Get yourself a boost up the greasy pole with these 10 career-enhancing tips
1 Ask questions...
Even if you’re just an intern and it’s your first day in the studio, ask a lot of questions. If you can demonstrate a good, positive attitude while doing so, then you’ll be showing interest in the work and an eagerness to learn. Just be careful not to annoy people with your curiosity.
2 ...And keep asking
Whether you’re a bright-eyed junior or a more experienced designer who is already established in the studio, questioning and wanting to learn makes a good impression at any level. Although make sure that you listen well, as at some point there will need to be evidence of you actually having learnt something.
3 Don’t be a job snob
You may feel that your talents are wasted at the bottom of the studio pecking order, but be careful to avoid giving people the idea that you’re above working on certain tasks. Your managers need to see that you are willing to work on anything – how else are you going to learn?
4 Try and see the bigger picture
As a junior designer, demonstrate an ability to think beyond your particular part of the process and understand a project as a whole. If your bosses think that you’re ready to handle different parts of a project, they’ll be happy to give you some extra responsibility.
5 You’re the presentation
Creative directors need to know that the designers they take to client presentations can be relied upon to explain ideas effectively. Making improvements to how you talk about your own creative work within the studio is the first step to demonstrating that you’re capable of communicating at this level.
6 Expand your skills
To advance within a studio, you’ll need to develop a range of new skills, including budgeting, collaboration and management. In a larger studio, management skills are important if you want to move up, whilst a smaller studio calls for a broader range of capabilities. In either case, you should always show an interest in learning these skills with each new project.
7 Let others excel
To get better at managing other people you have to accept – and relish – the fact that they will do things differently to you. Instead of asking someone else to do a task then redoing it yourself because it’s not good enough, you have to be able to get them to think about the task in a different way, to make mistakes and to learn from them.
8 Invite feedback
Use appraisal sessions with your manager as a chance to find out which areas you need to develop in and what extra skills you’ll need in order to be given more responsibility. If you can identify the areas where you’re lacking and can gain those extra skills under your own initiative, that’s even better.
9 Ask your boss
Be clear to your manager about your aims for promotion, as it’s his or her job to tell you how you can develop and to give you the opportunity to show what you can do. Similarly, if you feel that colleagues are being promoted past you, ask your boss what the reason might be.
10 Don’t be afraid to be ambitious
Don’t be worried that showing ambition will cause bad feeling with the rest of your team: a bit of competition is a healthy thing. You can be ambitious without upsetting people as long as you treat them with respect, and if people are getting upset, it might not be you that’s the cause of the problem.
Running a startup is like a rollercoaster, both fun and terrifying. Ryan Carson of Treehouse shows you how to get your startup on track
This article first appeared in issue 224 of .net magazine – the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers.
So you want to launch a startup company? First you need a good idea. Where do entrepreneurs get their inspiration from? Well, most great ideas are born out of pain: you’ve got a problem and so look for a way to fix it.
Once you’ve got your idea, stop and ask yourself this: do I really care about solving this problem? Am I willing to spend the next five to 10 years helping people who have this problem?
Bear in mind that it takes a long time to build, launch and run a successful company. It’ll be the hardest thing you’ve ever done, with thousands of hours of boring and frustrating work. Yes, there are some tremendously exciting moments as well but they’re short and infrequent. If you’re tackling a problem that you don’t understand or don’t truly care about, then stop right now. You’ll save yourself years of pointless labour and piles of cash.
However, if you are excited about solving a problem and have intimate knowledge of the area, then you’re on to something exciting. If you’re successful you can have a positive effect on the world while making a healthy living along the way.
Programs such as Mockingbird allow you to mock up a simple version of your site and create your minimum viable product (MVP)
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Testing your idea
So you’ve got a burning passion to fix a problem and you’re ready to quit your nine to five. The next step is to test your idea with potential customers:
Mock-up your homepage and the most important product page. You don’t need to be a designer to do this.
Ask strangers in your target market to have a look at the home and product pages, and ask them two questions: a) What is it? b) Would they pay for it? If so, how much?
If the majority of people you ask understand what the product is, and say they’d pay for it, then you’re on to a winner.
A great way to find strangers to test your idea is through Twitter. Ask for folks who fit your target market and have 10 minutes to spare to give their opinion on your startup idea. If you don’t have enough followers to do this, you might have to spend a little cash on a service such as usertesting.com.
If you go down this route, you can pick your rough target demographic and give them the two tasks mentioned earlier. Once you’ve got some evidence that you’re on to a winning idea, it’s time to move on to the minimum viable product (MVP).
Services such as usertesting.com give you access to your rough target demographic
MVP
Now that you’ve got a solid idea, it’s time to build your MVP. This is a simple version of your product that solves the most basic needs. All the bells and whistles have been cut and it’s the absolute minimum you can offer your potential customers in order to get them to part with their cash.
It shouldn’t really be an application at all, more a hacked-together app that appears to be functional. It doesn’t have an ecommerce backend, a CMS, or even dynamic content. It could literally be flat HTML with hard-wired content.
Groupon did a great job getting its MVP live. The company may be valued in the billions now, but it started with a simple WordPress installation and a PayPal button.
So how did they do it? They asked the pizza place downstairs if they’d be willing to do a buy-1- get-1-free deal to generate more business. After the pizzeria agreed, the Groupon team installed WordPress and published a ‘Buy 1 Pizza, Get 1 Free’ post with a PayPal button. They emailed the folks in their building about the deal and quickly sold 20 coupons. That is a perfect example of an MVP.
The goal of your MVP is to test whether people will part with their hard-earned cash for your idea. If you get any traction, then you’re on to a winner.
Now that you’ve got your MVP deployed and real customers paying you some cash, it’s time to start building your team.
Groupon’s MVP was an excellent example of how to get started: a simple WordPress post with a 2-for-1 pizza offer and a PayPal button
Who should you hire?
At a minimum, you’ll need a designer and a developer; ideally you’re one (or both) of those people. If you’re not, then you’ll need to go out and find them. You have the choice of bringing the other person on as a co-founder or employee.
Employees will expect to be paid £30,000- £50,000 depending on ability; co-founders will expect to be paid less until you break even, but then they’ll expect to get 30-50 per cent of the company. The primary benefit of a co-founder is that you have someone to share the load and take the journey with you. The obvious downsides are the dilution in equity and the potential relational problems that can break up your company. If you choose a co-founder, it’s just as serious as dating. Make sure you want to work with this person, for better or worse, for the next five to 10 years.
Burning up the cash
Once you’ve decided how big your team is going to be, you need to calculate what your monthly costs will be, or your ‘burn rate’. Here are the costs you need to consider:
Salaries (the biggest cost)
Bookkeeping
Rent
Marketing
Internet
Hosting
Benefits
Recruiting talent
Once you’ve nailed down your monthly costs, it’s time to start recruiting. The best possible source here is trusted referrals: ask your friends and contacts if they know of anyone who’s looking for work that has the right skill set.
The other route is to place ads on sites that your potential hires might frequent. You’ll have to live with your choices, so be picky and take your time.
Pricing your product
The next thing you need to decide is the initial pricing of your product. Freemium is all the rage these days: offering a free product and encouraging people to upgrade to a paying account.
However, I would highly recommend charging for your product from day one. This forces you to deliver a product that has value for your customers, and makes customers commit to you and invest emotionally in the product. If they’re not paying for your product, it’s easy to walk away.
The primary goal is to experiment with prices and see what works. You can always launch with one price and then change it later. You will need to keep your current customers on their pricing structure, but you can sign up all your new customers at another price, to test conversion rates and overall profitability.
Funding: bootstrapped and proud?
There are three primary funding options available to you: bootstrap, debt and equity.
Before we discuss those, you need to create a cashflow spreadsheet so you know how much money you need to launch your startup.
Start by estimating how many months it will take you to reach break-even. This is the point where your company is bringing in the same amount of money that you are spending each month.
At this point, however, we are not talking about turning a profit. There are plenty of legal accounting tricks you can use to make your company profitable, but there is only one way to measure if you’re break-even: when cash coming in is the same as your expenditure.
I’d recommend that you have at least six to 12 months’ operating expenses in the bank before you start. This will give you enough time to create your MVP (one month) and then properly test the market and gain traction.
It’s hard to guess how many months it will take to reach break-even because there are two factors, only one of which you can control:
How long it takes to build the product.
How quickly customers will sign up.
Initially, you should focus on the first point, while having a solid plan for how you plan to create demand to drive paid sign-ups.
Treehouse used funds from a previous venture to fund the company’s startup
Bootstrap
Bootstrapping is the practice of funding your startup yourself. A lot of people do this by saving the cash from their day job or using their life savings.
The benefits of bootstrapping are that you don’t have to give away any of the company’s equity or spend time pitching your idea to the bank.
The obvious downside is that, if your startup doesn’t work out, you lose your own personal cash and are left without a savings cushion. We bootstrapped Treehouse with profit from our events company.
Debt
If you don’t bootstrap, then the second funding option is raising debt. There are two primary ways to do this: with a bank loan or by borrowing from friends and family.
With either of these options, you’ll need to prepare a presentation that explains your idea, why you think it will work and how much money you’ll need to get cash flow to break-even.
If you’ve launched an MVP and have some traction, your bank will be slightly more accommodating, but the brutal truth is that it’s very hard to get a bank loan in the current economic climate. If you’re in the UK, your best bet is the Enterprise Finance Guarantee.
One major disadvantage of debt is that you’ll have to factor chunky monthly loan repayments in to your cashflow as well as signing a personal guarantee for the bank, which will put you (and any other directors) on the hook personally if the company can’t repay the loan.
Equity
Raising equity finance means selling a portion of your company’s shares in return for cash. The primary sources of equity financing are angel investors and venture capitalists.
Benefits of equity financing:
No loan to repay
Investors can be a valuable source of help and advice
Drawbacks of equity financing:
You have to give away part of the company.
Time consuming to sort out (and may not happen at all).
It introduces another level of complexity into the business.
There are a lot of pitfalls to avoid that could be catastrophic to your business. Make sure that you understand all of the term sheet before you enter into any financing deals.
Key metrics
Arm yourself with knowledge before you look at the possible financing options for your startup
There are several vital numbers that you need to measure when running a software as a service (SAAS) company. To make process easier, you should build a simple dashboard that displays all these numbers so you can keep an eye on them.
Knowing these numbers will allow you to measure the health of your startup. The key metrics are lifetime value, cost per acquisition, churn, conversion rate and happiness index.
Lifetime value (LTV): LTV is calculated like this: the monthly revenue per month per customer multiplied by the average number of months customers use your service. This gives you a basic idea of how much value a customer will give you over the time they stay with you. For example, if you charge £25 per month for your service and the average length of time a customer stays with you is 10 months, then your LTV would be £250.
Cost per acquisition: Cost per acquisition (CPA) is simple to calculate: it’s the amount of money that you spend when acquiring a new customer. For example, if you pay £0.10 per click on Google AdWords and it takes you 100 clicks in order to get one customer, your CPA would be £10.
Churn: Churn is the percentage of customers who cancel each month. For example, if you have 100 customers and 10 cancel in a month, then you have a 10 per cent churn.
Once you know your churn rate, you can calculate the average number of months a customers stays with you (their ‘lifetime’). Simply take the number of customers and divide it by your churn rate. In this example that would be 100/10, which equals 10, so your average customer stays with you for 10 months.
Conversion rate: Conversion rate is calculated like this: the number of people who sign up to your service divided by the unique number of visitors to your site, multiplied by 100. For example, if you have 10,000 unique visitors to your site this month, and 75 sign up as customers, you have a conversion rate of 0.75 per cent.
We’d advise using Google Analytics to measure conversions and unique visitors. Measuring conversions is pretty technical and is beyond the scope of this article, but a bit of Googling will give you everything you need to know.
Happiness index: Understanding your happiness index will help you understand why people cancel or leave your service, which in turn will help you decrease your churn. As you can imagine, churn is the most destructive force on a startup so it’s important to keep it as low as possible.
Each startup will have different metrics that will be used to calculate their happiness index. We calculate this at Treehouse like so: the number of videos watched this month multiplied by the number of badges unlocked this month, multiplied by the number of times the site has been visited.
We used our happiness index to help decrease the churn at Treehouse like this: we calculate the happiness index of all customers who are 90 per cent of the way through the average lifetime (in the example given above, that would be customers who are in month nine out of 10 months). If the number is below a certain value then we know that customer is likely to cancel, so we will send them a special email asking if they’re happy with the service and if there’s anything we can do to help.
The key to reducing churn is to be proactive: try to figure out why people cancel and then do something to fix it before they leave.
Launching a startup means you’re creating a business, not a side project. It takes an enormous amount of hard work, focus and commitment. But the rewards can be enormous too, and we’re lucky enough to live in an era when there’s absolutely nothing to stop us. So what are you waiting for?
Social media and the always-on devices sitting in your pocket make self-destruction so much simpler these days – and on an infinitely larger scale, explains Gary Marshall
This article first appeared in issue 233 of .net magazine – the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers.
Chances are, at some point today or tomorrow you’ll think of something terrible. It might happen when you’re standing on a subway platform, waiting for a train, and suddenly a little voice in your head is telling you to jump. It might pop up in the office midway through a meeting, with your clients or colleagues unaware you’re imagining stabbing them in the eyes with a Sharpie.
You might be in the supermarket, seized by the notion of putting something extremely unexpected in the bagging area. Or it might happen at home, during dinner, when the sudden urge to say something unspeakable to your partner puts you right off your spuds.
You’re not alone. Edgar Allan Poe named it ‘The Imp of the Perverse’, the thought that “chills the very marrow of our bones with the fierceness of the delight of its horror.” It’s perfectly normal, and it seems we’ve all got it. According to psychology professor Dan Wegner, “knowing the worst that could happen is essential for control.” If we didn’t know what could go wrong, we wouldn’t know to avoid it – so our subconscious minds come up with worst-case scenarios and our conscious minds ensure we don’t let them occur.
Our conscious minds, then, are essentially watchmen, keeping an eye on us to make sure that we don’t do anything too perilously silly. Unfortunately, sometimes they let their guard down – and when they do, the imp escapes. The reasons are legion. For some it’s because they’ve had too much to drink, for others because they’ve had a few disco biscuits, for many it’s because they’re stressed, or sick, or sad. But the result is the same: what Wegner calls “errors of thought, speech and action” that can make us “think, say or do precisely the worst thing for any occasion.”
Blurring the lines
Thankfully for most of us, such “ironic processes” lead to minor indiscretions, not major meltdowns, but thanks to the computers in our pockets, their effects can be amplified. In the wrong or chemically altered frame of mind, a post, tweet, update or upload button can be a big red self-destruct one.
The problem, I think, is that two kinds of line have blurred. Our constantly connected smartphones and other digital devices have smudged the line between work time and free time, and social networks have merged professional and personal. Time zones aside, there’s little difference between my social media feeds during working hours and in the evenings: it’s the same mix of personal and professional contacts, posting the same mix of personal and professional content.
The mix of friends, family, colleagues and clients can be great fun, but it also means that if the imp gets out, it can cause carnage: where the fall-out from inappropriate or inebriated behaviour would previously be limited to a single circle – for example, if you’d said something appalling or insensitive to your friends in the pub – it can now spread across your network to offend colleagues and clients too. An imp with access to the internet can be a very dangerous imp indeed.
From learning to accept feedback to being a great team player, here are some top tips on how to forge a glittering career in the video games industry
Every year there are droves of students who come into class on day one, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, thinking that because they have made it onto a games course, they will be able to work in the industry. I often show them this videoto bring them straight back down to earth.
Only small handfuls of gaming students get jobs straight away, even fewer of these are actually in the games industry itself. Truth be told, even these graduates take very basic junior positions. It all sounds like doom and gloom doesn't it?
Well, it shouldn't. Success is possible. Some of my recent 2012 graduate cohort from the University of Salford wonDare to be Digital and have been nominted for a Bafta. These guys took on board a great deal of the advice and their win is a testament to their approach to being great new developers and professionals. If you are about thinking about or already part way through a games course, here's some advice for you to consider, so that hopefully you are one of those successful students. Be motivated and enthusiastic at all times and start to know your trade inside and out
You need to have a positive attitude at every junction, coupled with skills and knowledge. This will reinforce your attitude and confidence for the many knock-backs during your career. Getting into games is very tough; studios will often reject you because you either do not have enough experience or your skills are not good enough.
You need to get into the right frame of mind from day one and demonstrate motivation – attend all classes at all times, give up your social life in favour of getting the job done to the best of your ability, live, eat, breathe, and sleep your subject (whether it's art, design, programming, sound and music or production).
Make sure that you are known to all teaching staff – they can open opportunities for you, but only if you prove you have the skills. If your skills are lacking, then practice, practice practice. Don't be de-motivated by other people's talent; use it to set benchmarks for your own standards.
Here are some quick tips for art, design and programming: 1. If you are lacking skills as a concept artist, then take tips from traditional 2D artists and attend extra 2D drawing classes to refine your ability to draw environments and components such as weapons and characters (life drawing classes are useful here). 2. For technical art implementation, whether you are focusing on being a texture artist, modeller or animator, you need to have good reference material. Know your tools straight away – whether its Photoshop, 3DS Max, Maya, Z-Brush – and be sure to use legitimate versions of software so you can benefit from the updates. You also need an eye for your specialism, so always look at the real world and question yourself, for example, " I wonder how many polygons can I use to replicate the spaceship in that flm?" 3. If you need to focus on developing your design skills, then apart from having an encyclopaedic knowledge of as many games as possible, ensure that your writing skills are up to scratch. Be clear, concise and accurate with your descriptions; demonstrate your ideas on paper visually and also in 3D packages and game engines. Start building levels; you can even try and replicate environments that you already know, contextually ones from the real world too. 4. If you are a programmer, focus on the technical implementation of games by getting your hands dirty with code. Try some simple game engines like Unity where you can quickly and easily get some rough and ready gameplay up and running. Understand performance issues of the platforms you are implementing; evolve ideas but be realistic about the time frame you will need to do this. Don't be precious about your work
There have been many times where students have spent ages on a piece of work, but not taken any feedback on board to improve it. They were confident within themselves that what they had done was amazing. It's not nice when someone comes along and rips apart your work, but the best people are emotionally detached when it comes to taking feedback and can improve upon the information provided and deliver a superior product.
If the information you have been given is unconstructive, go back and ask more probing questions. Sometimes you have to do this as the information you have been given is poorly delivered but you need to understand where the person giving feedback is coming from. Be a great team player and remember your reputation starts now
Many students forget that to make games, you need to work in teams, and the best team player is the person who always puts the project first and does what needs to be done to get the job done to the best standard. Students also forget that they are earning a reputation. If you have a good reputation as a hard worker who's committed and motivated, great with feedback and a great team player who's easy to get along with, you'll be first choice on anyone's team.
Your reputation follows you into the industry. When students settle into their jobs, they sometimes get contacted by former university colleagues, who ask them for recommendations at the company. Without a good reputation, the application won't get taken any further and, if this information gets passed on elsewhere it can be incredibly diffficult to secure positions. Stay on top in terms of knowledge
Make sure that you keep on top of what's going on in the industry so you can focus your skills as the games industry is always evolving. Great sites to get insight are Games Industry International, Gamasutra and Develop. The industry is very volatile and that entry gaps are few and far between, depending upon where you want to live. Always consider your end goals
If your end goal is to get a job in the games industry, ask what you are doing right now to help that. Start with creating your portfolio of work and consider specialising within a subject/discipline while making sure your have versatility in the other areas. Start with a website (Wix and Wordpress are great to get sites up and running quickly) and then research other specialists' work to see how you can improve.
Finally, make sure that you take advantage of all the game developer and networking events. For example in the UK there's GI Career Fair: Art & Animation at Euro Gamer in London, and there are the Develop conferences in Liverpool and Brighton, where you should focus your efforts on meeting as many game developers as possible and making contacts. http://careers.guardian.co.uk/get-ahead-video-games-industry
Although unemployment is high, many businesses report that the war for talent is still raging. Here are some key steps you can take to get on an employer's radar – and stay there
While many people are struggling to find work, many businesses report they're still looking to hire and the war for talent is strong. There are clear steps you can take to ensure that you get on a potential employer's radar – and stay there. Here's how you can get one step closer to the right job for you: • Create a job-search strategy. Employers hate receiving applications from candidates who lack relevant experience or qualifications. Take the time to read job postings and ask yourself if you fulfil the job requirements. A recent CareerBuilder forecast showed that employers are struggling to find qualified candidates so tailor your existing skills to the job's requirements, adapt your CV and write a relevant, personable cover letter.
• Build your network. Social media is becoming increasingly popular as a recruitment tool and offers a great way to connect and engage with organisations, get a feel for their culture and assess whether the brand is a good fit for you.
Interacting with potential employers in an intelligent way will help you get your foot in the door, and LinkedIn and Facebook are a good way to stay in touch with contacts you've met, interviewed with or come across through recruitment days. Just remember to keep your profile professional; highlight accomplishments that will make you stand out and attract the attention of employers screening applicants via social profiles. • Diversify your search. As well as connecting with employers through social media, don't underestimate the power of face-to-face meetings. Careers fairs may appear daunting but building that relationship with a potential employer will pay off in the longer term. They also give you the chance to get an insight into the range of organisations out there, talk to professionals and build your network.
Today's job search can be summed up in one word: hustle. The more you switch up your efforts, the more opportunities you'll find and get ahead of the pack. • Be unique. When an employer asks "why should I hire you?", have a list of your best qualities to hand. When you find jobs that you feel confident about, do something that will help you stand out and be memorable to the recruiter or human resources manager. Before applying, find out the name of the hiring manager or someone who heads up the department the position is in, and contact them directly. Use LinkedIn to your benefit; reach out with a brief introduction and let them know you've applied for the position and you hope to be in touch. After applying, it never hurts to follow up with a company via social media. • Listen. Searching for a job can be tedious and isolating. Some applicants get so focused that they forget to listen, research or monitor conversations. Pay attention to how employers are communicating about jobs via social media and their websites, and how you can speak to them in their own language. Connect with other jobseekers or career experts, and see what methods you can adopt from their job-search strategies. Be sure that while you're out selling yourself, you take the time to listen to how others are finding success in their search. Tony Roy is president of Europe Middle East and Asia at CareerBuilder http://careers.guardian.co.uk/careers-blog/avoid-job-search-burn-out
You need to know what you want to achieve from an internship so you can challenge yourself the employer to make sure you have a worthwhile experience, says Kate Pierpoint
I remember looking for an internship in the careers guidance building of the University of East Anglia back in 2008. I was in my penultimate year at the university, studying environmental science and international development. I had no previous work experience, no idea about the value of my skills and no clue where to start looking for work.
I decided to do an internship because I needed the chance to apply my skills in the workplace and sample working life for the first time. Looking back certain factors ensured the internship worked for me, so here are some of the insights I learned.
Before you commit, it is really important to decide what you what to achieve from an internship so you choose the right one for you. I wanted an internship that would stand out on my CV and allow me to make new friends but would not interfere with my university studies. I chose the STEP London Internship Programme because they place candidates in paid internships for three months over the summer and organise events for their interns to meet each other and share experiences.
I was placed with a construction company called Lakehouse, an industry I would never have considered looking into. The internship was really inspiring; my role involved taking control of a project. I had to carry out market research to identify new business opportunities within the company's business development team, gaining valuable experience and useful industry contacts.
Many people highlight the disadvantages of internships where the interns aren't given challenging or interesting work. An internship should be a mutually beneficial arrangement, where you gain valuable experience and the employer uses your skills to benefit the company. When you are interviewed by a prospective employer, remember it is also your chance to iask them what they have to offer.
I was looking for a career direction and to gain confidence in my abilities. My internship gave me the opportunity to try out an industry which I had not previously considered and broadened my horizons. It prepared me for the working environment, which some of my friends have struggled with having gone straight into work from university, enhanced my CV and helped me negotiate future jobs. When the recession was at its worst and I found myself unemployed, having those contacts helped me to find work again.
Not everyone has a good experience of internships. However, if you know what you want to achieve from doing one, this will help you to challenge yourself and the employer to make sure you have a worthwhile experience. Kate Pierpoint is the director of Local Labour Hire CIC and social enterprise manager of Manor House Development Trust. Kate was awarded the Future 100 Award for Young Social Entrepreneurs of 2011 This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To get more content and advice like this direct to your inbox, sign up for our weekly Careers update. http://careers.guardian.co.uk/careers-blog/making-most-of-internship
Job hunting can be a long and lonely process. Clare Whitmell shares her advice on how to stay fresh and positive when job search fatigue sets in
Job hunting can be a long and lonely experience – especially if you're dedicating most of your time to it. But when 'job search fatigue' sets in, you can lose the appetite for tailoring each application. Here are some ways to keep motivated in your job hunt, so that each application sounds fresh and positive and makes an employer want to meet you. Involve other people
Keep other people up-to-date with your progress, as well as any disappointments or setbacks. Family and friends can be a great source of support, but also consider joining job clubs and networking groups so you continue to meet people, share leads, and keep each other's spirits up. It also helps to be accountable to other people so that you maintain your job search momentum. Get out and about
It's tempting to conduct all your job search activities from behind your computer screen. Although this is a great way to research companies and opportunities, a successful job search usually combines more than one approach. It's vital that people meet you, so make a point of getting out. Attend industry events and start being active in local or voluntary organisations so you get your face known. Organise your job search
Set yourself daily and weekly goals, tracking your progress and logging activities. As well as making sure you're avoiding duplicate effort, it's a psychological boost to know that your job search is moving forward and isn't just characterised by rejections (or silence). The sort of goals that are achievable and helpful are: researching x numbers of companies and people per day or week; mobilising x number of your contacts to find a way in to a company; writing a specific number of targeted, speculative applications; and setting aside enough time to prepare for meetings and interviews. Take time off
A job search is hard work. Tweaking your CV and cover letter, following up on job leads, or keeping current with industry blogs and forums (plus all the research you'll need to do) are all time-consuming activities. Make sure you stay fresh by taking some time off now and again. Regular physical exercise boosts energy — even if it's only five minutes every hour. Don't feel guilty about taking breaks that will help you recharge your batteries and see things more clearly. Keep the dream
For many graduates and career-changers, the dream job is probably not the first. In fact, it's more likely to be further down the line, after you've amassed necessary skills and experience. A stepping-stones approach can help you see the bigger picture. If your current job doesn't fulfil you, stay focussed on the big prize. Find lateral moves that can get you closer to where you want to be, and stay connected to people who may be able to help you get there. Although your present job may be demotivating, always be looking for the next step up, or out.
