How to find a job after travelling.

Returning from travelling can be daunting – where do you start with getting back into the world of work? Or perhaps you went travelling straight after university, and now have figure out the challenge of the entry-level market.

Here are our top five tips for what to do when searching for a job after travelling….

1. Explain the gap in your employment history

It’s important to remember that no reasonable employer will ever turn you down because you went travelling. Seeing the world is so important. If you’ve been away for a substantial amount of time, do include this on your CV. Your employer may ask about the gap in your employment history, and it is better to address this straight away than stumble over yourself in an interview.

Make the most of your time away, as you would with any other experience you can easily demonstrate some essential transferable skills for employment:

Planning your route and budget gives you skills in time management, organisation and self discipline.

Travelling with other people gives you skills in team work, communication, listening and reliability.

Experiencing the world makes you culturally aware (and staying in hostels ensures you have a wealth of social skills).

Include any unusual qualifications that you may have gained, such as a diving award – this shows determination, and can make you stand out from the crowd.

You need to sell yourself to showcase all your experiences and skills. Before sending your CV to a recruitment agency or prospective employers ensure that your details are up to date and factually accurate (e.g. when you left your former employment / education).

2. Sign up for job alerts

Be proactive and sign up for lots of job alerts. Some sites send daily updates direct to your inbox. Yes, you may get lots of emails throughout the day, but use your time wisely and go through the various links in the messages. The links will provide details for job descriptions and person specifications, so make sure you look through them to see if you are a good match.

3. Be current

Keep your knowledge up to date, read to catch up on any significant changes in your area, and make sure you are aware of current trends within your chosen industry. Often in interviews you will be asked about the sector to test your awareness. Ensure you read leading publications as they provide the best and most relevant content. This is ideal to mention as part of any interview stage if you get the opportunity. Also, a top tip is to keep reading industry news throughout your career to make sure your knowledge is always up to scratch.

4. Keep your contacts updated

Remember the old saying ‘it’s not what you know…. it’s who you know?’ Keep this in mind when you are searching for employment. Utilise your contacts as much as possible and tell people that you are back in the UK, as you never know who is looking to recruit. Update your LinkedIn, increase your contacts, interact with them and make sure that your profile demonstrates that you are actively searching for work.

5.. And finally…be yourself

Make sure you come across well in your CV and when you’re seeking work. Your personality should shine through as well as your knowledge and experiences. Remember employers are looking for people to work for their company not robots!

Follow our top tips and we’re sure you will land that dream role. The job that’s going to provide enough money for you to see even more of the world during your annual leave from work! Good luck…