How to Find a Job in Sussex

Split across East and West Sussex, the Sussex region is a fantastic place for aspiring employees and those embarking on a new career, with a diverse, healthy jobs market. If you're unsure where to start or how to find the ideal vacancies, we've put this guide together to showcase the best ways to find jobs in Sussex.

man using a laptop to search for jobs on a Sussex job board

The diversity and range of jobs in Sussex make it a great location for job seekers, whether you're looking for your very first job fresh from college or university, want to take the next step up on the career ladder, are returning to work, or have just relocated to the area.

With major sectors ranging from hospitality and retail, the bustling summer tourist season, heritage sectors in agriculture and marine industries, and modern centres for entertainment, technology, finance, engineering and aerospace, there is a broad scope of potential jobs.

Unemployment rates are relatively low and far beneath the national averages across the vast majority of Sussex. Many opt to move to quieter market towns away from central London, where salaries remain high but living costs are dramatically lower—along with more affordable property prices.

That means finding a job involves a bit of research within a competitive space to ensure you know how to put your best foot forward from initial application through to salary negotiations.

Without further ado, we’ll start with some basic insights to get you started!

Sussex Job Searches: Defining the Areas and Sectors You Want to Work In

The first factor to consider is where you live now, where you'll be if you're planning around a move, and how far you're willing to travel. This makes a big impact since if you live in one of the smaller towns or villages, you might need to look slightly further away if you want a salary towards the top end of the range for the type of jobs you're looking for.

In contrast, if you’ll be in one of the largest cities or towns, such as Brighton, Crawley or Chichester, you might want to restrict your job search to specific geographical areas, making sure you know whether there are decent public transport links or how long the drive is likely to take.

Parking can be a consideration, and while most businesses in places with high traffic congestion and limited parking—especially central Brighton—will have their own designated parking, it is worth checking before you apply if the cost of travel might be prohibitive.

From there, we’d suggest thinking about whether there is a sector or industry that is well suited to either your interests and qualifications or similar to businesses you’ve worked for before.

Of course, if you have expertise in admin, sales, retail, or more technical areas like IT, automotive and engineering, you might be less concerned with sectors and more interested in finding jobs that match the skills you have to offer.

However, given the huge number of opportunities on offer, having even a vague idea about the types of jobs that will match your aspirations, the locations you're willing to work in, and any sectors or trades that appeal can help narrow down your search.

Happy woman sitting at home, searching for jobs in Sussex on her laptop, with smiling child next to her.

Best Places to Find Jobs in Sussex

Next, it’s time to begin looking around to see what jobs are out there, working around the parameters you’ve already defined. There are several excellent sources, some more relevant to certain job types than others:

  • Searching Sussex Jobs: Our online Sussex job board is designed to make it easier for people across Sussex, and for local businesses, to match their abilities to job vacancies. We update our listings regularly and commonly have hundreds of live vacancies spanning all experience levels.
  • Using General Jobs Boards: You’re likely familiar with the large nationwide jobs channels, and these can be worth looking at. A caveat is that listings may be out of date, could be outside of the area you’re prepared to travel, and are often viewed by hundreds of thousands of potential applicants.
  • Registering With a Local Employment Agency: You can submit your details to an agency, and most will want you to pop in for an in-person chat. There are some great agencies that specialise, such as in warehouse jobs or manual labour jobs, although most focus on head-hunting and higher-level managerial roles, for which businesses are prepared to pay a commission to outsource the recruitment process.
  • Visiting Local Jobs Fairs: Job fairs can be a good way to meet recruiters face to face or pick up a few brochures and details of forthcoming vacancies. There is no guarantee of finding a job, but if you see a job fair that is a good match for the type of role you’d like, it could be worth a visit.
  • Browsing Local Newspapers: In recent years, many of the local Sussex newspapers have removed their jobs sections from print editions, although some still have online listings. It's worth checking the locations since some papers, like the Observer, have separate editions for Hastings, Battle, Rye, Bexhill, etc.

Some job boards suggest cold-calling, where you contact companies directly that you'd love to work for. There are pros and cons to this approach, but generally, we'd suggest looking for adverts from businesses actively looking for new employees to avoid making a nuisance of yourself.

Most larger businesses have HR departments that deal with hiring, meaning that staff who answer the phone are unlikely to know about current vacancies. Likewise, smaller companies tend to be very busy and won't always welcome an unsolicited call.

Applying for Jobs in East and West Sussex

When you come across a job ad that seems like a good fit, our advice is to pause and take the time to read the specifications and requirements carefully before you take action. A large percentage of employers, particularly those in the public sector, use a 'scoring' system when short-listing candidates to invite for an interview.

Sending a generic CV, omitting a cover letter – or including one that hasn't been asked for – or missing out on some crucial information specified in the job description will often mean being automatically rejected, regardless of how well you could perform the role.

For example, you might want to double-check:

  • You have any minimum qualifications or years of practical experience required.
  • You can work the number of hours per week or the days of the week specified.
  • You're happy with the working structure if this involves any remote work, working from home, or multi-site work at different locations.
  • You have any mandatory training – such as manual handling or working at height certificates.
  • You understand what the employer is asking applicants to do, e.g., email, send a CV, express interest, fill in an online application form, and so on.

Having a solid idea of what the company wants from you as an applicant is key. This is an opportunity to position yourself as an ideal candidate who will be easy to manage, prepared to read instructions carefully, and respectful of the time of the recruitment officer or person handling the vacancy.

Submitting an Application for a Sussex Job

At this stage, you've done a little homework, clarified that you're a good fit for the job, and can submit your application. There are cases where it could be beneficial to apply even if you don't quite tick every box, but highlighting this can work in your favour.

For example, if the job specification refers to a particular piece of software you've not used before, rather than waiting for the hiring manager to see this and cross you off their list, you can note that you don't know this specific software but are willing to learn, pick up new processes quickly, and have great experience using an alternative.

Companies commonly receive hundreds, if not thousands, of applications, so being transparent, honest, and upfront means you're making their job easier and making it clear that you are a trustworthy candidate who has read the job listing with care.

Read through your CV, and make sure this is as concise, user-friendly and relevant as possible. Most businesses appreciate a small section referring to your personal interests – but the primary information should be about your experience, qualifications, skills and previous work history.

Tweaking your application for each job is highly advisable, since a generalised, non-specific CV and covering letter is often clearly being sent to multiple recruiters and isn’t as eye-catching or interesting as one that’s been adjusted for this specific role.

Preparing for an Interview for Your Ideal Job in Sussex

Interviews are the final hurdle, and for most of us, are nerve-wracking at best! There is no right or wrong way to prepare, but doing ample research to ensure you know as much as possible about what the company does, its values, products, background, and teams, as well as how you might add value to the role, is massively important.

Interviewers often include questions designed to assess your preparedness, such as what you know about the business, why you want to work for them, or your strengths and weaknesses.

This isn't necessarily intended to trip you up, but it can differentiate between strong, enthusiastic and well-prepared candidates and those who haven't put much time or effort into the application.

Last but not least, be smart, flexible, and as accommodating as you can, even if you're moving to Sussex and need to travel a little further to make it to the offered interview date. Being smart and presentable makes you memorable, regardless of whether you're applying for an office-based job, a role as a driver or delivery person, or would be working in an industrial setting.

Ask the interviewer to repeat the question if you aren’t 100% sure what they've said. Take a sip of water or a deep breath to give yourself a quick pause and time to gather your thoughts. Never be afraid to make a short list of questions of your own to ensure that when you're offered a Sussex job, it'll be the right one for you.

If you'd like to start your search, the first step is to browse Sussex Jobs and review the vacancies currently available across Sussex. Register with us today, upload your CV, or simply compare job openings, pay rates, and locations, and you'll be one step closer!