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To get a job, decide which roles you are aiming for, shape your CV for those roles, look for openings in several places (company career pages, job boards, people you know and recruiters), apply to jobs that genuinely fit, follow up, and practise for interviews out loud. Track every application so you can see what is working and change what is not.
How to Get a Job, Step by Step
Decide which roles you are aiming for
Pick two or three job titles that match your skills and the level you want. A clear target makes every other step easier: your CV, your searches and your answers in interviews all point the same way. If you are changing careers, choose roles where your past work still counts.
Fix your CV for those roles
Lead with the experience that matters most for the roles you chose, use the words those job ads use, and show results rather than duties. Keep it honest and easy for software and people to read. Our guides on writing an ATS-friendly resume and which skills to list walk through it, and the free ATS score checker shows what to improve.
Look for openings in more than one place
Check company career pages for employers you like, search job boards with filters for role and location, ask people you know, and talk to recruiters who place your kind of role. Many roles are filled through people and direct outreach before or instead of a public ad. See the hidden job market for how to reach them.
Apply to jobs that fit
Read each ad, check you meet most of what it asks, and match your CV to it using only what is true. A smaller number of well-matched applications usually does better than a large number of generic ones. Our guide on how to apply for jobs covers each step, and how many jobs to apply for a day helps you set a pace you can keep.
Follow up
If you hear nothing after a week or two, a short, polite follow-up to the recruiter or hiring manager can bring your application back to the top. Ask once, then move on. See how long it takes to hear back.
Prepare for interviews
Research the company, prepare stories for the common questions, and practise saying them out loud. Practising under realistic conditions is what turns knowing your answers into giving them well. Start with how to prepare for an interview.
Track everything
Record each job, where you applied, the CV you sent, and every reply. Tracking shows which sources and CV versions get responses, so you can do more of what works. Use our job application template or read how to track job applications.
Where to Find Jobs
| Source | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Company career pages | Apply directly on the employer’s own site | Employers you already want to work for |
| Job boards | Search many openings with filters for role, location and salary | Seeing what is out there and spotting patterns |
| Referrals and networking | Former colleagues, friends and contacts recommend you or pass on roles | Getting noticed, and roles that are never advertised |
| Recruiters | Agency or in-house recruiters match you to roles they are filling | Specialist roles and industries that use agencies |
| Auto apply tools | Set your roles and answers once; the tool finds jobs and applies | Keeping a steady pace without filling in every form |
Ready to put this into practice?
Practise your interview →How to Get a Job Fast
Nobody can promise a timeframe, because it depends on your field, your level, the time of year and how many employers are hiring. What you can control is how quickly you move from one step to the next. These habits help:
- Widen your target slightly. Include closely related titles and nearby locations or remote roles, so more openings fit.
- Apply early. Set up job alerts and apply to good matches soon after they are posted, while the employer is still reviewing.
- Use your network first. Tell people you are looking and what you want. A referral often gets a faster reply than an online application.
- Have your materials ready. A strong base CV, a short cover letter you can adapt, and saved answers to common application questions cut the time each application takes.
- Be ready to interview at short notice. Practise your answers before the invitations arrive, not after.
For more ideas, see our job search tips. If you have little or no work history, read how to get a job with no experience.
A Job Search Strategy: Your Weekly Routine
Search and shortlist
Set aside regular time to check your alerts, career pages and boards. Save the roles that genuinely fit to a shortlist rather than applying to everything at once.
Apply to your shortlist
Tailor your CV and answers for each role on the list. Quality matters more than speed here, so keep the pace steady and sustainable.
Reach out to people
Contact a few people each week: former colleagues, people at companies you like, or recruiters in your field. Ask for advice or a conversation, not just a job.
Follow up and update your tracker
Send follow-ups that are due, record replies, and note which applications led to interviews.
Practise and improve
Practise interview answers out loud and adjust your CV based on what is getting responses. If nothing is getting replies, change the CV or the target roles before applying more.
Ready to put this into practice?
Practise your interview →Common Job Search Mistakes
Sending the same CV everywhere
A generic CV rarely matches what a specific job asks for. Adjust it for each role, using only what is true.
Applying to everything
Applying to roles you don’t fit uses up time and confidence. Focus on jobs where you meet most of the requirements.
Relying on one source
Job boards are only part of the market. Combine them with career pages, people you know and recruiters.
Not keeping track
Without a record you can’t follow up properly or see what is working. A simple spreadsheet is enough.
Leaving interview practice until the invitation arrives
Interviews often come at short notice. Practise your answers early so you are ready when they do.
Giving up on a working approach too soon
Responses can take weeks. Change your approach based on evidence from your tracker, not on a quiet few days.
How MockIF Helps You Get a Job
MockIF’s AI mock interviews are built from your CV and the job description. The AI interviewer asks questions out loud, in voice or avatar mode, follows up when an answer stays vague, and scores each answer on clarity, confidence and relevance, so you know what to work on before the real interview.
MockIF Auto Apply finds jobs that fit your CV in the countries you choose and applies on employers’ own job sites with the answers you gave. When it meets a question it can’t answer, it asks you. On Plus and Pro your CV is matched to each job using only what is already on it. Replies land in your MockIF Inbox, and you get a daily report.
It is free to start, and these free tools help too: the ATS score checker, the STAR answer builder and Resume-JD Match.
Frequently Asked Questions
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