If you answer this question honestly, you should be able to realise whether you should consider other job opportunities or not.

Working in a dead-end job does no good for the body and mind, but then, on the other hand, how many of us have that courage to move out of our comfort zone into the unknown?

Being a recruiter, I come across all sorts of candidates, from those who cannot stick to one job to others who, despite feeling totally unhappy, cannot find the courage to try something else.

Attending an interview with a recruitment agency is already a sign that not all is good in the current job.

During the course of the interview, among other questions, I always ask what a person likes and dislikes in their existing job.

From the answer, I can assess whether the candidate is in desperate need of a new challenge or if they just need to have a one-to-one open conversation with their employer, manager or boss.

Opening up with one’s manager is not an easy task. However, without overcoming that threshold, one would not know what the outcome would be.

Business owners and managers do not know how employees feel and, unless they express their feelings, employers do not realise that they need to offer better conditions to retain their top employees.

These meetings need to be open but well planned with suggestions that could offer a better working environment for all concerned.

Once a decision to move on is taken, candidates need to then identify what they really love. If, during this process, they realise that they don’t have the right qualifications for the desired job, then they need to take appropriate action to achieve such qualifications.

Having said this, statistics from our database of interviewed candidates show that very few qualified candidates actually work in their ‘dream job’.

Opportunities to further one’s studies today are countless. Apart from university, candidates are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing the path they wish to pursue.

If time is an issue, one could easily opt for an evening course. If this is also an issue for some reason, there is the opportunity of doing it by correspondence. The options are there for the taking. It’s just a matter of making the right decision and going for it.

Once the decision of searching for another job has been made, the next step would be to prepare a well-drafted CV. Ideas on how to draft a good CV can easily be downloaded from the internet.

However, vital information such as clearly explaining the roles and duties covered in each employment are important items to include. Other important aspects, such as the date commenced and the date of when the employment was terminated, including the reason for leaving the job, are also important and sometimes omitted from CVs.

Finally, checking for any spelling mistakes is crucial. This might sound obvious. However, the amount of mistakes one comes across when viewing CVs is quite amazing and tends to give a bad first impression.

If one is unfamiliar with ‘spellcheck’, then the next best thing is to get a close friend or a family member to read your CV for feedback.

Prior to taking the leap and accepting a job, the candidate and prospective employer would have had a number of meetings to see if there is a positive mutual feeling and understanding.

Apart from this, further research should be done on the company to truly understand its philosophy. One important aspect that is sometimes erroneously overlooked is to ask the prospective employer to provide an employment contract with a job description. It is extremely important for both employer and employee to have this signed by both parties for the avoidance of future problems.

Apart from the usual conditions, such as duties and functions, remuneration, commission, leave entitlement, data protection issues, a proper employment contract should also include working hours, conditions for leave entitlement and reporting structure.

A recruitment agency is there not only to match an employer with an employee but more importantly to give advice to candidates and guide them in the proper direction.

Advice can be given in different forms, from preparing for an interview to also helping a candidate when it comes to drafting out a well-structured and detailed CV.

John Paris is recruitment officer with VacancyCentre. He is responsible for providing recruitment assistance to a diverse portfolio of clients.