Nearly five million Spaniards have eaten grapes with one wish in mind for 2012: to find a job. It is not an easy task in a year when the odds  are that the unemployment rate will exceed the current 21.5% to stand at around 23% .However, experts tell us to not despair and remind us that there are always job opportunities, even in years as black for unemployment as 2011, when despite everything, 13 million employment contracts were signed.
 
Alberto Pérez is a 29 year old young architect from Valladolid. He lost his job two years ago when the studio where he worked saw a rapid slow down the volume of contracts. After a fruitless search, which even led him to sell potato tortillas in Portugal, he finally just found a job to suit his training, experience and ambitions. It is in Switzerland however. So this week he will move abroad in search of a better future, like most of the colleagues who studied with him, he says. Is migration the only solution for the millions of people seeking work in Spain?

Indeed, geographic availability is a key factor, as Julio Ros points out, director of publications for the Infoempleo website. You have to cross city, county, regional and even national borders, where possible.

In fact, in Spain alone, it is estimated that between 62% and 65% of the jobs will be generated in Madrid, Catalonia, the Basque Country and Andalusia, the regions with the greatest industrial fabric and the most skilled professionals, according to Ros. She also predicts that any deterioration in employment figures in 2012 will be lower than the year just ended.

Another fundamental piece of advice in a year marked by economic gloom is to not get discouraged. To avoid getting discouraged in the search, Ros recommends carefully analysing each offer and to apply only for positions where the candidate will be competitive, so that they will not waste efforts or hope.

"If you send fifty CVs every week and no one replies to you, you get discouraged and begin to think that there is no point. It is important to focus and find the right job offer, "says Ros.

Infoempleo's second professional advice is to devote the saved effort to customising the CV and cover letter to the employer. The aim of this is for the recruiter to perceive the applicant's interest for the job as well their training. 

In that sense, it is worth following up on the position, making a call or visiting the person in charge of the selection process. Although they will not always answer the call or see the candidate, as this is only in rare occasions, you should leave a message with the operator so that they can be sure of your interest.

"Right now, there are a lot of very good professional profiles for any position. This looks good on paper. However with a call or a visit, you can give the feeling that someone is motivated, eager, dynamic, and that they will fight against adversity to bring the company forward, "says Ros.

In any case, Susana Sosa, services director for Adecco Professional, warns that to avoid disappointment, your job selection should not be too restrictive, because you must keep in mind that the more applications you send, the more chance you have of success. In addition, the candidate will lose their nerves and become more comfortable in interviews, as they gain experience in this task.

The Adecco executive also recommends that they learn about the labour market situation and compare it with the economic situation and staff before beginning a search, as a success factor may be the flexibility of both the wages and the job. A person willing to charge less or take a job that is not "their thing" is more likely to be placed first.

Also, Susana Sosa explains that most jobs (around 80%) are found on jobboards, so it is absolutely essential to have up-to-date professional profiles and track all the offers .Visiting the websites of companies that are of interest to the candidate and writing to them is also a good idea as well as being active in social networks, where word of mouth works very well. The point is to spend time every day to search and not to give up.

Once the first filter is passed, it is all about using common sense in the interview, go properly dressed, prepare a list of possible questions, learn about the company and the job that you have chosen, as well as the person who will conduct the interview, etc...

But where should you start looking? By sector, the situation with respect to 2011 has not changed much, so the areas that continue to generate jobs are industry, consulting, ICT, trade and food.

By contrast, the areas that will experience less movement are communications, organisation, purchasing, human resources and quality departments, which are less essential to the functioning of companies.

Another possible niche is high-level work for chief financial officers with international experience, due to the need for Spanish companies to open businesses abroad. And while looking for work ... Train. The last tip to end 2012 with a job is to devote part of your free time to training; it will increase your chances of eligibility and will help you stay active.