Autumn is traditionally a time of change and transition; the summer holidays are over and everyone is back at their desks and ready for action. This means plenty of meetings and lots of new assignments making it the most fruitful time of the year for people looking for their next big career move. Here, Daniel Clifton from Paramount Recruitment explains our 5 golden rules to make sure candidates get the best opportunities the market has to offer:

Know what you want

Why wait until 31 December to decide what you really want out of life and work? Perhaps you dream of finding a job that gives you a better work/life balance, flexible working, career progression, a more attractive package or an office closer to home? With so many vacancies at this time of year and a real demand for talent you are in the driving seat, and you could find a role that offers everything you want and more. Dream big!

Be quick

Throughout September/October, recruitment is very fast-paced and it’s easy for candidates to miss out. To be in with a chance of being considered for the best opportunities, you need to be quick off the mark and this means finding out about vacancies as they go live. How do you find the latest jobs? Bear in mind googling jobs in your industry won’t always give you the same calibre of current vacancies a specialist recruiter would.

Keep an open mind

You might see an advert for a job and think ‘it’s not for me’ because the company isn’t selling itself particularly well or it doesn’t mention something that is important to you, like being able to work from home. It might even say that the job requires 5 years’ experience and you only have 3 years. However, it may still be a golden opportunity for you!

Before you decide whether to apply or not, keep an open mind and ask some questions. Companies are much more flexible in their demands when there is a lot of competition for good candidates, so it may not be a problem that you don’t meet their criteria to the letter and they may be willing to negotiate on terms.

Be organised

Looking for a new job can be quite time consuming, particularly when the number of roles you are interested in reaches double digits! There’s the updating of your CV, writing your cover letter, researching the company, sending over any questions, interview prep plus salary and terms negotiations… the list goes on.

This is when a specialist recruiter can really come into their own as they can help narrow down your options so you can concentrate on the ones which best suit you and where you have the best chance of success.  They can also provide you with insight into the company you are interviewing for, a detailed understanding of the person they are looking for and provide support throughout the whole process.

Seal the deal

You’ve aced the interview and the company wants to hire you – but perhaps the offer on the table is not what you had hoped for or maybe you have other terms you’d like to negotiate, like working from home a day a week. This is where the expertise of an experienced recruiter is invaluable as they can ask all the questions you don’t feel comfortable asking and negotiate a deal that works for you and your new employer.  Clear communication between all parties is key to ensuring this part of the process runs smoothly.

Autumn at Paramount Recruitment can be pretty manic, as the phone rings off the hook with great new opportunities particularly for professionals working in med comms and market access. With a feast of opportunities for career-hungry candidates, there really is no better time to kick off your job hunt. Send us your CV today or call +44 (0)121 616 3460 or email to speak to our specialist consultant.