When you are out of work, it can be difficult to know what to do first, particularly when your job search has produced few results.

You may have already sent applications, received rejections or spent time looking through vacancies without finding something suitable. None of those experiences tells you what will happen next.

What you can control is what you do next.

The National Careers Service advises people dealing with setbacks to focus on what they can change, ask for help, set small goals and recognise progress along the way. It also recommends creating a career plan with specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound goals.

So rather than asking yourself to solve your entire employment situation this week, give yourself seven practical days of purposeful activity.

Your Seven-Day Employment Plan

This is a practical planning method for this article. It is not an official Jobcentre Plus programme or government requirement.

Monday — Decide What You Are Looking For

Start with one clear employment target.

Write down the type of role you are currently seeking, the area in which you are prepared to work and any important working arrangements you need to consider.

Do not try to cover every possible job.

The National Careers Service provides career profiles and advice to help people explore occupations and make career decisions.

Action: Write one sentence describing your current job-search target.

Tuesday — Find Suitable Vacancies

Use a small number of reliable sources rather than searching without a system.

The National Careers Service advises jobseekers to use job boards, employer websites, recruitment agencies and the government’s Find a Job service.

The government’s Find a Job service currently allows searches using factors such as location, working pattern, contract type and hours. It also provides the option of creating email alerts.

Action: Save a small number of vacancies that appear genuinely relevant to your target.

Wednesday — Check Before You Apply

Do not treat every vacancy as an application.

Read the job description and identify the main requirements. Check which ones you can demonstrate through your skills, experience or qualifications.

Your purpose today is not to increase the number of applications. It is to improve the relevance of the applications you make.

Action: Choose one suitable vacancy and write down the evidence you could use to show your suitability.

Thursday — Improve One Part of Your Application

Use what you learned from Wednesday’s vacancy.

You might improve the opening section of your CV, rewrite one relevant example or prepare a stronger answer to an application question.

The National Careers Service provides guidance on CVs, applications and other stages of the job-search process.

Action: Improve one specific part of one application.

Friday — Ask for Help

You do not have to organise your employment search without support.

In England, the National Careers Service provides free careers information, advice and guidance. Advisers can help people consider options, set goals and plan a job search.

If you receive Universal Credit and have work-related requirements, your work coach can help with activities such as writing a CV, accessing training and looking for work in your area. Your claimant commitment sets out the requirements that apply to your individual circumstances.

Action: Contact the appropriate adviser or work coach and take your current job-search target with you.

Saturday — Do One Employment-Building Activity

Not every useful employment action is an application.

Depending on your circumstances and your target role, this might involve researching a career, improving a relevant skill, completing appropriate training or preparing for an upcoming application.

The National Careers Service specifically advises people to identify and develop skills as part of career planning.

Action: Complete one activity that strengthens your position for the type of work you are seeking.

Sunday — Review the Week

Do not measure the week only by whether you received a job offer.

Record what you actually accomplished.

Ask:

What did I do?

Which vacancies were genuinely suitable?

What did I learn?

Where did I need help?

What should I continue next week?

The National Careers Service recommends setting small goals and focusing on the things you can change when dealing with setbacks.

Action: Write down three things you will carry forward into the following week.

Your Job Search Does Not Have to Look the Same Every Week

There is no reliable basis for saying that every unemployed person should submit a fixed number of applications every week.

People have different skills, experience, responsibilities and work-related requirements. Your activities should therefore reflect your circumstances and your employment objective.

For people receiving Universal Credit, the requirements in the claimant commitment are individually determined and can be reviewed and updated as circumstances change.

Your personal seven-day plan should therefore organise your search, not replace your official requirements.

What If You Have Been Unsuccessful Several Times?

A rejection is an outcome from one recruitment process. It does not, by itself, establish why you were not selected.

The National Careers Service advises people to learn from setbacks, ask for feedback where appropriate, focus on what they can change and seek support when needed.

That gives you a practical response to repeated disappointment:

Stop. Review. Adjust. Continue.

You might discover that your target needs changing, your applications need improvement, a particular skill needs developing, or you simply need advice about the next step.

You do not need to guess which explanation is correct. Look at the evidence available from your own job search and seek appropriate guidance.

The Current UK Employment Picture

The latest ONS figures, released on 15 September 2026, estimated 702,000 vacancies in the UK for June to August 2026. ONS also reported 2.5 unemployed people per vacancy for May to July 2026. The vacancy estimate was down by 8,000, or 1.1%, compared with March to May 2026.

ONS also cautions that these are estimates and that labour-market statistics are subject to uncertainty and revision.

These figures provide national context only.

They cannot tell you how long your own job search will take, how many suitable vacancies exist in your occupation or what action will lead to a particular outcome.

That is why your attention is better directed towards actions you can actually take and review.

Careers Springboard Support

Where Careers Springboard provides employment guidance or support, use it as an additional source of practical help alongside the established services relevant to your circumstances.

Do not treat any programme, adviser or article as a guarantee of employment. The purpose of support is to help you make better-informed employment decisions and take practical next steps.

Your Practical Next Step

Take a sheet of paper and write:

MONDAY: My employment target
TUESDAY: Suitable vacancies found
WEDNESDAY: Vacancy requirements checked
THURSDAY: One application improved
FRIDAY: Help requested
SATURDAY: One employment-building activity
SUNDAY: Weekly review

Then start with Monday.

You do not need to know exactly when your job search will end.

For the next seven days, you need only know what you are going to do next.

Official Resources

National Careers Service — Careers advice: careers information, guidance and job-search resources.

National Careers Service — How to deal with setbacks: advice on small goals, support and focusing on controllable actions.

National Careers Service — Understand and develop your skills: career planning and SMART goals.

GOV.UK — Universal Credit and your claimant commitment: explains individual work-related requirements and work-coach support where applicable.

Find a Job — Government vacancy service: current UK vacancy search and filtering.

Office for National Statistics — UK labour market: current national employment, unemployment and vacancy statistics.

Being unemployed can make it easy to focus on what you have not done recently.

A more useful question is:

What skills have I already developed, and where could I use them next?

Your previous work, education and life experience may have given you skills that are relevant to jobs you have not previously considered. The National Careers Service specifically advises people who are unemployed or returning to work to identify transferable skills and use them when considering different jobs.

Start With Skills, Not the Gap in Your Employment

An employment gap tells you that you were not employed for a particular period. It does not, by itself, tell an employer what you can or cannot do.

The National Careers Service advises people to think about skills gained through their current or most recent job, previous education and work experience, and daily life. It also recommends making a list of strengths and areas for improvement.

This gives you a much more useful starting point than simply looking at the job title you held before.

What Are Transferable Skills?

Transferable skills are skills that can be useful in different jobs.

The National Careers Service gives examples including communication, teamwork, problem-solving, decision-making, organisation and adapting to difficult situations. It also explains that these skills can be developed through school, life and work.

A skill is transferable because of what you can do, not because of the title of the job where you learned it.

For example, communicating with customers is an activity. The transferable skills demonstrated through that activity may include communication, listening and problem-solving.

The important step is to identify the actual skill and the evidence behind it.

Look Back at What You Have Actually Done

Take your previous experience one area at a time.

Previous Employment

For each job you have held, ask:

What did I have to do regularly?

What problems did I have to deal with?

Who did I communicate with?

What information, equipment or systems did I use?

Did I have to organise tasks, meet deadlines or make decisions?

Do not worry about finding impressive terminology.

Start with what actually happened.

Education and Training

Consider qualifications, courses and other learning you have completed.

Think about what you had to demonstrate rather than simply listing the name of the qualification.

Your learning may have involved research, written communication, practical work, using technology, analysing information or working with others.

Volunteering and Other Activities

Transferable skills are not limited to paid employment.

The National Careers Service recommends considering skills gained through daily life as well as education and work.

Relevant experience may therefore come from volunteering, community activities, caring responsibilities, projects, education or other activities you have undertaken.

Do not claim a skill merely because an activity sounds relevant. Identify what you actually did and what that demonstrates.

Build Your Personal Skills Inventory

Create a simple record like this:

This is a practical skills-inventory method, not an official National Careers Service form.

The purpose is to move from a vague statement such as “I have good people skills” to evidence that shows what you actually did.

Now Compare Your Skills With Real Jobs

This is where your skills inventory becomes useful.

The National Careers Service advises people to check job descriptions and its career profiles to understand the skills needed for jobs they are interested in. Its career profiles provide information about what different roles involve, including qualifications, daily tasks and progression opportunities.

Choose a job you are considering and compare its requirements with your inventory.

Ask:

Which requirements can I already demonstrate?

Which skills are directly transferable?

Which requirements are different from my previous work?

Which qualifications or technical skills would I still need?

This last question is important.

Transferable skills can help you move towards a different occupation, but they do not automatically replace a qualification, licence, technical skill or other requirement where the vacancy requires one.

Use the National Careers Service Skills Assessment

The National Careers Service has a Discover your skills and careers assessment.

It asks questions about things you like to do or are good at and then provides career suggestions for you to compare. The current assessment contains 40 multiple-choice questions and normally takes around 5 to 10 minutes, although it can take longer with a screen reader.

The assessment does not establish that a particular career is suitable for you.

The National Careers Service describes the results as career suggestions to compare. You should therefore use the results as one piece of information alongside your actual experience, skills, interests and the requirements of real jobs.

You can also speak to a National Careers Service adviser for careers information, advice and guidance.

The Current UK Labour Market: Why Evidence Matters

The latest ONS labour-market release, published on 15 September 2026, estimated 702,000 vacancies in the UK for June to August 2026. This was the lowest estimated vacancy level since February to April 2021. The same release reported 2.5 unemployed people per vacancy for May to July 2026. ONS states that its labour-market estimates contain uncertainty and are subject to revision.

These are national figures. They do not tell you whether a particular occupation, employer or local area has vacancies.

They do, however, provide current context for why identifying the jobs that genuinely match your skills is a useful part of a disciplined job search.

Do Not Undersell Experience Gained During Unemployment

Being unemployed does not mean that nothing useful has happened during that period.

The National Careers Service specifically advises people with employment gaps to focus on transferable skills gained during the gap and what they have learned from the experience. It gives examples such as volunteering and completing courses.

That does not mean presenting every activity as professional experience.

It means identifying genuine skills and being accurate about where and how you developed them.

Your Practical Next Step

Today, create your own Personal Skills Inventory.

Write down:

1. Five things I have done in previous work or education.
2. Five things I have done during any period away from employment that involved useful activity or learning.
3. The skill demonstrated by each activity.
4. The evidence that proves I used that skill.

Then choose one career profile from the National Careers Service and compare your inventory with the skills, tasks and entry requirements shown for that occupation.

You are not trying to prove that you qualify for the job.

You are trying to establish something more useful:

Which of my existing skills genuinely transfer, which requirements do I already meet, and what would I still need to develop?

That is how previous experience can become evidence for your next employment move.

Official Resources

National Careers Service — Understand and develop your skills: guidance on identifying skills gained through work, education and daily life.

National Careers Service — Discover your skills and careers: current skills assessment and career suggestions.

National Careers Service — Explore careers: career profiles covering job duties, qualifications, salary and progression information.

National Careers Service — Redundancy and dealing with losing your job: specific guidance on transferable skills when unemployed.

Scope note: The National Careers Service is the careers service for people living in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own careers services.

When you are looking for work, it is tempting to begin with a familiar job title.

You might search for “administrator”, “warehouse worker”, “care assistant”, “sales assistant” or another role you have done before. That can be useful, but it can also make your search narrower than it needs to be.

A better starting question can be:

What can I do, and which jobs could use those skills?

That small change can open up more realistic possibilities.

A Job Title Does Not Tell the Whole Story

A job title is only a label. Different employers can use the same title for roles with different duties, working environments and requirements.

Your previous experience may also have given you skills that are useful in other occupations.

For example, experience dealing with customers may have involved communication, problem-solving, handling information and managing difficult situations. Those abilities may be relevant to more than one type of job.

The important point is not to assume that one previous job automatically qualifies you for another. You still need to check what the new role actually requires.

Start With What You Can Do

Take some time to write down the things you can genuinely do.

Think about:

• Skills – What are you good at doing?
• Experience – What have you done before, whether paid or unpaid?
• Interests – What types of work or subjects hold your attention?
• Working preferences – What type of environment and working arrangements are practical for you?
• Qualifications – What training, certificates or other qualifications do you already have?

You do not need to describe yourself in impressive language. Start with facts.

“Used a computer every day” is more useful than simply writing “good with technology”.

“Dealt with customer enquiries” tells you more than “good communication skills”.

The aim is to identify evidence you can later connect to real job requirements.

Use the National Careers Service Skills Assessment

The National Careers Service provides a free “Discover your skills and careers” assessment.

It asks questions about things you like to do or are good at, and uses your answers to identify what motivates you and suggest careers you can compare. The assessment currently contains 40 multiple-choice questions and takes about 5 to 10 minutes to complete, although it can take longer when using a screen reader.

That makes it a useful place to begin when you are unsure about the direction of your job search.

There are also National Careers Service career profiles for hundreds of occupations. These profiles provide information such as what the work involves, qualifications, salary, progression opportunities and typical tasks.

An Important Distinction

The assessment gives you career suggestions to compare. It does not establish that a particular career is suitable for you.

That distinction matters.

Your assessment result is one source of information. You still need to compare the suggested occupations with your actual skills, experience, circumstances and the requirements of the jobs available to you.

This is a supported inference from how the National Careers Service describes the tool: it is designed to help you understand yourself, consider your next step and compare career suggestions.

Compare Careers With the Reality of the Job

Once you have identified several possible roles, investigate them rather than choosing one immediately.

For each occupation, ask:

What does the job actually involve?

Read the National Careers Service profile and look at the daily tasks.

What skills are required?

Compare those requirements with the skills you have written down.

What qualifications or training are needed?

Check the entry requirements rather than assuming that previous experience will be enough.

Would the working arrangements suit my circumstances?

Think about location, working hours, travel and the nature of the workplace.

Are there vacancies for this type of work?

A career can sound attractive but still require further investigation before you make it your employment target.

The current UK labour market also gives reason to be deliberate. The latest Office for National Statistics release, published on 15 September 2026, estimated unemployment at 4.9% for May to July 2026 and around 702,000 vacancies for June to August 2026. These are UK-wide figures and do not indicate whether any particular occupation is suitable or available in your local area.

Look for More Than One Possible Role

You do not necessarily need one perfect career choice.

A more practical approach can be to identify two or three realistic job directions and investigate each one.

For instance, your experience might point towards several related roles rather than one exact job title.

This gives you room to compare the requirements, opportunities and practical realities before deciding where to concentrate your applications.

The purpose is not to apply for everything. It is to understand where your existing skills may have genuine value.

Your Location Matters

The National Careers Service is provided for people who live in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have separate publicly supported careers services.

In Scotland, My World of Work, provided by Skills Development Scotland, offers career information, job information and tools to explore roles based on skills, strengths and other factors.

In Wales, Careers Wales and Working Wales provide careers guidance, job-search support and tools for exploring careers and skills.

In Northern Ireland, the Careers Service provides impartial careers information, advice and guidance for adults, including help with career planning, transferable skills and job-search techniques.

So before using a careers service, check that you are using the service for the nation in which you live.

Your Practical Next Step

Take a sheet of paper and create four headings:

• What I can do
• What I have done
• What interests me
• Jobs that could use these skills

Then use the appropriate official careers service for where you live.

Complete the skills assessment where available. Choose two or three career profiles that appear relevant. Read them carefully and compare the actual requirements with your own evidence.

Do not ask only: “What job title do I recognise?”

Ask instead: “What can I realistically offer, and where could those skills be useful?”

That gives your job search a stronger starting point.

Official Resources

England: National Careers Service – Discover your skills and careers; Explore careers.

Scotland: My World of Work – career and job information from Skills Development Scotland.

Wales: Careers Wales / Working Wales – careers advice, skills and job-search support.

Northern Ireland: Careers Service – impartial careers information, advice and guidance.

Applying for job after job but hearing nothing back? You may not need to work harder. You may need to change your approach.

Job searching can become exhausting surprisingly quickly.

You find a vacancy. You update your CV. You write a covering letter. You click Apply and then wait.

Nothing.

So you apply for another job. Then another. After a few weeks, you may start asking yourself:

“Is there something wrong with me?”

Probably not.

The problem may be your job-search strategy, rather than your ability.

At Careers Springboard, we see professionals, managers and graduates at different stages of their careers. One thing comes up again and again: people often spend too much time applying and not enough time being visible, building relationships and targeting the right opportunities.

Here are some practical changes that can make a real difference.

1. Stop treating every vacancy as an opportunity

It is tempting to apply for anything that looks remotely suitable, particularly when you have been searching for work for some time.

But more applications do not automatically mean more interviews.

A better approach is to become clear about the roles you actually want.

Ask yourself:

• What type of role am I targeting?
• Which industries or organisations interest me?
• What level of responsibility am I looking for?
• Which skills do I want to use?
• What are my non-negotiables?
• What am I prepared to compromise on?

The clearer you are, the easier it becomes to recognise a good opportunity and explain to someone else why you are a good fit.

2. Your CV should answer one question quickly

When someone looks at your CV, they should not have to work out what you can offer.

Your CV is not your complete career history. It is a marketing document designed to get you into the next conversation.

Look at the vacancy and ask:

“What problem is this employer trying to solve?”

Then make sure your CV shows evidence that you can help solve it.

Instead of simply listing responsibilities, highlight achievements.

For example:

Instead of:

“Responsible for managing a team.”

Try:

“Led a team of 12 and improved project delivery times by 20%.”

The second version tells the reader what you actually achieved.

And remember: there is no single “perfect CV”. Your CV should be adapted to the role you are targeting.

Careers Springboard members can also access our free CV review service for individual feedback.

3. Don’t make LinkedIn a digital CV graveyard

Having a LinkedIn profile is not the same as using LinkedIn for your job search.

If your profile simply says what you did in your last job, you are missing opportunities.

Think about what you want people to associate with you.

What do you know about?

What problems can you solve?

What type of work are you interested in?

Then start behaving like someone who is active in that professional space.

Follow relevant companies. Connect with people in your sector. Comment thoughtfully on relevant posts. Share useful insights. Reconnect with former colleagues.

You don’t need to become a LinkedIn influencer.

You just need the right people to know who you are and what you do.

Careers Springboard has specifically run sessions on using LinkedIn proactively to uncover opportunities, approach recruiters and increase professional visibility.

4. Networking isn’t asking people for a job

This is one of the biggest misconceptions about networking.

You don’t have to walk into a conversation saying:

“Can you get me a job?”

In fact, that’s rarely the best approach.

Instead, start conversations.

Tell people what type of work you are exploring. Ask about their industry. Find out what is happening in their organisation. Ask for advice or insight.

A conversation today may lead to an introduction tomorrow or an opportunity several months later.

And networking doesn’t have to mean attending a formal networking event.

It can be:

• reconnecting with a former colleague
• speaking to someone you know through your professional network
• attending an industry event
• joining a professional association
• participating in a LinkedIn discussion
• having a coffee with someone whose career interests you

Careers Springboard recently highlighted networking as a practical way of accessing opportunities that may never appear on job boards.

5. Don’t ignore the jobs you can’t see

Job boards are useful. They should not be your entire job search.

The UK government’s Find a Job service remains one useful source of vacancies, while the National Careers Service recommends combining job boards with vacancy alerts and other approaches.

But also think beyond advertised vacancies.

Make a list of 10–20 organisations where you would genuinely like to work.

Research them.

Follow them.

Identify people who work there.

Understand what is happening in their industry.

Then start building relationships.

This changes your approach from:

“What jobs are available?”

to:

“Where could I create value?”

That is a much more proactive way to approach your career.

6. Use AI but don’t let it replace you

AI can be extremely useful during a job search.

It can help you:

• analyse a job description
• identify skills and keywords
• brainstorm interview questions
• practise answers
• improve the structure of a CV
• research an industry
• prepare questions for an interview

But there is an important difference between using AI to improve your thinking and letting AI do your thinking.

A generic AI-generated CV can sound polished while saying very little about the real person behind it.

Your experience, judgement, personality and achievements are what make you interesting to an employer.

Use AI as a tool.

Don’t allow it to turn you into one.

Careers Springboard has already included AI and career development in its webinar programme, reflecting how relevant the technology has become to today’s job search.

7. If you’re getting interviews but no offers, change the question

If you are regularly getting interviews but not receiving offers, your CV may not be the main problem.

Look at what happens after you get shortlisted.

Are your answers too long?

Are you giving examples rather than making general statements?

Are you answering the question that was asked?

Can you clearly explain why you want the role?

Can you demonstrate the impact you have made in previous positions?

And perhaps most importantly:

Are you practising?

An interview is not the best place to have your first attempt at explaining your experience.

A mock interview gives you an opportunity to practise, receive feedback and identify where you can improve.

Careers Springboard provides free mock interview support for members, including practice based around the role they are applying for.

8. Don’t measure your job search only by applications

This is a small change that can have a big effect on your mindset.

Instead of measuring your week by:

“I applied for 15 jobs.”

Try measuring:

• meaningful conversations started
• new professional connections made
• companies researched
• networking conversations completed
• applications carefully tailored
• interviews practised
• new skills developed
• feedback received

A good job search is not simply an application-production line.

It is a process of learning, improving and becoming more visible.

9. Build a job-search routine you can actually sustain

Looking for work can easily become a full-time activity with no boundaries.

You spend the morning searching job boards.

Then you check LinkedIn.

Then email.

Then another job board.

Before you know it, the day has disappeared.

Instead, create structure.

For example:

Monday: identify target roles and organisations
Tuesday: applications and CV tailoring
Wednesday: networking and LinkedIn
Thursday: interview preparation and skills development
Friday: follow-ups, review and planning

Your exact routine will depend on your circumstances.

The important thing is to have one.

And don’t forget to take breaks.

A sustainable job search is more effective than burning yourself out for two weeks and then struggling to do anything.

10. Don’t do it completely alone

Perhaps the most important lesson is this:

You don’t have to figure everything out by yourself.

A job search can affect your confidence, motivation and sense of direction particularly when applications disappear into a black hole and rejection starts to feel personal.

Talking to other people can help you see things differently.

At Careers Springboard, our approach is based on self-help and mutual support. Members can access Monday evening webinars, networking, CV advice, coaching, LinkedIn support and interview practice.

You don’t have to be an expert at networking.

You don’t have to have the perfect CV.

You don’t have to know exactly what your next career move is.

You just need to be willing to take the next step.

The 30-minute job-search reset

If your job search feels stuck, don’t start by sending another application.

Take 30 minutes and answer these five questions:

1. What roles am I really targeting?
2. What are the three strongest things I can offer an employer?
3. Does my CV clearly demonstrate those strengths?
4. Who could I reconnect with this week?
5. What is one thing I can improve before my next interview?

Your answers will probably tell you more than another hour scrolling through job boards.

One final thought

Finding a job is rarely a straight line.

Sometimes the opportunity comes from an application.

Sometimes it comes from a former colleague.

Sometimes it starts with a LinkedIn conversation.

Sometimes it comes after an interview that you didn’t get but which taught you exactly what to improve next time.

So if your job search isn’t working right now, don’t automatically conclude that you aren’t working.

Change the strategy.

Review what you are doing. Keep what works. Drop what doesn’t. Ask for feedback. Talk to people. Keep learning.

And keep moving.

Need some support with your job search?

Careers Springboard is a registered charity providing free job-search support for professionals, managers and graduates. Members can access webinars, CV reviews, career coaching, LinkedIn support, mock interviews and other resources.

If you’re looking for work, considering a career change or simply unsure what your next step should be, register with Careers Springboard and take that next step with us.

September often feels like a fresh start.

Summer is over, routines return, businesses get moving again and many people start thinking seriously about what they want to achieve before the end of the year.

If you have been looking for work for several weeks or months, this could be the perfect time to stop, step back and ask an important question:

Is your job search actually working or are you simply doing more of the same?

The UK jobs market has been challenging, but recent recruitment data is showing some cautious signs of improvement. That does not mean finding a job has suddenly become easy. It means there may be opportunities but you need to make sure your approach is working for you.

More applications don’t always mean better results

It is tempting to measure your job search by the number of applications you send.

“I applied for ten jobs this week.”

But applications are only one part of the process.

If you are sending dozens of applications but receiving very few responses, it may be time to look at the quality and direction of your search.

Ask yourself:

• Am I applying for roles that genuinely match my experience?
• Is my CV clearly showing the value I can bring?
• Am I tailoring my application to each role?
• Is my LinkedIn profile supporting my job search?
• Am I speaking to people in my target industry?
• Am I following up with recruiters and contacts?
• Am I practising for interviews before they happen?

A strong job search is not just about applying more. It is about becoming easier for the right employer to find, understand and remember.

Give your CV a September MOT

Your CV should not be a historical record of everything you have ever done.

It should make it easy for an employer to see why you could be right for this particular role.

The National Careers Service recommends keeping a CV clear and concise and tailoring it to the job you are applying for.

Take 30 minutes this week and review:

Your opening profile: Does it immediately explain what you do and what you offer?

Your achievements: Are you describing results rather than simply listing responsibilities?

Your recent experience: Is the most relevant information easy to find?

Your keywords: Does your CV reflect the skills and terminology used in the roles you want?

Your outdated content: Is there information that no longer adds value?

Sometimes a few strategic changes can make a bigger difference than sending another 20 applications.

Don’t let LinkedIn sit quietly in the background

Your LinkedIn profile should work alongside your CV.
Think beyond simply having a completed profile.
Who do you want to be noticed by?
Recruiters? Hiring managers? Former colleagues? People working in your target companies?
Start engaging with the people and organisations relevant to your career direction. Comment thoughtfully. Share useful insights. Reconnect with people you already know.

You don’t need to become a social-media influencer.

You simply need to become visible and credible to the right people.

Spend more time talking to people

Some opportunities begin with a conversation rather than an application.

That could be:

• a former colleague
• a recruiter
• someone working in your target company
• a professional contact
• someone you meet through a networking event
• a person you have not spoken to for several years

Networking does not mean asking everyone you know for a job.

It means building genuine professional relationships.

A simple message such as:

“I’m exploring my next move in operations and would really value hearing how things are changing in your sector.”

can be far more natural than:

“Do you know of any jobs?”

Prepare before the interview arrives

If you have reached the interview stage but repeatedly miss out, don’t wait for the next rejection to tell you what went wrong.

Practise.

Think about the examples you could use to demonstrate:

• leadership
• problem solving
• teamwork
• dealing with difficult situations
• delivering results
• adapting to change
• learning something new

And prepare questions for the interviewer.

An interview is not simply an examination. It is also your opportunity to understand whether the organisation and role are right for you.

Your September reset

You don’t need to completely rebuild your career strategy overnight.

Start with five actions:

1. Review your last 10 applications. | Look for patterns. 

2. Refresh your CV. | Make your achievements and relevant skills clearer. 

3. Review LinkedIn. | Make sure it reflects the professional direction you want to pursue. 

4. Reconnect with five people. | Have genuine conversations rather than simply asking for vacancies. 

5. Practise your interview story. | Be ready to explain who you are, what you offer and what you are looking for. 

Most importantly, don’t confuse activity with progress.

A job search can become exhausting when every day feels like another application.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is pause, review your approach and change direction.

You don’t have to do it alone

 At Careers Springboard, we know that job searching can feel very different when you have people around you who understand what you are going through.

 Our free member support includes CV reviews, LinkedIn support, interview practice, career coaching, networking and practical job-search guidance.

If September feels like the right time for a fresh start, make your next move a more strategic one.