1. Put yourself on a cool online job site. We really like Jobfact! for two main reasons: 1) it’s anonymous so you can put your whole CV up there and be offered jobs without anyone (particularly your current boss) knowing it’s you, and 2) you could make money from it. Sign up to Jobfact! and then refer friends to jobs. If they get those jobs then you get £100 a time. Brilliant!
2. List your skills. Sometimes we don’t go for jobs because we only think in terms of the specific job description we’ve been doing for a while. However, if you list all the things you actually do in your job and possibly elsewhere, such as your skills as a parent or a fund-raiser for your favourite charity, you will realise just how many skills you use on a daily basis. This will  help you fill your CV with all your relevant skills, and increase your range of job choices.
3. Get online help with your CV. There are loads of places you can go online to get help writing a killer CV. The BBC website’s CV help is a good place to start, as is the Government’s Directgov website. In fact, if you just Google ‘CV writing’ pages of sites with CV tips will come up – you’ll be spoilt for choice. There are even sites with CV templates, CV samples and examples of bad CV formats. You can find CV ‘how to’ guides all over but remember to take more notice of the British ones than the plethora of American sites giving CV help as there are differences in approach, and British employers can find the US CV style a bit irritating.
4. Get work while you wait. Still can’t get that Head of Marketing job? Keep yourself going by babysitting in the local area, doing some waitressing or helping neighbours with DIY. Get your skills out in the cyberverse by putting yourself on the free website Jobsgrapevine. Also check out Gumtree to see if there are some little earners you could get involved in while you’re waiting. If you’re stuck for ideas, check out our Make Money section for loads of ways to make cash on the side. This is also really important for your finances, your skill set and your self esteem.
5. Think outside the box. This isn’t as scary as it sounds. Think about other jobs you could do with your skills (see point 2) and think about other routes to find them (see other points below). A lot of the best jobs aren’t advertised in the usual papers and magazines, they tend to be put out there through word-of-mouth or even created by people looking for a job. Can you see an opening for yourself in a company? Maybe they need to be told that they need you. Come up with a good argument for why they need you and get in touch with whoever hires and fires there. Don’t just apply for the same old job in the same old way!
6. Get extra skills for free. There are lots of free courses you can take online, from learning languages to tech skills. The BBC website has plenty of free online language courses including French, Spanish, Greek and even Japanese. Our article on how to boost your job prospects for free has links to all sorts of free courses in everything from healthcare to technology. Apart from the new skill itself, learning extra little bits shows that you’re adaptable and up-to-date – just what your new employer is looking for.
7. Get extra skills at a price. It could be that you’re not getting jobs because your qualifications aren’t strong enough. If you have the money, this could be a good time to get new qualifications: you could consider going back to college or university, or taking out a Career Development Loan to help finance an evening class or training course.

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8. Use quality paper and envelopes. Yes, the majority of job applications now are done online, but it’s a good idea to send your CV by snail-mail too to make yourself stand out from the crowd. As an added extra, use really good-quality paper in cream or off-white to make it stand out from other paper applications. (Wacky and florescent colours are probably best avoided!)
9. Create your own job. Who says you need to work for one company anyway? Maybe you could be a ‘consultant’ or freelance worker for various outlets. Why not create your own job: work out what companies need in your area of expertise and then tout yourself about. You will have more freedom and variety and it might be something you can do from home too. Get some ideas from our Make Money section on how to set yourself up in business.
10. Go for quantity. Once you’ve got the basics right (a good CV, proper spelling and covering letter etc) it’s a numbers game. Write off to as many job offers as you see. If you’re doing it by email it’s not going to cost you anything and you never know. However, you will up your chances by a mile if you make your application relevant to the job (see point 28 below).
11. Put a P.S. on your covering letter. It seems to work for the marketing people and, if you think about it, we tend to take more notice of the P.S. than the body of a letter. Think up something witty, apposite or just plain useful and put it in your P.S. You might be surprised at the response!
12. Watch your spelling and grammar. Seriously, you would be amazed at the number of people who don’t spellcheck their CVs or covering letters. It’s even better to get a clever friend to go over them before sending them out to check for errors. Another pair of eyes makes a huge difference. It’s particularly important when you’re applying for very popular jobs as you will instantly be rejected just because you got the spelling wrong or an apostrophe in the wrong place. Similarly, and very importantly, make sure you spell correctly the name of the person you are applying to. Getting that wrong will also get you instantly rejected.
13. Research pay rates for the job you want. Go to Jobfact! and you can find out what you should be being paid for the job you have now and for the job you want. You should have an idea of what to expect, so you will know if an offer is a good one or not.
14. Register with a temp agency while you’re waiting. There are lots of temporary job agencies around and, again, it’s a numbers game – sign up with several temp jobs agencies and you have a greater chance of landing some work. Also, make sure you phone them regularly to see if they have work. Don’t wait for them to call you.
15. Get help with your interview skills. Get a friend, ideally one who hires people, to give you a mock interview or two. Get them to be very honest about how you come across and what you could do better. Also, see the great interview tips on Directgov. If you improve your interview technique you can definitely increase your chances of getting a job.
16. Film it! Got someone to give you a mock interview? Great. To get even more out of the experience, if you have a camcorder (or even a video phone) it can be really useful for someone to film you during the interview. You’ll see for yourself exactly how you come across when you watch it back (hopefully not through your fingers!) You’ll become aware of your own physical and verbal tics and so learn to counter them. (We all have them – but being aware of them will make you stop saying “Ummm” so much, or automatically looking down when you’re nervous.) You’ll be surprised at how much and how quickly this will help you improve how you present yourself to others in high pressure social situations. For some jobs it’s also handy to do a video CV for yourself – those in the technology sector are often more interested in video applications than simple written ones.
17. Learn not to take rejection personally. Hey, it’s business. Not everyone can get that job. Pretty much everyone’s been rejected for some job at some time. The more you can brush off rejection (of every kind) the quicker you will get on in life and the happier you will be generally.
18. Network. We can’t stress too much just how important it is to network. Far, far more jobs are picked up through personal contacts and personal recommendations than through job ads. You could even ignore the ads for a while and just spend your time doing business networking. So get out to business networking evenings (try your local business associations and chambers of commerce if you don’t know where to start) and look on all social occasions as possible networking opportunities. If you’re open enough then anywhere from the gym to the pub can present networking opportunities.

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19. Network online. Social and business networking sites are increasingly the way to get work now. Make sure you join LinkedIn, link up with lots of people and check out the jobs section every day. Go on to Twitter (follow me at @Jasmine and follow Moneymagpie at @Moneymagpie) and follow useful people in your sphere. Let it be known that you’re available and post tweets that are fun and useful so that you get followed and retweeted a lot. Do the same on Facebook – build up your network and ask about opportunities (become a fan of ours too). If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
20. Make use of friends and family. Networking isn’t just limited to business contacts or those you meet at official events. If you think of all your friends and family – and all the people that they, in turn, know – the chances are that you have gained a decent pool of contacts without even trying. All you need to do is let them know that you’re looking – because beyond your immediate family, they’re unlikely to know you’re searching. If they know you’re on the lookout, they might prove to be very useful indeed. You never know, your cousin’s friend might have just the opportunity you’ve been looking for…
21. Set up your own ’side’ business at home while you’re waiting. Make the most of the downtime – set up your own business on the side. It’s something you could get on with now and then keep going when you get a job just to bring in some extra cash.
22. Be willing to travel to work. Yes it’s a nuisance to spend half an hour or more in the train or in the car but the more flexible you are, the more jobs you can access.
23. Be willing to move country. OK, it’s a big shift but given the state of our economy, there are going to be lots of people looking to do the same thing for a few years – especially new graduates who can’t find positions in the UK. Teaching English is always a popular option but if you’ve got skills and ambition you can set yourself up almost anywhere. Check out the plethora of jobs abroad sites on Google. It’s amazing what’s out there. Also, if you would like to just go off for a short time, check out Gap Year for Adults which has ideas for jobs, travel and general fun on a year off abroad. Working abroad could be the best thing you’ve ever done!
24. Set up your own blog and write about your area of work. OK, it’s a long-term project but it’s free to blog (go to Blogger.com to set up your blog in minutes for nothing), it gets your creative juices going, you can write what you like and people searching for information in your field could come across it through the blogosphere. It’s all part of getting yourself out there! It can also be a great thing to show off to potential employers, as it demonstrates your enthusiasm for working in that particular industry. We have a number of bloggers on Moneymagpie and it’s a popular section of the site.
25. Volunteer. If you have time on your hands, use it for good – and get yourself out of the house – by becoming a local volunteer. You could work for a charity or visit elderly people or help at a local school. Whatever you do you will be getting out there, keeping busy, and learning new skills and networking. You never know who you might meet and who could point you in the direction of a job. Also, it will do wonders for your CV.
26. Apply for jobs you’re overqualified for. Check job vacancies that might be beneath you. For a start, you could get the job which would be a way in to other jobs later on. Also, you may find that the person receiving your CV needs to fill another slot that is not advertised yet. This could be the one for you.
27. Apply for jobs above your current level. Don’t feel limited by most recent job you have had. If you see job vacancies that would be a bit of a promotion for you, apply for them. Why not? You may be more qualified than you think.
28. Do internships. Even if you’ve been in employment for some time, doing an internship can be a great way of learning new skills and switching your job. Don’t allow yourself to become slave labour, of course, but do get the most training out of it that you can. Also, spend your time networking with people in the office. Have a look at the Government’s Graduate Talent Pool website for opportunities, or think about contacting companies directly to see if they have opportunities.
29. Customise your CV and covering letter. Sounds obvious but if you are sending out hundreds of applications it’s understandable that you would want to send the same one all the time. However, if you can customise your CV a bit, and certainly make sure that your covering letter is fully customised to the job advert, you will greatly increase your chances of getting a great job.

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30. Get a routine and keep to it. If you’re stuck at home and the only thing in your life is your CV and covering letter, give yourself a break. Get a daily routine and treat getting a job as your job – for the time being at least, it is your job. Having said that, don’t get stale. Give yourself time to relax and socialise, and take the chance to maybe do a bit of volunteering or temporary work. All these things will keep life varied, keep you sane, enhance your CV and give you the chance to network with others.
31. Check out local free sheets and websites. You just never know. They may be small and look insignificant but it’s worth a quick scan here and there for a juicy job that’s just down the road. Local sites tend to advertise local jobs and local papers certainly have a lot of local jobs in them, so check them out.
32. Get a part-time job. If you’re waiting for a long time for a proper, full-time job, you can at least stave off debt by getting a part-time job in the meantime. It could be anything – working in a bar, doing the school run for local parents, dog-walking or working in a shop. Look through the print ads and online for the latest part-time work oppotunities. It could be that it will keep your CV fresh, make you more employable and still give you time to continue to hunt for the job of your dreams.
33. Get the name of the individual you should write to directly. It really helps to go direct to the person hiring. Somehow it’s more personal and, generally, more successful. But, make sure you spell their name correctly. If you don’t, you’re toast.
34. Write articles about what you work in. If you can, write articles for magazines for your area of work. It will get you noticed and give you something to show prospective employers. It could even create job vacancies for you.
35. Share your contacts with other job-seekers. What goes around comes around. By sharing your contacts with friends who are looking you will be helping yourself as they are more likely to do the same to you. It’s also good for the soul to give rather than concentrate on your own life all the time!
36. Spend free time sorting other aspects of your life. Get that bathroom painted; sort out your cupboards and drawers and sell your junk on eBay or a car boot sale; get your filing properly sorted and switch all your bills to cheaper providers. This is time that can be used really well and you will be SO pleased once you get a job that you got all those niggly jobs out of the way first.
37. Join your trade union or trade association. This is another type of networking. It’s also possible that some jobs will only be advertised through union contacts. Going to union meetings can also be a really focused way of networking.
38. Teach what you know. If you can’t get a job for the moment, look into teaching it at adult evening classes or even at a college or university. Even if you get a full-time job later you could keep the teaching going in the evenings.
39. Keep a record. You can lose touch with who you’ve applied to, who you’ve spoken to and what stage you’re at with various applications. Keep a record if you can – perhaps a computer spreadsheet or just a list on the back of an envelope to remind you which jobs you’ve already applied for, so that you don’t double up.
40. Follow up on job applications by phone. If you possibly can, try to speak to the person you are applying to. Don’t be a nuisance but just ask politely if they’ve received your application (they might not have – it could be caught in their spam filter). If they haven’t then you could offer to send it again by snail mail. If they have then offer to send more references or similar. It helps to show you’re professional on the phone.
41. Create a professional-looking email address to contact you. Somehow, Hotmail and Yahoo addresses just don’t look the part if you’re going for a professional job. Or if you do, make sure your e-mail is something like ‘Joe.bloggs@hotmail.com’, rather than something jokey like ‘misshotpants@hotmail.com’. It might have seemed amusing when you first signed up to the service, but it’s unlikely that your potential employer will see the funny side of your e-mail address…
42. Develop a businesslike phone manner. Essentially ‘be prepared for the call’. If you’ve put your mobile number on your CV (and we suggest you do) then you could get a call from a potential employer at any time. Make sure you answer the phone professionally unless you’re sure it’s your mum or your best friend. Any calls you’re unsure of, assume it’s important and answer brightly and positively.
43. Be positive… speaking of positively… it’s easy to feel down when you’ve sent out hundreds of applications and been knocked back over and over. Remember, persistence wins the prize and we tend to get in life what we expect. Expect the best and that’s what you’re likely to get. However, keep an open mind too. If you’re getting rejected all the time it could be that your CV or your application letter or your interview approach need work. Go through these with friends and/or professionals and make them work for you rather than against you. There’s no harm in asking for feedback as to why you were rejected either. Don’t be pushy – many employers might be too busy or they had too many applications to answer back – but some will probably give you feedback, which is always useful.
44. Watch what you put on social media sites. We’ve all heard of people being sacked from their jobs or simply not getting the job they want because they’ve slagged off the company. Also, if you say on your CV that you are ‘hard-working, dedicated to your job and professional’ then your Facebook page has nothing but pictures of you off your face at party after party, half-naked in the street, this could scupper your chances. Prospective employers are increasingly checking profiles on social networking sites so clean yours up now! (Or at least, make sure your privacy settings are set accordingly).
45. Dress to impress. You don’t have to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe (in fact we recommend that you spend no more than you absolutely have to while you’re out of work) but do make sure you look smart and clean when you go to an interview. There are lots of ways of getting cool clothes for next to nothing, as we show in this article on cheap designer clothes. Don’t look like you’re trying too hard but do look like you care about your appearance and about the company.
46. Make sure your qualifications are up-to-date. Now is exactly the right time to check that the qualifications you say you have in your CV are still up-to-date. Do you need a new CRB check? Is your First Aid current? Are you sure of your knowledge of the mortgage market or the latest legal rulings your field of corporate law? If you can afford it, now is a very good time to take the latest courses and exams to keep up.
47. Get a job-seeking buddy. As with dieting and getting out of debt it can really help to have someone with whom to search for work. You can look over each other’s CVs, help each other with interview skills and generally encourage each other. Make sure you’re with someone positive, though. Getting together with someone who constantly expects to fail is going to do you no favours.
48. Search for jobs with odd spellings. When you’re looking for jobs online, try odd spellings to find jobs that are hidden because they’re written wrongly (that happens a lot). So if you’re looking for ‘Personal Assistant’ for example, try ‘Personal Asistant’ or ‘Personelle Assistant’ or even ‘Pursonal Assistant’. You’d be surprised how many ads are typed in badly. The advantage of that is that these ads won’t have been seen by many others so you will have a head-start on them.
49. Remember to sell yourself. Modesty is an attractive trait, but a job application isn’t the time for it. You’re selling yourself to someone else, and they’re highly unlikely to be aware of all the things you’ve done and achieved. So make sure they know about it – or they’ll never find out just how good a fit you were for the job! Make sure you don’t brag or boast of course – but there’s nothing wrong with painting yourself in the best possible light you can. It’s what a job application and an interview are there for – to give you the opportunity to shine!
50. Don’t give up. It’s far too easy to give up, particularly if you live in an area where there’s lots of unemployment and your friends have given up hope. Go find more positive people (they’re probably the ones who are getting the work anyway) and hang out with them instead. Also, refuse to accept defeat yourself. Keep going – it’s the ones who persist, persist and persist that win in the end.

Has this been useful? Have you got any tips and tricks to earn extra cash on the side? Get over to our money making forum and let everyone know what you’re up to.