How to Find the Right Role, Not Just the First One That Comes Along

Entering the job market, whether by choice or circumstance, can feel overwhelming. Securing your next position is one of the most important steps in your career, yet many candidates limit themselves to browsing a handful of online listings and hoping for the best.

You will almost certainly find a job. But will it be the right job? Will it be the best opportunity available to you?

To maximise your chances, you need a structured, proactive approach. Below is a refined checklist to help you start strong and position yourself for success.

🔍 Optimise Your Online Presence

Your digital footprint is often the first impression employers see.

• Review all social media profiles, not just LinkedIn.
• Remove or privatise anything unprofessional (e.g., party photos, controversial posts).
• Use a clean, professional, passport‑style photo on LinkedIn. Avoid family photos or overly formal images.

A polished online presence builds trust and reinforces your credibility.

📄 Prepare a High‑Impact CV

Your CV is your marketing tool. Make it count.

• Keep it to two pages maximum.
• Focus on the last five years, that’s where employers look first.
• Tailor it to each role you apply for.
• Run thorough spell and grammar checks.
• Ask a reputable headhunter or recruiter to review it.

A strong CV increases your chances of being shortlisted and taken seriously.

🤝 Work With Trusted Recruiters

If you’re not already connected with recruitment or search consultants, now is the time.

• Choose one or two reputable consultants you trust.
• Avoid having your CV circulated without your consent.
• Insist that no employer is approached on your behalf without your approval.

Quality consultants can open doors that job boards cannot.

📁 Use CV Banks Carefully

Many job boards offer CV databases where employers can find you. However, if you’re currently employed, proceed with caution:

• Your employer may see your CV.
• Some consultants may submit your CV without permission.
• Mistakes happen and CVs have been sent to current employers in error.

Choose reputable job boards that protect your privacy and work only with vetted recruiters.

🌐 Search Online, But Search Smart

Online job searching is essential, but not exhaustive.

• Job titles vary:
  - Store Manager vs. Branch Manager
  - Area Manager vs. District Manager
  
  Consider alternative titles to broaden your results.
  
• Use industry‑specific job boards for more relevant roles.
  - Retail: retailappointment.co.uk
  - Hospitality: hospitalityappointment.co.uk
  
  Generic job boards have volume, but niche boards have precision. Most employers advertise on both, so covering both bases is key.

WHERE TO LOOK

So, you’ve taken the plunge, you decided to move on, or perhaps the decision has been forced upon you. You now have to plan how to get your next role. This is probably one of the most important tasks in your life and yet so many people just scout around a few adverts online, look at a few papers and hope for the best.

Oh, you’ll probably get a job, but will it be the right one? Moreover, is it the best that you could have got?

Don’t sell yourself short. If you’re in the job market then make sure you’ve done everything possible to get the right job.

Here is a short checklist to start you on your way. You would be well advised to look at all the pages in this career advice section but, for starters, let’s go through the basics.

Check your social media profiles. Not just Linkedin, but all of them. If there are pictures of you online looking absolutely hammered at last year’s Christmas party, get rid of them. Or, at least make sure they are private. Your Linkedin profile picture should be a passport style picture. Make it a good one if you can. Don’t put up the picture of you and the kids, and definitely not the one of you in full evening dress. Your family might think you look great. Potential employers will cringe.

Have you got your CV ready? Take care over this. There is a full guide in this section (click here) but the main points are:

• Almost certainly, it should be no longer that two pages.
• It is the last five years in which the employers are interested.
• Is it relevant to the jobs to which you are applying?
• Have you spell and grammar checked it? (This is important)
• Get a headhunter to look it over it for you.

Are you in touch with any recruitment/search consultants? If not, you should be. But, don’t over do it. The last thing you want is your CV being brandished all over the place. Pick one or two you can trust and insist that they do not approach any employer without agreeing it with you first. There are some highly professional recruitment consultants out there. Unfortunately, there are also plenty at the other extreme. All the consultant firms on this job board are highly reputable.

CV BANKS

Many job boards have CV banks where you can place your CV and wait for employers to approach you. Be very careful of these if you are still in work. It is entirely likely that your current employer would see it. Shockingly, there are some unscrupulous consultants who will take your CV and submit you to clients without your knowledge, and it is not unknown for them to send it to your own employer in error. The Retail Appointment’s CV bank does not allow clients to see their own employees and only sells space to a very limited number of highly reputable consultancies.

SEARCHING ONLINE

This is the big one. But it is not all encompassing. The way the internet search engines work is not as thorough as you may think. Generic job titles like Store Manager and Area Manager will be found, but some companies call their people by different titles. They might refer to Store Managers as Branch Managers, and Area Managers as District Managers. Consider alternative titles.

Go to industry specific job boards rather than to the generics. Obviously, retailappointment.co.uk for retail, but there are other job boards for hospitality such as Incatering.com. The generic jobs boards have thousands of jobs but so many will be irrelevant. Most employers will choose both generic and a niche (industry specific) job board.

THE DIRECT APPROACH

Think about who you want to work for and consider approaching them directly.

If you’re interested in working with ABC plc and have not seen any adverts, have a look at the careers section on their website. Just because there isn’t the right role there for you, there is no harm in writing in directly. Or, consider visiting one of their sites and talk to the local managers about potential opportunities. Remember, more jobs change hands through word of mouth and through agents and consultants, than those that are advertised.

More than anything else, write down your plan, get a checklist and then tick the items off. This is a very important task, so do everything you can to get it right.