Tips on searching Jobs in London

This is a question we get asked a lot from jobseekers, who are either newly skilled IT individuals, moving to London to start a new life and job seekers looking for a change in direction.

Dependant on the qualifications gained, time served and experience in an IT position, will greatly affect how you should approach looking for work.

Make a list of IT jobs you would like to do, that closely match your experience and qualifications, put them in an order of your abilities to carry out the job rolls you are interested in.

If you are new to the IT industry and don’t yet have the skill-sets or experience, you will need to find an internship, or think about applying for junior rolls, enabling you to grow and hone your skills.

Employers like to know what an employee can bring to the party, it’s important to show time served within the industry, including experience in a similar position.

Put together a CV, make it short and to the point, no more than 2 pages, showing skills, qualifications and experience. Write a short and interesting summary about yourself, what you are looking for and any hobbies or interests.

Don’t make your CV to long, although an employer requires information, its specific information they are looking for related to the position they need to fill, they receive many CV’s and don’t have the time to carefully sift through every page. Providing you have provided enough information for the position, other questions that require answers will be asked during a face to face, or phone interview.

If you're looking for an IT job in London or the surrounding area, search the local papers such as, Metro, City am, Evening standard and some of the local London rags. Check out the online London IT agencies that advertise jobs specifically within London, then register with several specialists IT recruitment agencies. When registering with an IT recruitment agency in London, make sure to upload a polished accurate and up to date CV, if possible add a recent image of yourself, hair combed, smart and clean with a smile.

For those who don’t yet live in the City, applying for London jobs will require travel to and from for interviews, it’s not uncommon to be requested to attend 2 or even 3 interviews, depending on the position offered.

Many employees will request and expect the successful candidate to live within an easy commute of the City. Although at this time due to Covid-19 many IT jobs are currently being carried out from home through online systems.

Can you afford to Work in London

If you’re an IT professional with previous experience under your belt, chances are the pay rates will cover any extra cost of city living! Be aware if your new to the IT industry and looking for work, the wages offered may not cover the costs of living in London, or the cost of travel into the City, although many companies do offer an allowance called London waiting, this can vary. The recommended amount to cover London living needs to be around £7500 per year for inner London and approximately £6000 for outer London.

For those of you who have been offered IT positions in the City, but do not currently live in London, it may be a worthwhile strategy to stay with a friend, rent temporary accommodation, maybe even an Air BNB, until you are sure it’s the right job for you, and you intend to stay. No one wants to be landed with a 6 month rental deposit only to find they have rushed into something which won't last.