Active Job Hunting: What should I be doing?
The job market has faced a major overhaul in light of the Covid-19 outbreak. As New Zealander’s, we have fared well compared to the rest of the world. However, now is the time for both Employers and Employees alike to contemplate what all of this means for them.
Although there has been a significant decrease in some sectors hiring new staff, it does not mean that this is the way it is going to stay. The New Zealand economy is slowly but surely gaining traction as people go about their day-to-day lives again.
One the bright side, just because a company is not hiring now, does not mean that won’t be ever again...and when they do, you want to be ready! Below are three tips to make sure that you are as ready as you can be and to experience success in your job search…
Gaining Clarity:
If you are out of a job due to Covid-19, you will be finding yourself with more time on our hands. A good start to your job hunt is making sure you are using this time wisely.
The extra time you find yourself with proves an excellent starting point in asking yourself exactly what it is you want from a job and how this will impact your overall life and wellbeing.
Some questions to ask yourself may include:
•What key skills do I have?
•What do I really want out of my work?
•Have my previous roles supported that?
•Where do I want to be long-term?
•What needs to change to get me there?
If by asking yourself these questions, you realise you need to upskill, now is the perfect time to do so.
Market yourself:
To be as proactive as you can be during this time and after some reflection on what it is that you are wanting, get ready to spruce yourself up!
To make yourself stand out from the pack, you need to make sure your ‘marketing materials’ such as your Cover Letter, CV, LinkedIn (if you have one) and any Social Media profiles you have and not only current but are also appropriate!
By gaining some clarity on what it is you want and you are about, you are better able to identify your skills which make you valuable employee.
From the clarity you hopefully found in step one, make sure you are super clear on your skills and specialities so that employers can see your value quickly.
Make and Maintain Connections:
With a change in working environment upon us, it is just as important to make and maintain connections from afar.If you have been working from home or you are now out of the workforce think about the following:
•What is your virtual networking strategy and how can you make some new contacts post lock-down?
•Can you offer your support in a voluntary capacity in some way at the moment to make connection and move you closer towards you career goals?
•Can you share your insights and knowledge through a LinkedIn or social media post?
•Can you connect with people virtually to get even more clarity and to help increase your chances of successfully landing the job you do want?
•Can your connections help you identify what skills you might need to develop to reach your goals?
•Can you make your professional needs known to your networks to help you in finding the opportunities that do exist?