Applying for a job in the UK

Start with the big job sites and create alerts according to your field and area: Indeed, Reed, Totaljobs and LinkedIn, and for the public sector Civil Service Jobs, NHS Jobs and others, and for university jobs jobs.ac.uk, and for charity jobs Charityjob.

• Ask recruitment agencies (Adecco, Hays, Randstad and Robert Half) to help you, and they are free for the jobseeker because the employer pays them.
• Ask your acquaintances since many jobs are filled by recommendation.
• And organise your LinkedIn profile and take part in networking events.
• And the Jobcentre Plus offers free help and coaches for jobseekers.
• Avoid jobs asking you to pay money or promising exaggerated wages.
• And you may be asked to fill an optional diversity form (equality monitoring) that does not affect the decision.

The British CV is written briefly in one or two pages, without a photo, age, marital status or nationality (not expected to be mentioned).

• It includes: name and details (phone, email and city), a personal statement of three lines, work experience in reverse chronological order (most recent first) with specific achievements with numbers, education and qualifications, skills (languages and programs), and optional information (volunteering).
• Write in simple language and positive verbs (managed, led, improved).
• Tailor the CV to each job with the keywords in the advert since many companies use automated screening systems (ATS).
• Check spelling mistakes carefully.
• And if your qualifications are from outside Britain mention their equivalent via UK ENIC, and send the file as a PDF.
• And update the CV constantly and start with what matters to the reader.

The cover letter is one page explaining why you suit this particular job: begin by naming the job and how you learned of it, then two paragraphs linking your experience to the advert's requirements with examples, then finish with enthusiasm and expressing readiness for interview, and sign Yours sincerely if you named the addressee or Yours faithfully if you said Dear Sir/Madam.

• Do not copy the same letter for all jobs.
• And in online application forms answer the (competency-based) questions with examples in the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action and Result.
• Apply before the closing date, and check the required documents.
• And keep a copy of every application.
• And if you do not get a reply after two weeks send a polite follow-up message.
• And record in a spreadsheet what you applied for.

Before you start the job the employer must verify the right to work by asking you for documents: a passport with a visa or BRP, or a share code from an eVisa account via GOV.UK, or a British or Irish ID document, and he may verify via a digital service.

• Do not work without a legal right to work, since you and the employer may be penalised, and your visa is threatened.
• Check what your visa allows: full-time work or limited hours (such as students), and with a licensed sponsor employer or not.
• And references are requested, that is references from a previous employer or a professor, so ask permission of those you name in advance.
• And a DBS check of criminal record may be run for some professions (education, care and health).
• And in government jobs they may request security vetting and a specific nationality.

If you have no British experience start with entry jobs such as retail, hospitality, cleaning and warehousing or via temporary agencies, then climb.

• Volunteering gives you experience, references and a network, and traineeships and apprenticeships combine work and study.
• The National Careers Service offers free career advice and CV checking, and ESOL centres improve your language.
• As for scams: beware of adverts asking for recruitment fees or your bank account number or passport copies before a real offer, or offering work from home at a high wage.
• A real agency does not charge you money.
• And some bodies may request the National Insurance (NI) number after appointment only.
• And report fraud to Action Fraud.

How many pages is a British CV?