Job Hunting During These Testing Times

October 24, 2020
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Craig Fischer
Posted in Business
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With rising unemployment levels globally only set to go up, looking for a new job is not going to be easy. But people should not feel dejected, instead they should use this free time to develop new skills or work on your current ones and maybe even end up coming across those job openings that you weren’t expecting but end up loving.

Besides health-care providers and delivery services, a lot of employers are hiring less aggressively during this pandemic and unemployment is high. For example in the USA, around 22 million people are not employed or furloughed. In the UK and Australia, economists are looking at a 10% unemployment rate, Italy and Spain are seeing a spike in layoffs and Japan is seeing the number of open positions dropping to an alarmingly low level in almost 3 years. However everything will not look so bleak as once economies start to improve, many companies who let their employees go during the pandemic period will need to find new staff to fill in those positions.

So with many countries around the world under quarantine, this is the best time to look inwards. Whether your career hasn’t yet taken off, you have lost your job or are looking for a career change, this is how you can start.

Keep applying to jobs.

Your job search has no reason to stop and should continue as if the pandemic never took place. Keep on revising your CV, cover letter and continue sending those applications in. Even if firms need to temporarily stop offering new job opportunities, there is a possibility that once things are back to normalcy, they could look back at your application to fill that position.

Network As Much As You Can
Having a robust, efficient and vast professionals network is vital when looking for a job and this is the ideal time to build that network. This lockdown period is a great time to talk to friends, colleagues and people in your desired industry. It is also important to read up on things happening in said industry. If it is trying to find that future company, making new professional connections or just checking in with old colleagues, the important part is to start reaching out to new people. However one piece of advice- don’t go on an adding spree and connect with people who you will never get advice or introductions from.

Do Some Self Reflection and Work On Yourself
Many firms will need to rethink their employees, strategies and overall mission statement and will need new talent to do so. If you are looking at entering a different industry this could mean part-time jobs or internships to get some professional experience or even taking a gig that may not follow your desired career path. Plus this is the best time to take online courses, certifications and seminars to pick up new skills that will definitely come in handy when looking for a new job.

These times are indeed stressful for most people. Don’t beat yourself up when facing rejection and let yourself swim around in regret. Take some time for yourself to calm down by calling a friend, exercise, read or anything that could make you feel better. However long this pandemic will last, don’t let yourself feel discouraged for anything. See this as a great chance to take the reigns of your career and future.