Applying for jobs has always been difficult, but it is undeniable that COVID-19 will have a greater impact in your job hunt quest. The UK government has implemented extreme measures to combat the spread of coronavirus which heightened the concerns in employment as we see employers freeze their hiring, create alternative interviewing set ups and on-boarding process, even as far as furloughing or redundancies. However, this should not stop you from prioritising your job search regardless of the challenges we’re facing today.
You should be continuing your search even if your field is scaling back, because, even before things goes back to “normal”, companies will be looking to go back to business-as-usual and will need to hire qualified people. So if you are wondering whether you should be Easter egg hunting or job hunting right now…our answer is, which one is your priority?
If you’re looking for a job in this period, there are numerous ways that you can adapt to improve your approach to job hunt.
(Virtual) Networking
Networking will always be a main point on every list of tips for job seekers. Of course, the traditional ways of networking have been re-imagined and many people are suddenly working from home. This is a great opportunity to reach out to those in your network and the perfect time to spruce up your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is a great platform to brand yourself, it can help you tap into your relevant industry news and also provide an opportunity to network. It allows you to stand out from others in your employment sector and highlights what makes you more marketable for a particular role more than others. Plus, having a professional LinkedIn profile will inevitably rank your name on search engines like Google. This is important because the likeliness of your employers searching for you is high which is why LinkedIn plays a vital role in your job search. Of course, LinkedIn is just another social networking website, but this aspect allows you to be knowledgeable to what is happening in your field of enterprise and niche. All of this will enable you to build a solid foundation for your professional brand in order to strategically (and intentionally) land you that perfect job and depending on just your CV and cover letter will most likely not benefit you in 2020.
Improve and highlight your talent and skills
We have spoken a lot from the previous point about personal and professional branding, but what does this actually mean? Your professional brand communicates what and who you are in a workplace. Your brand reflects on your professional reputation and in essence, what you’re known for (or would like to be known for). So why not invest your time in improving your skills? It’s no secret that employers love self-improvement, so if you can demonstrate this, particularly at your interview stage, then they are likely to consider you as the type of person they would want to work with. There are multiple platforms in which you can acquire these skills such as Coursera or SkillShare where you can enrol on to free or paid courses in specialised fields which in most cases allow you to acquire a specialisation and professional certificate. LinkedIn also has a “LinkedIn Learning” which has personalised learning experiences and courses taught by real-world professionals. Improving on these will be your gateway to getting that job offer.
Practice your interview skills
A lot of things are going virtual and the recruitment process isn’t any different. Install all platforms that may be necessary in conducting these virtual interviews. You should check your environment and where you will set up for these interviews, and the three important aspects to this are good natural light, make sure it’s clean (maybe not in your kitchen or bedroom) and finally, make sure it’s quiet – eliminate all distractions like kids, pets and housemates in these scenarios. All suggestions above will help to ensure that your first impression, is a good one.
We hope that these highlight the importance on continuing your job search, companies are still hiring, and many are looking for progressive individuals. Make some modifications and adjustments in your job hunt and it is likely you’ll land the right role for you. It may be hard right now but stay positive, the Easter Bunny is still classed as an essential worker!
ABL Recruitment team
