How do you job-hunt and apply for jobs strategically?

[PerfectParisian]

Feeling really stuck.

Any tips on how to apply for jobs and find jobs, and to stay motivated throughout the whole process?

Tailor each CV to meet the job application requirements.

Keep applying.

Use an agency

Make sure you re do your cv for every job you apply - a lot of people just have 1 cv and use that but really don't.
Look up people on LinkedIn who do the jobs you want to do and see what they are saying about themselves - you don't need to copy but are you saying some of those things in your cv and covering letters?
Pick out key words or phrases in job adverts and make sure they are included in your cv, some initial sifts are done by computers so you need to make it past that first hurdle.

Having to tailor your CV is so fucking annoying.

My CV is a list of my skills, experience and expertise, as well as my soft skills and attributes.

Either it's experience that works for you or it isn't. Why should I have to adapt my CV each time I know it's about drawing out and focusing on different skills and experience, but really. Employers shouldn't be so precious, especially when they're producing such generic job descriptions. They should also be selling why I should work for them.

My tipsy tuppence.

boak, I hope you are in an employee's market. Employers will only skim the CV and probably make up their mind within a minute or two. If your CV don't bring out your relevant attributes and experience within that time, the CV goes in the bin.

For more senior level jobs, candidates are more experienced and have a wider range of skills. Hence it is important not to tailor the CV to the job otherwise things get lost in it.

OP, a trick is to read the job spec for the list of experience and attributes and use the same words or equivalent. For example, if the job spec mentions 'attention to detail', then either use those words or 'detailed-orientated' in your CV and interview. Viola, you would be what the employer is looking for.

I do somewhat agree with @Boakboak I only have 1 really well written cv and have got numerous interviews with it- it's the interview stage I let myself down or not being able to work weekends

Why should I have to adapt my CV each time

Why do you think? Maybe because employers receive sometimes hundred of CVs, and the best way to short list is to pick up the ones matching the job requirement? It also show that you are genuinely interested by the role (even if frankly you are not).

Also.. . many recruitment agencies tend to use softwares to go through the batch of CVs. If yours is missing key words, it won't even be looked at. Simple.

For more senior level jobs (...) is important not to tailor the CV to the job otherwise things get lost in it. Not if you do it correctly! That's a terrible advice! Tayloring does not mean deleting most of your CV, it means highlighting your most relevant experience! It's very possible that your current job is not the best match for the job your are applying for, but the one before that was. Highlight the previous one, but don't delete your current one on your CV!

No one reads a 10 pages CV, as senior and experienced as you are, you still need to summarie

Don't waste time by applying for things that you don't want to do/aren't suitable for, as rejection is demoralising but you didn't want the job anyway.

Explore contacts, nepotism is alive and well although often quite discrete these days! You will still likely need to apply and interview, but companies value a recommendation, it will give you an edge over equal but unknown candidates.

Consider talking to a recruitment agency if you're not sure what you are suitable for, as they will have an idea of which clients your skills will match with.

Don't be afraid to ask early on what the salary range is, no point applying if it's a non-starter for you financially. Likewise ask what the recruitment process involves and the anticipated timeline is so you know what to expect.

Find out if there is any interview guidance available. I had a government job interview, for which there was loads of information available to internal candidates, but not externals. It might be worth asking if they can share what they have. In my case it defined what they meant by certain 'competencies' which I interpreted differently at the time of interview (having not seen the guidance until after I got the job).

Keep at it, and good luck.

For more senior level jobs (...) is important not to tailor the CV to the job otherwise things get lost in it

coddiwomble, I believe we are on the same page. Just noticed a stray not in my sentence above, which unfortunately changed the entire sentence.