THIS year marks 15 years of our Sunemployment campaign.
Launched in 2009 to help readers find work in the fallout from the global financial crisis, we’ve worked each week to support thousands of people back into meaningful employment.
And we’ve been first to champion careers, from degree apprenticeships and disability rights to Covid roles and pay gap reporting.
However, heading into 2025, there are worries that times could once again be tough in the jobs market.
Latest research from jobs platform Indeed shows a 24 per cent annual decline in UK vacancy postings.
Jack Kennedy, Senior Economist at Indeed, said: “Even if warnings of job losses don’t come to pass, job creation looks to be slower.”
Sir James Reed, CEO of Reed Group, warned: “There is every indication that it is going to get harder over the next 12 months.”
So what are the best ways to stand out in a difficult jobs market?
Here are the top tips from Sunemployment.
Looking for a start?
BREAK DOWN YOUR OWN CAREER BIASES: Consider the transferable skills you can take to a new job. To be effective in finding a fresh role, you will also need to be comfortable considering working in a new sector.
For example, carers make some of the best cabin crew staff, as they have customer service skills, empathy and first-aid experience.
Think outside of your career box. See which other industries will value what you offer.
GET YOUR CV SEEN: AI hiring and online application tracking can make it hard to know if a human has looked at your CV.
Studies show around 55 per cent of job hunters don’t hear back after applying.
To get around this, search for the hiring manager who is making the decision and get your CV directly to them.
Call the company, search online and work out the manager’s email format or see if there is a human recruiter who will take your call.
Extreme examples that have worked even include sending a CV in a birthday cake box.
Offer to do a short trial shift to try out the role for a few hours. Not all organisations will accept, but you’ll be seen as proactive.
While trial shifts are legal in the UK, longer-term unpaid work experience is not.
ASK FOR A REFERRAL: If you see someone on LinkedIn celebrating their new job and you’d like their old one, ask them to refer you. It can be surprisingly successful.
ASK FOR A JOB: If you want to work for a specific firm, approach them and ask for a job even if they don’t appear to be hiring. Managers will admire your initiative.
Fear losing your place?
WORRIED about being let go in a downturn? Here’s how to protect your position at work.
BE INVALUABLE: Aim to be the best you can be in your role and then add a little extra. What extra help does your team or boss need?
How can you help improve your team’s performance? Think of ways to be one per cent better than everyone else.
GET A COACH OR MENTOR: A mentor can help your career development by building contacts and offering advice, while a coach will challenge you to expand your thinking, which will unlock career answers.
Both are very helpful. If you work in a large firm, ask HR what they have available. If your company is small, look online.
CREATE YOUR OWN CAREER LADDER: You don’t have to follow a linear career path. Consider a “squiggly career” where you move to an entirely different department or position.
You could suggest a role that doesn’t exist yet, if you show how it will benefit the business.
UPSKILL BUT ALSO TEACH: Upskilling is set to be the buzzword for 2025, but it simply means adding extra skills to what you do.
See if you can help upskill others by teaching them. If you are young, offer to “reverse mentor” older staff in AI or social media.
NETWORK IN-WORK: Most people understand the need to network within an industry, but it’s important to network in your company too.
Get to know people in different parts of the business and build stronger links with suppliers and partner organisations. If you do lose your job, they could be vital in helping you to find a new one.
A role like no other
PRISON officer Neil Treadwell created his own career ladder by making the move from prison maintenance to his current frontline role.
He works at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes – and wants to encourage others to consider a job in the prison service.
Neil, 44, said: “If you want a career that’s rewarding and more fast-paced, I’d definitely recommend finding out more and applying.
“Even if you’re working in a completely different career, there are so many transferable skills that can be applied in the role of a prison officer.
“I joined the prison service because I wanted to do something that meant I could work with people, have a challenge and make a difference.
“I love trying to help to make a difference.
“I couldn’t just be opening and closing doors.
“For me, it’s about sitting down and having conversations with the prisoners to help and support them.”
Find out more about roles and current vacancies at HM Prison & Probabion Service at prisonandprobationjobs.gov.uk.
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In a rut? Change is afoot
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ARE you feeling excited about getting back to work after the Christmas and New Year period, or dreading it?
If it’s the latter, you could be stuck in what’s become known as a “Groundhog career”, where you are repeating the same work over and over.
Career futurist Dr David Oxley is co-author of book A Groundhog Career: A Tale Of Career Traps And How To Escape Them.
He said: “Are you in a profession of your choosing? Perhaps it’s just an accident, a series of unexamined choices you hardly remember making that have led you down a path to where you are today?”
He advises those who feel they have become stuck in a rut: “If you suspect you are repeating the same day over and over again, there is an alternative.
“The most powerful way to break free from a humdrum work routine is to find deeper meaning in your work.
“The secret to breaking free from the corporate hamster wheel is finding a compelling answer to the questions ‘Why am I doing this?’ and ‘What’s this all for?’
“Set yourself a new year’s resolution to find yours.”
Here he shares his six key motivations to finding a new and more fulfilling way to work in the new year.
1. CHANGE: To feel fulfilled in your career, many people will need to have a purpose, which could include fighting for change, righting a wrong or improving the world in some way.
2. LOVE: This could include providing for or serving other people and improving their lives.
3. CREATIVITY: The pursuit of artistic expression and beauty.
4. FELLOWSHIP: The discovery of a powerful emotional bond that makes you feel highly valued.
5. PROBLEM SOLVING: What it says on the tin, seeking solutions and answers to problems.
6. ADVENTURE: A sense of adventure and seeing how far you can go, whether that’s literally or metaphorically.
Ace an interview
IF you are looking for a new job in 2025, it will pay to be prepared for an interview.
The Metaview 2024 Year in Interview Trends Report analysed over one million of them across 2,000 global firms to uncover the top topics discussed.
Mentions about AI jumped 35 per cent in 2024, with many candidates proactively talking about the new tech. But mentions of diversity, equity, and inclusion fell 30 per cent.
Chat around company culture rose 40 per cent as firms now seek to hire staff who are the right fit.
Siadhal Magos, co-founder of Metaview, said: “Nowhere are the motivations and driving forces of today’s job market more laid bare than in conversations between interviewers and candidates.”
Ageism hits all
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IT’S not just older workers who suffer from age discrimination.
Nine in ten young people say they have experienced negative treatment in the workplace due to their age, up slightly from 88 per cent three years ago.
The most common issues include being undervalued, affecting 81 per cent of young people, while 78 per cent felt “patronised”.
A further 69 per cent said they have lost out on a promotion while three quarters believed they had been rejected from a job based on their age.
Lamin Tarawally, chair of the Youth Advisory Board at KFC, which carried out the research, said: “Young people today bring immense potential and fresh perspectives, yet age discrimination remains a significant barrier to employment.”
Jobspot
NEW year, new fitness boost – The Gym Group Academy is giving opportunities to 500 people nationwide to become qualified personal trainers. You can find out more at thegymgroup.com or tinyurl.com/bdhyjkw2.
IF you are looking for work in the retail sector, Home Bargains is hiring for more than 100 staff nationally, including team leaders and store team members. For details and to apply, see jobs.home.bargains/home.
