and your skills, see that you have an interest in their company and find out if you are a good fit. You might also want to use the interview to find out more about the role and the culture of the organisation. Visit our Tools and Training page >> for tips on what to expect and how to build your confidence.
5. In the workplace
There are a range of skills that an employer may be looking for you to use and develop once you are in a job.
In 2020 the World Economic Forum carried out a survey and a list created of the top 15 skills employers will be seeking from 2025, which is as follows:
Analytical thinking and innovation
Active learning and learning strategies
Complex problem-solving
Critical thinking and analysis
Creativity, originality and initiative
Leadership and social influence
Technology use, monitoring and control
Technology design and programming
Resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility
Reasoning, problem-solving and ideation
Emotional intelligence
Troubleshooting and user experience
Service orientation (the ability to meet the needs of others)
Systems analysis and evaluation
Persuasion and negotiation
There may be some terminology and skills here that you have not heard of before, and you may want to find more about.
Our Employability Mentors would be very happy to talk about these skills for the workplace with you.
You can also read more here: What are the top 10 job skills for the future? | World Economic Forum (weforum.org) >>
Getting experience
Writing CVs and job applications can be a daunting task if you don’t have any paid work experience. However, focussing on your skills and the achievements you have made elsewhere can help.
Outside of paid employment, there might be other things that you are proud of or that demonstrate your skills in other ways. Been involved in any sport teams? Have you ever volunteered? Learnt a new language? A cause you are involved with, a hobby or interest you might have or any training or qualifications you have worked toward can help show dedication, expertise or experience that can transfer to the workplace.
If you find you are lacking experience there is always time learn something new, build your skills and confidence, or contribute to something that you care about. Looking at the sort of jobs that you want to apply for can help identify where the gaps are in your experience, and give you a better idea of the most relevant opportunities that will build your skills in the area you need.
Volunteer and take action
Learn a new skill
I like volunteering at Juice because it gives me a reason to be out of the house, whilst also doing something helpful to benefit others. I would recommend volunteering because you get the chance to meet new people and grow skills without it being too much work and unenjoyable.
Kaela
Volunteering can show you are ready to be a committed member of a workplace and work as a team. However, there are many benefits to volunteering beyond how it might boost your CV. Volunteering can build confidence, connect you to new people and experiences, improve wellbeing and provide an opportunity to contribute to a cause you care about, from social change to the environment.
Local volunteering sites:
Voscur
Voscur is the support and development agency for Bristol’s Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector. They list a wide range of volunteering opportunities.
CVS South Gloucestershire
CVS South Gloucestershire support local charities, voluntary groups, and social enterprises. They list local volunteering opportunities in the area.
Off The Record
Off The Record has groups for social action that let you reclaim power and take ownership of things that negatively impact your life or the state of your community. Activism can be a great way to get involved and effect real change.
National volunteering sites for young people:
DO IT
DO IT is a new kind of volunteering site, offering everything from small one-off tasks to help other people, or larger ones like volunteering in your local community.
Vinspired
Vinspired is the UK’s only online platform dedicated to connecting young volunteers with the causes they care about, helping them build skills, networks and confidence.
There is a huge range of courses that can show you learning new skills and ready to take on new challenges completely online. Employers like to see that you are developing your talent. From flexible online short courses to longer term commitments, find our guide to free opportunities below.
Future Learn
Future Learn offers hundreds of courses from ‘The Power of Podcast Storytelling’ to an Introduction to Food Science. Learn 100% online with world class universities and industry experts to develop hobbies, new skills and career-changing expertise with our flexible courses. There are free courses as well as free trials for some courses available.
Duolingo
Duolingo is an app and website offering flexible learning completely free. You set your own pace with bite-sized lessons to learn anything from Spanish to Vietnamese (or even Klingon!)
Google Digital Garage
Google Digital Garage offer free online courses and accreditation certificates to help you learn marketing skills to help your business or in your career. You can learn by selecting individual modules, or dive right in and take an entire course end-to-end.
Creative Youth Network
Creative Youth Network offer free creative courses to hep nurture your creative talent. Attend a taster session to see what might interest you and try your hand at something new from song writing to animation.
Find out more:
Getting Experience
Tools and Training
Where to look
With so many options and job adverts out there, it can be difficult to focus your search. Knowing where to look for the sort of job you want can help you find the right sort of opportunities.
As well as looking at job boards, there are other ways to find an opportunity that suits you.
Find companies that you want to work for and regularly check their website to avoid missing opportunities.
Consider your social media presence and how you can use different platforms. Youth Employment UK offer a good guide here.
Network. Make an effort to start with asking family, friends and those you already know if they can keep an eye out for jobs for you. When you build your confidence, you may be able to widen your search making new connections online and offline.
Ask in your neighbourhood. Are there local businesses that might need staff? Be proactive - ask in a local shop, send a letter to a business or look at community notice boards.
Look out for job fairs including virtual events. Check the National Careers Service and South Gloucestershire Council for their latest events.
Job boards and job websites
No matter whether you’re looking for your first job or a new opportunity there are job sites catered to different types of roles.
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are real jobs where you learn, gain experience and get paid at the same time. They are available at multiple levels, from school leavers, people upskilling in their careers and complete career changes. There are hundreds to choose from and some include a qualification, like a degree.
You can visit the Government’s apprenticeship website to learn more about apprenticeships and search for opportunities. Or look for local opportunities below.
For your first job
GetMyFirstJob
Helps candidates become better informed about the opportunities that are open to them and offers a search function to find Apprenticeships, Work Experience and Degree Apprenticeships by selecting the distance from your address and the types of jobs you are interested in. It typically has over 10,000 vacancies across the country.
Not going to Uni
www.notgoingtouni.co.uk/opportunities
Is designed to help school and college leavers to find jobs, apprenticeships and free courses.
In the local area
Careers South Glos
Allows you to search for council jobs and apprenticeships in South Gloucestershire.
Indeed
uk.indeed.com/jobs-in-South-Gloucestershire
This is a job search engine where you can search for the kind of job you are interested in as well as the town or county you would like to work in. There are other similar job sites, such as Reed or Monster.
Bristol Jobs
Allows you to search by industry for jobs in Bristol and South Gloucestershire.
Recruitment agencies help match those looking for a job with employers who have vacancies. There are two agencies in Yate who can both offer support to find employment in the local area.
ESS Employment
24-7 recruitment
CharityJob
Job hunting by industry
If you have an idea of the sector you would like to work in, there are sites specific to certain industries. Some industries will have more jobs available than others in the local area. For example, South Gloucestershire has a large construction and engineering industries.
Construction
Go Construct helps young people to understand pathways into a career in construction. Their site explains job roles, gives advice on how to get into the industry and where to look.
Creative industries
www.creativeyouthnetwork.org.uk
Whilst not a job site, the Creative Youth Network helps young people in South Gloucestershire to pursue careers in the creative industries.
Education sector
www.eteach.com/teaching-jobs-south-gloucestershire
List teaching jobs as well as other roles based in schools and colleges.
Working in Care
www.proudtocaresouthglos.org.uk/
Proud to Care is a dedicated site for care and support work in South Gloucestershire and the surrounding areas.
You can find out more about different industries on our Type of Work pages.