Unless you’re incredibly lucky, the perfect job opportunity is unlikely to land at your feet. To make sure you have the best chance of finding an employer, find out which companies have job vacancies and prepare to present your case! It’s always worth finding out as much as you can about the company you want to work for. It will also impress the company offering the job. Find out about the job vacancy and make sure you can match the skills that they are asking for. As a newly qualified or partly-qualified electrician, you may not have a wealth of work experience behind you to show off to your prospective employer, so make a list of all the jobs you have done in class, including any excellent work that you have been singled out for.

Make an effort to ask around to find out if there are any jobs available. Ask your friends and family and local electrical businesses. Let everyone know you're looking for work. Each person might tell somebody else, and they may tell somebody else and so on. The more people who know you are looking for work the more chance you have of being told about an unadvertised vacancy. And don't underestimate friends and family. Even if you think an aunty or uncle couldn't possibly have a useful contact in your area of work, they might surprise you. People come into contact with more people than you might think and a lot of people pick up jobs this way.

Use Yellow Pages or other business directories to get names and contact details of suitable employers. You can drop in to see employers personally or send them a letter. Seeing them in person may take more time and courage, but it gives you a higher chance of speaking with someone.

If after you have read through our web pages, you still feel you need further direction, then try contacting learndirect on 0800 100 900. You can visit their website at www.learndirect-advice.co.uk for tips and help on how to find a job.