Whether you are taking your first step into work, changing direction or returning after time away, the start of a job search can feel overwhelming. It becomes far more manageable when you break it into clear steps.
How to Get a Job walks you through each stage in order: working out what you offer, finding opportunities through job boards, your network and direct approaches, getting your CV ready and preparing for interview. It is for anyone looking for their next role, at any stage of their career.
It is practical throughout, with a job search checklist, advice on common questions such as 'Tell me about yourself' and a simple structure for examples that show what you did and what came of it.
What's inside
The guide follows a job search from start to finish, one practical step at a time.
- Work Out What You Actually Offer: How to describe your skills beyond your job title, set an ideal salary and a realistic minimum, and why you should not rule yourself out when you miss a box or two.
- Finding the Right Job: Why many opportunities come through people rather than adverts, how to approach your own network without overthinking it, and why reconnecting with former employers and referees early pays off.
- Go Beyond Job Boards: How to use LinkedIn and your own social channels to tell a wider circle you are looking, and how volunteering can build experience, trust and references.
- More Routes Into Work: Internships and apprenticeships, approaching employers directly and introducing yourself in person, plus a checklist to confirm you have covered every route.
- Mastering Your CV: Five rules for a CV that works: keep it up to date, be honest, mirror the employer's language where accurate, keep the layout clean and check it properly.
- Interviewing Like a Professional: What interviews are really for, why preparation is your biggest advantage, and the shift in mindset from needing the job to showing the value you add.
- Preparing Your Answers: How to talk about achievements without exaggerating, prepare honest explanations for gaps or short roles, and handle 'Tell me about yourself' and the weaknesses question.
- Showing Employers What They Need: The core skills most employers look for, a four-step structure for answering situational questions with real examples, and how to research the organisation and ask good questions.
- Final Thoughts: A short reminder that getting a job is about preparation, putting yourself in the right places and showing clearly what you offer, not about being perfect.
What the data says
Five figures from the guide on today's job market for candidates, each linked to its source.
- 84%: 84% of UK workers say they're open to a new opportunity, the highest Totaljobs has recorded. Source: Totaljobs Hiring Trends Update, 2026
- 66%: 66% of UK workers are passively open to moving (not applying but willing for the right offer); only 18% are active jobseekers. Source: Totaljobs Hiring Trends Update, 2026
- 77%: 77% of UK candidates say it's harder to get an interview than a year ago. Source: Totaljobs Hiring Trends Update, 2026
- 66%: Two in three (66%) UK candidates don't hear back beyond an automated acknowledgement when they apply. Source: Totaljobs Hiring Trends Update, 2026
- 92%: 92% of the 497 FM vacancies Maxwell Stephens advertised from 2023 to 2026 showed a salary figure, giving candidates pay clarity up front. Source: Maxwell Stephens analysis of 497 advertised vacancies, May 2023 – September 2026
Sources checked in September 2026. Maxwell Stephens figures are drawn from our own published vacancies and placement records.
See it in practice
Facilities Supervisor Recruitment for CBS Outdoor
CBS Outdoor asked Maxwell Stephens to recruit a Facilities Supervisor to help oversee offices and warehouses across the UK and Ireland, which made multi-site experience essential. The search targeted facilities professionals with proven experience across multi-site environments, including offices and warehouses. We placed a candidate with more than three years' experience as a multi-site Assistant Facilities Manager, whose practical background matched the brief closely. That experience gave them a strong foundation for the step up and allowed them to contribute from the outset.
It shows how clearly evidenced experience, rather than a matching job title, is what earns a candidate the step up.
Read the full case study or browse all case studies.
Related reading
- How to Write the Perfect CV: A Complete Guide to Standing Out
- Interview Preparation for Facilities Management Candidates
- Breaking Out of the Comfort Zone: Networking for Introverts
More from Maxwell Stephens Insights
Our Insights library covers FM hiring, leadership and careers in more depth. Continue with:
- The Facilities Management Interview Guide
- Facilities Management Career Guide
- Facilities Management Salary Guide UK 2026
Browse the full Insights library.
Who this guide is for
Job seekers at any stage: people looking for their first role, those changing career or moving into a new type of role, people returning to work after time away, and facilities management, estates and workplace professionals planning their next move.
Next steps
Browse our current Facilities Management vacancies, upload your CV so a consultant can contact you about suitable roles, or join our mailing list for new vacancies and market updates.