Soliciting for work in the UK

Head of the Careers Clinic, Eoghan McDermott, gives advice to a JOE.ie reader who wants to work in the UK.

Hi Eoghan,

I’m an out-of-work solicitor, who’s now looking for work in the UK. Have you got any advice for me?

Damien, Newbridge

Hi Damien,

First off, you should treat the job hunt like it’s a full-time job. Get up at the same time as you would if you were working, break your day up into tasks, arrange meetings, research, start writing letters and CVs and begin to prepare for the interview.

The first thing to do is find someone who has worked over there and ask them lots of questions. They may have contacts in law firms over there and give you their details. Get actual introductions to senior people if at all possible. Meet with your colleagues from your old firm. In America this is called staying “plugged-in”. This will keep you in touch with people in the industry and keep you top of the mind if any jobs come up.

You should get in contact with a recruitment company over there and start sending your cover letter and CV out to some companies. Be sure to have them tailored specifically to the company that you’re applying to. You should also start preparing for the interview now because when the call comes, you want to be ready to go straight away.

When people go to far flung places like China or Singapore they tend to do a great deal of research on the place. By virtue of the distance and the difference in cultures they feel it’s important to do it. When moving to places closer, the amount of  research reduces. It shouldn’t . For example you should begin to read English newspapers, read up on the law in the UK (even though it’s similar to Irish law, it’s still different) and figure out things like – how your tax is going to work because when you arrive you want to hit the ground running.

One final thing. Before you go anywhere you should have a job lined up and ready to go because it’s a hell of a lot easier sitting in Dublin unemployed than London.

If you have a question about your job or career that Eoghan could help you with, why not email JOE at [email protected]?

Eoghan McDermott is Head of The Careers Clinic in The Communications Clinic and is the author of The Career Doctor- How to Get and Keep the Job You Want.

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