This guide will help you find job vacancies in Coventry and Warwickshire.

Starting point

Before you start job-hunting you will need to think about and answer the following questions:

• What type of work are you hoping to find?
• Do you have the relevant skills/experience?
• Do you want full-time or part-time work?
• How flexible are you? Would you consider temporary or part-time work?
• How far are you willing to travel to work?

Where to look for vacancies

Jobcentre Plus offices carry vacancies for all types of work.

Coventry:
Coventry Contact Centre. Tel: 0845 602 0265
Coventry Cofa Court Jobcentre Plus, Cofa Court, Cheylesmore. Tel: 024 7623 2200
Coventry Tile Hill Jobcentre Plus, Torrington Avenue, Tile Hill. Tel: 024 7623 2200

Warwickshire:
Atherstone Jobcentre Plus, 120 Long Street . Tel: 01827 473 200
Bedworth Jobcentre Plus, 12 High Street. Tel: 024 7681 5700
Leamington Spa Jobcentre Plus, Brandon House, Holly Walk, Leamington Spa. Tel: 01926 302 600
Nuneaton Jobcentre Plus, Mill House, Mill Walk. Tel: 024 7681 8000
Rugby Jobcentre Plus, 22 Albert Street, Rugby. Tel: 01788 534 000
Stratford-upon-Avon Jobcentre Plus, Martin Raff House, Alcester Road, Stratford-upon-Avon. Tel: 01789 303 830

Local advice agencies and libraries will be able to provide you with information to help with your job search. They provide access to newspapers and other resources for job-seeking and often provide access to the internet for job search.

To find out where you can go in your local area ring nextstep Coventry and Warwickshire on 0800 9 17 18 18.

Newspapers

The following newspapers advertise job vacancies.

The main days for job advertisements are listed below although some of the papers carry vacancies all week.

Birmingham Evening Mail - Thursday
Coventry Times - Friday
Coventry Telegraph - Thursday
Leamington/Warwick Courier - Friday
Leicester Mercury - Thursday
Northampton Chronicle and Echo - Thursday
Nuneaton Tribune - Thursday
Stratford Herald - Thursday
Tamworth/Atherstone Herald – Thursday

Copies of local and national newspapers can be found in your local library.

Free jobs newspapers such as JOBS front are available from major supermarkets.

National newspapers also advertise vacancies. These tend to be the broadsheets and the advertisements are usually for professional, executive and senior jobs. These papers usually feature certain types of jobs on different days of the week, for example, The Guardian features media jobs on Mondays, education on Tuesdays, public and social sector on Wednesdays and IT on Thursdays.

Specialist newspapers/trade magazines
Most professions have a magazine/journal for the industry. Many of these can be found in central libraries.

You can also use the internet to look for trade institutions or associations. These may advertise vacancies or provide links to specialist employment agencies dealing with a specific kind of work.

Websites

Listed below are some useful websites for job hunters:

Newspapers online:
Birmingham Evening Mail - www.icbirmingham.co.uk
Coventry Telegraph - www.iccoventry.co.uk
Leamington Courier - www.leamingtonspatoday.co.uk
Leicester Mercury - www.leicestermercury.co.uk
Northampton Chronicle & Echo - www.northamptontoday.co.uk
Financial Times - www.ft.com
The Guardian – www.jobs.guardian.co.uk
The Independent - www.independent.co.uk
The Telegraph - www.jobs.telegraph.co.uk
The Times - www.timesonline.co.uk
The Times Educational Supplement - www.tes.co.uk
The Times Higher Educational Supplement - www.thes.co.uk

Local authority websites:
Birmingham City Council - www.birmingham.gov.uk
Coventry City Council - www.coventry.gov.uk
Leicestershire County Council - www.leicestershire.gov.uk
North Warwickshire Borough Council - www.northwarks.gov.uk
Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council - www.nuneatonandbedworth.gov.uk
Rugby Borough Council - www.rugby.gov.uk
Stratford on Avon District Council - www.stratford.gov.uk
Staffordshire County Council - www.staffordshire.gov.uk
Warwick District Council - www.warwickdc.gov.uk
Warwickshire County Council - www.warwickshire.gov.uk
Public Sector and Not for Profit jobs - www.jobsgopublic.com

Other job websites:
Direct Gov - click on employment - www.direct.gov.uk
Fish4Jobs - www.fish4jobs.co.uk
Total Jobs - www.totaljobs.com
Adset provides links to 35 vacancy websites - click on Links, followed by Vacancies - www.adset.org.uk

Sector specific job vacancy websites:
The websites listed below will help you look for jobs in a particular sector, but there are many more out there.

Administration, Business and Office Work - www.lgjobs.com
Building and construction - www.jobsinconstruction.co.uk - www.careersinconstruction.com
Catering and Hospitality - www.caterer.com
www.hcareers.co.uk
Computers and IT - www.computingcareers.co.uk
Design, Arts & Crafts - www.artsprofessional.co.uk
www.thestage.co.uk
Education and Training - www.tes.co.uk
Engineering - www.theengineer.co.uk
Environment, Plants and Animals - www.environmentjob.co.uk
www.countryside-jobs.com
Financial Services - www.efinancialcareers.co.uk
www.onlineinsurancejobs.co.uk
Healthcare jobs - www.jobs.nhs.uk
www.jobsinhealth.co.uk
Languages and Information - www.lisjobnet.com
www.blis.org.uk/jobs_Search.aspx
Leisure, Sport and Tourism jobs - www.ispal.org.uk
www.travelweekly.co.uk
www.leisurejobs.com
Manufacturing and Productions jobs - www.jimfinder.com
www.manufacturingjobs.co.uk
Marketing, Advertising and Media jobs - www.marketingweek.co.uk
www.broadcastnow.co.uk
Retail, Sales and Customer Service jobs - www.jobsinretail.co.uk
www.inretail.co.uk
Science, Mathematics and Statistics jobs - www.newscientistjobs.com
www.math-jobs.com/uk/
Social Work and Care jobs - www.communitycare.co.uk
www.charityjob.co.uk
Transport and logistics - www.careersinlogistics.co.uk
www.jobs-in-transport.com

Employment trends

Remember to check out local labour market trends and future job opportunities. You may find these websites helpful:

www.nextstepcoventryandwarwickshire.gov.uk
This website contains information on employment trends in Coventry and Warwickshire.

www.tuc.org.uk/changingtimes/worktrends.htm
This website provides an overview of changing employment trends and links to reports.

www.statistics.gov.uk
The National Statistics website provides access to a range of data and reports.

Find out more about potential employers

The internet is a good source of information and many companies have a website, which may contain details of job vacancies as well as information about their business, service or products. Why not check the website of local companies you would like to work for? Most Central Libraries have books and databases of company information, so you could use these as a starting point for your search.

Registering to receive online vacancies

Many job vacancy websites allow you to register your details online which are then matched to job vacancies.

Some sites ask you complete a CV online. This can be done via an online questionnaire, or you may be asked to upload your CV as, for example, a Word document.

If you are asked to complete an online questionnaire you will usually be asked for:

• Personal details - such as name, address etc.
• Experience
• Employment history
• Key skills
• Type of work looking for

This information is added to a database that matches job seekers with employers and employers contact the individuals they are interested in.

Other sites may ask you to register your details so that you receive emails of job vacancies.

You usually have to complete a short form and you will be sent job details that match your criteria.

You can find these services on the following websites:

www.iccoventry.co.uk
www.jobs.guardian.co.uk
www.monster.co.uk
www.totaljobs.com

Setting up an email account

To register for vacancies online you will need an email address.

There a number of web-based email addresses that allow you to access your email from any internet connected computer in the world.

Here are some web-based email providers that you can register with, but there are a number of others available:

www.yahoo.co.uk/mail
www.hotmail.com

Many organisations now offer the opportunity to apply for jobs online. For more information see: Job seekers guides to Application forms and Curriculum Vitae.

Employment agencies

Registering with employment agencies is another way to look for work.

Employment agencies match job-seekers with employers' vacancies. They deal with people of all age groups who are both in and out of work. They do not charge job-seekers for registering or matching you to a vacancy and you can register with as many as you like.

Agencies fill both temporary and permanent vacancies at all skill levels. Some agencies specialise in specific areas of employment such as driving, catering or accountancy. Others offer a more general service.

There are numerous employment agencies throughout Coventry and Warwickshire that you could phone to see what vacancies they have on offer. You will find a list in the Yellow Pages under 'Employment Agencies'.

Some Employment Agencies have their own website on which they advertise vacancies or they may advertise on other job websites.

Speculative applications

Some vacancies are never advertised so you may need to contact employers to see if they have a suitable vacancy or a vacancy coming up in the near future.

You will need to send a CV and a covering letter introducing yourself and the skills you have to offer.

For more information see 'A job seekers guide to... Writing a Curriculum Vitae' and 'A job seekers guide to... Writing letters'.

You could also consider:

• Visiting an employer's premises to ask if there are any vacancies. Take your CV with you and leave a copy if there are no current vacancies
• Telephoning a company to see if they have any vacancies
• Looking on the websites of employers you are interested in working for they may advertise their vacancies here

In the community

You could also look in:

• Local shops often display postcards for job-seekers and employers advertising work
• Community centres may have display boards advertising jobs
• Libraries often hold details of local council vacancies
• Shops may also advertise their own vacancies in their windows

Word of mouth

Use your own contacts and ask friends, family or people you know from other work places, if they know of any vacancies in the company they work for. Ask for a contact name and send a speculative letter and CV. Follow up the letter with a phone call.

Need more help?

For further information please contact CHEERS or complete the enquiry form below.

Opening times
Monday - Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 2pm