Where and how to look for jobs

The way you apply for a job is just as important as any other step during your search for employment.

Where to look for jobs:
www.gumtree.co.za
www.jobs4u.co.za
www.bestjobs.co.za
www.jobmail.co.za
www.ioljobs.co.za
www.pnet.co.za
www.vottle.com

You should also contact Employment/Recruitment Agencies. But when you contact an agency be sure to tell them whether you are looking for permanent or temporary work. To find a list of recruitment agencies you can either Google them or you can look them up in your local listings. A recruitment agency will help you tremendously, so start making appointments.

Always keep the following in mind:

Read the advert carefully; see what the requirements are, what the salary is and how you should apply, some say phone, email or fax. And if they say only fax a 2 page CV, make sure you only fax a 2 page CV.

When there is a phone number, phone them! You need to be polite and professional. Make sure there is no noise in the background; make sure you have enough airtime so you don’t get cut off.


Always keep a pen and paper in your bag or near you, so when a company does phone with information for an interview, you have something to write on.

Remember to always sound professional and polite, but at the same time be friendly, you don’t want the caller to feel comfortable talking to you, keep in mind they have many people that they interview, you want to stand out from the rest. Always answer your phone politely, you never know when it’s going to be a company contacting you for an interview.

If possible, go onto the internet and try do some research about the company, what they do, how they do it and why. (If you know more about the company you can see if you are interested in working there, and this will also impress the interviewer).

A lot of the jobs you apply for you will never give you feedback, don’t take it personally, companies are extremely busy, and don’t have the time to call each applicant back.

When phoning:
“Good day, how are you? ….(person responds)… I’m good thank you,
I wonder if you could assist me, I have come across an advert in the newspaper (or on the internet) in respect of the position for Receptionist, I am interested in applying, how can I go about it?” (the person will tell you what to do, make a note of it) and end the call by saying “Thank you very much for your time, have a lovely day”.

· NEVER say “I’m phoning in connection with the job advert”!! This sounds very unprofessional.



Once you have faxed your CV through, phone them to confirm if they received it: “Good day, I’m Sara Majoki, I have just faxed my 2 page CV, can you please confirm if you received it”

When you are Job Hunting and applying for many jobs at once, keep track of which ones you have applied for, so when the company phones you back you don’t have to say you don’t remember what position or salary it is for.

When a company phones you back to arrange an interview, get the following information:
· The company name
· The person who will interview you
· The contact details
· The company address