{"id":6175,"date":"2025-08-29T08:47:20","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T07:47:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=6175"},"modified":"2025-08-11T12:55:38","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T11:55:38","slug":"job-seeking-navigation-pack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=6175","title":{"rendered":"Find your way in job seeking"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Looking for work and need help? This job seeking pack brings together the resources you need to achieve your goals.<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/YCPG.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-8084 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/YCPG-204x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"184\" height=\"271\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/YCPG-204x300.png 204w, https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/YCPG.png 553w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 184px) 100vw, 184px\" \/><\/a>1. Map out your journey<\/h3>\n<p>Every journey starts with a single step, but it\u2019s good to know where you\u2019re heading. Before diving straight into applications, take time to review where you are currently and where you want to get to. <a href=\"https:\/\/help.open.ac.uk\/your-career-planning-guide-booklet?cid=ces_cn-9707029367\">Your Career Planning Guide<\/a> is a great place to start.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Schedule regular career planning time into your routine.<\/li>\n<li>Start with the &#8216;Know yourself&#8217; section of the guide to develop your self-awareness and take a clear view of your career and life.<\/li>\n<li>Move on to section 2 &#8216;Exploring possibilities&#8217;, which helps you to plan your strategy and learn about the wide range of opportunities available to you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3>2. Get to know your terrain<\/h3>\n<p>Discover the labour market and find roles that match your passions and skills.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/compass.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-8124\" src=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/compass-300x259.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"220\" height=\"190\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/compass-300x259.png 300w, https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/compass-768x662.png 768w, https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/compass.png 890w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 220px) 100vw, 220px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Find out what\u2019s happening in the work sectors you\u2019re interested in; use our <a href=\"https:\/\/help.open.ac.uk\/research-labour-market\/labour-market-information\">Labour Market Information (LMI) pages<\/a> and look online for news on the websites of professional bodies and associations.<\/li>\n<li>Identify sources and develop strategies using our <a href=\"https:\/\/help.open.ac.uk\/job-seeking\/sources-and-strategies\">job seeking pages<\/a> which link to regional websites to find options wherever you are.<\/li>\n<li>Search regularly for new opportunities posted in <a href=\"https:\/\/help.open.ac.uk\/opportunityhub?cid=ces_cn-9707029367\">OpportunityHub,<\/a> the OU\u2019s exclusive portal for graduate jobs, internships and other opportunities. Employers want to meet you, so follow organisations you\u2019re interested in.<\/li>\n<li>Start <a href=\"https:\/\/help.open.ac.uk\/networking?cid=ces_cn-9707029367\">networking<\/a> using LinkedIn, social media and online and in-person events.<\/li>\n<li>Watch our webinars on <a href=\"https:\/\/learn1.open.ac.uk\/course\/view.php?id=100172&amp;cmid=22560\">How to network and use social media for your career<\/a>. By speaking to people within your chosen sector, you may find that opportunities start to come to you.<\/li>\n<li>Job seeking takes time and patience. Learn how to be agile in your plans with the free OpenLearn course <a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.edu\/openlearn\/money-business\/developing-career-resilience\/content-section-overview?active-tab=description-tab?cid=ces_cn-9707029367\">Developing career resilience<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3>3. Arrive successfully at your destination with a winning application<\/h3>\n<p>Employers value OU students for their skills from previous experience, as well as from study, and you are no exception. Make sure you know your transferrable skills, understand their relevance to the specific role you\u2019re applying for \u2013 and spell this out in your application.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Success-2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8102 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Success-2-300x284.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"239\" height=\"226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Success-2-300x284.png 300w, https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Success-2-768x726.png 768w, https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Success-2.png 825w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 239px) 100vw, 239px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Refresh your CV and make your transferrable skills shine. Section 4.6 of Your Career Planning Guide has lots of tips and you can <a href=\"https:\/\/help.open.ac.uk\/creating-and-reviewing-your-cv-with-abintegro?cid=ces_cn-9707029367\">build and review your CV using CV360<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Gain confidence in evidencing your skills and experience against the job criteria using our <a href=\"https:\/\/help.open.ac.uk\/presenting-your-skills-when-applying-for-jobs?cid=ces_cn-9707029367\">Presenting your skills when applying for jobs<\/a> page.<\/li>\n<li>Discover the <a href=\"https:\/\/help.open.ac.uk\/using-star-technique-in-a-job-interview?cid=ces_cn-9707029367\">STAR technique <\/a>and practice your <a href=\"https:\/\/help.open.ac.uk\/preparing-for-a-job-interview?cid=ces_cn-9707029367\">interview skills<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Be prepared for whatever the recruitment process throws at you, including <a href=\"https:\/\/help.open.ac.uk\/psychometric-and-aptitude-tests\/types-of-tests\">psychometric and aptitude tests<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/help.open.ac.uk\/recruitment-assessment-centres\/what-is-an-assessment-centre\">assessment centres<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>If you have a disability or health condition, see our <a href=\"https:\/\/help.open.ac.uk\/explaining-a-disability-when-applying-for-jobs?cid=ces_cn-9707029367\">Explaining a disability page<\/a> for advice on discussing reasonable adjustments with potential employers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Good luck with your job search and applications. Remember <a href=\"https:\/\/help.open.ac.uk\/browse\/careers\">Careers and Employability Services<\/a> are here to support you throughout your student journey and for three years after you qualify.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ou-box ou-box--info\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-7109\" src=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/JE-STEMA-wall-wordpress-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"89\" height=\"90\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/JE-STEMA-wall-wordpress-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/JE-STEMA-wall-wordpress-296x300.jpg 296w, https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/JE-STEMA-wall-wordpress-1011x1024.jpg 1011w, https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/JE-STEMA-wall-wordpress-768x778.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/JE-STEMA-wall-wordpress-1516x1536.jpg 1516w, https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/JE-STEMA-wall-wordpress-2022x2048.jpg 2022w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 89px) 100vw, 89px\" \/><em>Julie Emery is a Development Coordinator in the OU\u2019s Careers and Employability Services. She supports careers-related activity both within the service and across the University, helping students to achieve their ambitions and fulfil their potential. Explore the rest of our blog for more articles from your careers team.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Looking for work and need help? This job seeking pack brings together the resources you need to achieve your goals. 1. Map out your journey Every journey starts with a single step, but it\u2019s good to know where you\u2019re heading. Before diving straight into applications, take time to review where you are currently and where [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,56,69,61],"tags":[86,99],"class_list":["post-6175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cv","category-graduate","category-interviews","category-jobs","tag-career-planning","tag-job-searching"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6175"}],"version-history":[{"count":49,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6175\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8248,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6175\/revisions\/8248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}