If you’ve recently lost your job, take a deep breath. Have a look at our advice, it might save you a few moving boxes and a sheepish phone call to your parents about that spare bedroom they have.

If you’ve lost your job, it’s time to reflect.

Do you know why you lost your job?

Was the decision based on performance or is the company going through hard times?

If it was because of how you performed, try look at things you can do differently at your next job.

If it was because the company had to streamline, look to apply at companies that are doing well.

Readjust your budget

Cut unnecessary spending from your budget and reduce costs wherever possible – medical aid is important, DSTV, not so much. If the reason you lost your job was not your fault, you can file for UIF.

Prepare

Update your CV including as much numerical data to back up any achievements as possible.

Make an appointment with a recruitment professional to help you identify job opportunities.

Clean up your social media profiles. Try to look at them from the perspective of a potential employer.

Network, and make finding a new job your full time job.

Look for part-time work so you can leave your retirement fund intact

Trouble in the workplace? Conflict brewing in the coffee pot?

Here’s our advice –

– Above all else, remember you are at work. It is a professional environment (yes, even the offices with casual bosses), and you are there to do a job. The last thing you want is to look catty or childish. Keep your cool and be respectful while making sure your own work is up to scratch.

– Disagreements or tension need to be handled carefully. If possible, try to resolve your issues out of the workplace on neutral ground and try to keep it to people involved – no extra parties.

– If it comes down to it, find out if there are any official procedures you should follow in lodging official complaints.

Good luck!

Highlight your strengths, and what is most relevant to the potential employer. In-coming CV’s are typically reviewed in 10-30 seconds, so put forth the effort and determine which bullets most strongly support your job search objective. Put the strongest and most relevant points first where they are more apt to be read. This is your hook for the reader and the rest of your CV reels them in.

Action words like organized, managed, developed, championed, monitored, and presented will cause your CV to stand out. Avoid using the same verb over an over. If your CV is scanned electronically, the computer will pick up on the words. Some companies now scan in your CV and have computers pull those that meet certain criteria. The computers are looking for one thing – the keywords that have been picked by the hiring manager. These are action keywords that relate to the position so not including them or using shortened acronyms could mean your CV is disregarded as a “non-match”.

Use bullets with short sentences to structure the body of your CV. The main selling points of your CV should be apparent and quick to scan. Again, don’t worry about the details; you will cover that during the interview.

Before you start writing your CV, you have to decide what your objectives are.
State what kind of job you want to kick start your career, and be familiar with the skills and
experience needed to excel in that job.

The content of your CV should suit the objectives that you decided on.

When writing your CV, always keep in mind that you only have a short amount of time to get the attention of the recruiter or potential employer. Conciseness and focus is essential – an extensive CV does not equal a higher qualification.